Topic: Russia-Nigeria energy linkup "Nigaz" looking for new name
marvin !H0G.H/BnJg started this discussion 15 years ago #13,797
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/30/russia-nigeria-gas-name-blunder
It probably seemed a good idea at the time. But Russia's attempt to create a joint gas venture with Nigeria is set to become one of the classic branding disasters of all time ‑ after the new company was named Nigaz.
The venture was agreed last week during a four-day trip by Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev to Africa. The deal between Russia's Gazprom and Nigeria's state oil company was supposed to show off the Kremlin's growing interest in Africa's energy reserves.
Instead, the venture is now likely to be remembered for all the wrong reasons ‑ as a memorable PR blunder, worse than Chevrolet's Nova, which failed to sell in South America because it translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish.
Alert users of Twitter first highlighted the unfortunate English connotations of Nigaz, which appears to have eluded Medevedev's Russian-speaking delegation.
The venture was agreed last week during a four-day trip by Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev to Africa. The deal between Russia's Gazprom and Nigeria's state oil company was supposed to show off the Kremlin's growing interest in Africa's energy reserves.
Instead, the venture is now likely to be remembered for all the wrong reasons ‑ as a memorable PR blunder, worse than Chevrolet's Nova, which failed to sell in South America because it translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish.
Alert users of Twitter first highlighted the unfortunate English connotations of Nigaz, which appears to have eluded Medevedev's Russian-speaking delegation.
(Edited 18 minutes later.)
Anonymous B joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 19 minutes later[^] [v] #246,391
That's quite funny but I don't see why any similarity to a culturally insensitive word in a country not party to this deal classifies this as a disaster...
Handel !khEOdtKF56 joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 2 hours later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,416
@previous (B)
> That's quite funny and I can see why similarities to a culturally insensitive word one could classify this as a PR disaster...
FTFU
> That's quite funny and I can see why similarities to a culturally insensitive word one could classify this as a PR disaster...
FTFU
(Edited 19 seconds later.)
Anonymous D joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 6 minutes later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,420
OP is a nigger
Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 45 minutes later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,435
If you are offended by that then you're obviously a freeloading NIGGERS
Anonymous B replied with this 15 years ago, 6 hours later, 10 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,713
@246,416 (Handel !khEOdtKF56)
its like that time chevrolet sold the nova in russia and it was a pr disaster because in a third country not party to the deal the word is similar to a slang word meaning doesnt go
oh wait that doesnt make sense. go hom.
its like that time chevrolet sold the nova in russia and it was a pr disaster because in a third country not party to the deal the word is similar to a slang word meaning doesnt go
oh wait that doesnt make sense. go hom.
Handel !khEOdtKF56 replied with this 15 years ago, 11 minutes later, 10 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,719
Meta !PARAdoxiHw joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 2 hours later, 12 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,799
LOL. I think it has a distinctive ring though.
I get all my energy from Nigaz.
I get all my energy from Nigaz.
Anonymous G joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 1 minute later, 12 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,801
Vladimir Putin hates chocolate people.
Anonymous H joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 41 seconds later, 12 hours after the original post[^] [v] #246,802
@246,799 (Meta !PARAdoxiHw)
Now it sounds like some sort of energy drink. Actually, I could see Nigaz on a can of energy drink for some reason.
Now it sounds like some sort of energy drink. Actually, I could see Nigaz on a can of energy drink for some reason.
