Matsushita Electric is promoting a new Japanese PC targeted at the
Internet. Panasonic has developed a complete Japanese Web browser,
and to make the system "user-friendly", licensed the cartoon character
"Woody Woodpecker" as the "Internet Guide." Panasonic eventually
planned on a world version of the product.
A huge marketing campaign was to have introduced the product in Japan
last week. The day before the ads were to be released, Panasonic
suddenly pulled back and delayed the product launch indefinitely.
The reason:
The ads featured the slogan "Touch Woody - The Internet Pecker."
An American staff member at the product launch explained to the
stunned and embarrassed Japanese what "touch woody" and "pecker"
meant in American slang.
*** "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--" - last words of General
John B Sedgewick during the Battle of Spottsylvania, 1864