Fresno: No Name No Gain
Millions of affluent Chinese in Asia enjoy tasty California agricultural products from the San Joaquin Valley. Yet when you ask Chinese business people about the Valley or its largest city, Fresno, the majority will say, “What? Where?” It makes you wonder if people in Asia think California cherries are grown in Hollywood or San Francisco.
Why is there so little name recognition in Greater China of this city and this region? The reason may be that there is no official Chinese name for Fresno and no consensus on how to translate the name into Chinese. Ask 10 Chinese-Americans who live in Fresno how to say Fresno in Chinese and you are likely to get at least 5 different answers.
A simple 20-minute search on the Internet yields 18 different transliterations of Fresno in Chinese. Their meanings range from Buddha-Thunder-This-Promise, fo-lei-si-nuo, to Fortune-Moist-This-Promise, fu-run-si-nuo. Fresno has only a few Buddhist temples and thunder is just as rare. We must ask: Do these names give a good first impression for people who have yet to learn about Fresno? Will people recognize it as the same place when a newscaster talks about “Buddha-Thunder” and a travel guide says “Fortune-Moist”?
No name, no gain. The consequence of not having a strong, recognizable name is loss of investments, business opportunities, and tourist attraction.
Don’t wait to have others define your name. Take control and build a strong brand.
This article was first appeared at goodcharacters.com in July 2004.
Posted: September 5th, 2006 under Danger, Cities.
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