Thought Leadership

Lost in Translation: Target to Rename “Urine” Sandals

Target has been a bit off the mark with its product naming as of late. After catching flak last week for labeling a plus-sized dress “manatee gray,” the retailer is back in the headlines this week over its poorly named “Orina” sandals.

The Target has been selling the Mossimo brand sandals since February. While the product’s title was inspired by a female name meaning “peace” or “peaceful” in Russian, Target recently found out that “Orina” translates to “urine” in Spanish.

Quickly “taking care of business,” Target removed the product from its website and is currently relabeling all of its in-store “Orina” shoes. The company “relieved itself” from all but a little embarrassment by acting quickly, but it remains to be seen whether or not Target will endure the recent naming snafus unscathed.

In an uncanny stroke of timing (or a well-planned maneuver), Target today launched a multi-day Facebook giveaway of store gift cards. Hopefully, the Target PR move succeeds in its attempt to shift the conversation and generate goodwill among its customers.