Localisation Faux Pas (Archive)

"Pocari Sweat" is a Japanese energy drink, generally taken after sport, much like Gatoraid is in the United States. When the Japanese beverage was introduced to the US market, the import company learned a tough cultural lesson firsthand. 

While the connotations of sweat in Japan are not negative, this is not the case in the US. The Japanese believe that sweat represents a healthy, hard working body and view it in a positive light. However, the negative connotations associated with sweat in the US proved to be a significant problem. In the end, the manufacturer was forced to drop the second word before the product was successfully marketed in the US.