I'm Loathin' It: McDonald's China Changes Their Name
When you want to get a coffee, do you think of mermaids? Or when considering fast food outlets, do "little red hats" come to mind? That's the type of corporate branding being suggested in China's latest meme that all started with the company with the world's most recognizable "M."
After years of relying upon a transliteration, McDonald's China unexpectedly changed their Chinese name to "Golden Arches." Unlike the previous Chinese name that signified nothing, the new name 金拱门 (jīngǒngmén) prominently refers to its readily-familiar corporate symbol.
Even without reading a word of Chinese, this somehow still seems like a McDonald's
However, the public doesn't seem willing to break away from years of familiarity even though McDonald's old Chinese name literally means "wheat as labor." Despite its nonsensical value, the use of Chinese transliterations of English names has become an accepted practice, commonly adopted by Western companies entering the Chinese market.
That makes it all the worse for McDonald's. What should have been a market-specific localization has instead spawned a satirical farce for the most basic reason of all – because it's funny.
Ignorant of its been long-held use in company promotions, Chinese netizens are finding the new "Golden Arches" name to be hilarious because it fits in with the punnery and reductive reasoning inherent in Chinese comedy. Or, to put it another way, "Golden Arches" is just the kind of ribald nickname a Chinese auntie would call McDonald's if she didn't know its name.
The resulting meme applies the same treatment to a host of other corporate brands doing business in China, usually conveyed through a literal manifestation of a corporate logo.
As the undisputed king of foreign fast food restaurants in China, KFC holds a special, nestled place in many consumers' hearts. And yet, many Chinese don't know that its company logo is the face of Colonel Sanders. That's why some netizens are rebranding KFC as the restaurant known as "Old Feller" (老头儿 lǎo tóu er) or "Distinguished Old Geezer" (俏老头 qiào lǎotóu).
In much the same way, Pizza Hut is given its new literal name, "Little Red Hat" (小红帽 xiǎo hóng mào) as is Ajisen Ramen with "Noodle-Eating Child" (吃面童子 chīmiàn tóngzǐ).
The meme turns Starbucks into "Mermaid Coffee" (美人鱼咖啡 měirényú kāfēi) or "Legend of the White Snake" (新白娘子窗期 xīnbái niángzǐ chuánqí), a reference to the Chinese myth that has become the basis for a few movies.
The jokes virtually write themselves. Nike becomes the "Checkmark" shoe company while Adidas is its "White Lotus Flower" competitor. Kappa becomes "Two People Sitting" while Hermes becomes the "Old Carriage" company.
Due to their distinctive logo designs, foreign car companies were also extensively covered by the meme. Audi becomes the "You Have One Less Ring Than the Olympics" car company, BMW becomes the "Three-Legged Tripod" while Bentley simply becomes the "Flying B" company.
Volkswagen was particularly satirized with its new name, "Overturn the Three Mountains." While it rightly points out that the Volkswagen logo looks like three upside-down V's, it also happens to be a reference to an old CCP slogan about the three "Oppressors of the People": imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucracy.
The literal approach turned premiere luxury car companies Ferrari and Lamborghini into "Horse Brand Cars" and "Bull Brand Cars."
But even as the humor starts to spread thin for those of us looking in, we should remember that this is one way for Chinese to fight back after being inundated with some outrageous corporate names. Lest we forget, Pizza Hut's real actual Chinese name is "Victory Ensured for Guest" while Pepsi co-opts the Chinese term for a "knowledgeable person" into its name, thereby becoming "The Cola of Much Knowledge."
In such an environment, defiant acts of culture-jamming can go a long way. Maybe that's why, for the longest time, the prestigious BMW brand was given a joke name years ago: 别摸我 (bié mó wǒ), three Chinese characters whose Pinyin also start with the same letters but give a decidedly different meaning from its branded intent: "Don't Touch Me."
Images: Weibo.com, 21so.com, sj998.com, vancitymall.com, youhui.cardbaobao.com, 059qc.com, ChinaNews.com
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