Zune is not a funny name

Shahar from the Excel Services development team at Microsoft is a bit upset about how the Israeli media “abused” the selected name of Microsoft’s new MP3 Player - Zune.

Well Shahar, this is for you…

I will give you a F-ing break. Zune sounds close enough to Zi-Yoon (The F-Word) to be funny to some people. I guess that is why the media in Israel (and elsewhere) picked it up. I personally agree with you that it’s not that funny…it’s more insulting. There are enough Israelis working in Redmond to have tipped the Zune marketing guys that it is an inappropriate (not to mention offending) word. In my opinion it’s not the “amaturish” Israeli media that dropped the ball here, it’s the guys in the Zune marketing department. Think about how the market would have reacted if Microsoft tried to sell a product called “F* You” even if it was spelled “feouk”.

Posted on October 23, 2006 by Yoav Ezer 
Filed Under Microsoft

Comments

3 Responses to “Zune is not a funny name”

  1. Shahar on October 23rd, 2006 10:42 am

    Oh, I did not contend the fact that the coincidence is somewhat amusing (though, to be fair, at about the level that reading the word “zona” in the bible is funny for 12 years old).

    I was upset with the way it was presented. Similar to what you say in fact. That it was thoughtless (what you say) or maybe even intentional (as some of the editorials and blog entries in Israel I saw).

    Taking issue with the name is, I am sorry to say, childish. You say “There are enough Israelis working in Redmond to have tipped the Zune marketing guys that it is an inappropriate (not to mention offending) word”

    Well.. I am an Israeli and in Redmond and it never even crossed my mind.

    It’s like saying that the Apple MP3 player is offensive because in hebrew it sounds a bit like “Vagina”. Apple has Israelis too. How come they did not figure it can be offensive???

    I bet there are more than 40 languages spoken in Microsoft with some frequency. Should all 40 languages be polled with each and every product name to make sure it does not half-offend anyone?

    Give me another f-ing break. :)

  2. sk on October 23rd, 2006 9:29 pm

    First of all, the word zi-yun does not map 1:1 to the F-word in English.
    It is a gerund, slang for intercourse, and while it’s generally considered a fairly coarse word, in this form it is almost never used as an insult.
    In fact, in some phrases it’s fairly acceptable in general discourse, especially in “zi-yun sekhel”, which will roughly translate into bullshit.
    As bad words go, I would say it is extremely mild.
    But most importantly , the notion of taboo words does not really exist in Israeli culture.
    We don’t have a 7 word list, we don’t beep , you don’t see parents cover their kids in panic when someone happen to drop “the f-bomb”.
    People on radio, television and the parliament say much worse than it.
    Will it hurt sales?
    Who knows.
    But I find it extremely hard to believe that anybody will actually be offended b y it.

  3. Lara on December 14th, 2006 11:08 pm

    Drive-by Comment
    This reminds me of why the Chevy Nova failed miserably in Mexico:
    “No va” means “Doesn’t go.”

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