One
inventor had a weird launch with his new iPhone app called Rego
recently when his app went viral in Brazil, but not for the reason that
he expected. The app is like a bookmarking service for the real world,
where people can mark down their favorite locations and share them with
others. Whether it’s to remember a restaurant, share a romantic spot, or
collect the best locations for a walk, Rego has grown around the world
over the past few days.
But
pretty soon, the creator noticed that in Brazil, Rego had gone viral.
However, he found out that it wasn’t for the reason he had hoped. It
turns out that Rego actually means something very specific there, and
after Gizmo ran an article about it, the app went viral. Everyone poked
fun at the app not for what it could do, but for the name. Still, bad
publicity is still good, right? That’s what its creator seems to think,
anyways. After all, the important thing is for people to download it,
and have fun with Rego.
This
however does point out one important part of branding and marketing.
Large companies spend a lot of money making sure their global strategies
work, and a big part of that means making sure they understand local
cultures. Of course, entrepreneurs or small businesses don’t have that
kind of cash, but this is a good reminder of the type of surprises that
can come out of it.
