Joint oil ventures with attitiude

July 3, 2009 2:26 PM

Russia's Gazprom and Nigeria's oil company NNPC are forming a joint venture. Hmmmm...what do you call such a thing? GazGeria? Nah, Nigeria should come first. How 'bout NIGAZ? Perhaps unsurprisingly, some people have a problem with this.
posted by codswallop (44 comments total)

"Joint ventures" are usually bad, unless they're smoldering between my fingertips. Business aside, why should the world revolve around American lexicographic sensibilities? I wonder how many common terms / names of companies are offensive or mirror offensive words in, say, Indonesian?

'Gazgeria' is a good one though.
posted by Maximian at 2:31 PM on July 3, 2009

You can't make this shit up.
posted by Afroblanco at 2:33 PM on July 3, 2009

NIGAZ please.
posted by The Whelk at 2:34 PM on July 3, 2009 [16 favorites]

Brilliant marketing. Where do I get my NIGAZ T-shirt?
posted by Xoebe at 2:35 PM on July 3, 2009

Who put /b/ in my metafilter?
posted by Pants! at 2:37 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

Hold on a moment! Think carefully now, does this really merit both the oops and the whoops tag? I mean, sure it's pretty egregious, but you're underestimating human numptiness if you think this is as bad as it gets.
posted by Sova at 2:39 PM on July 3, 2009 [4 favorites]

Since we was privatized, we bought deeds, now
We're the muthafuckas that ya read about
Drillin a well or two, thats what the hell we do
You don't like what we're doing, well fuck you...
posted by crapmatic at 2:52 PM on July 3, 2009 [3 favorites]

I should also point out that the Australian blog article linked to in the post has lame reasoning based on the urban legend that the Nova "didn't sell" in Spanish-speaking countries because "no va" means "doesn't go". This is a little like saying the Citroën wouldn't sell in the USA because it sounds like a lemon.

And I just found out there's a whole country called "turkey"...
posted by Maximian at 2:53 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

I know it's wrong, but...

That is just all kinds of awesome.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:55 PM on July 3, 2009

via?
posted by cjorgensen at 2:55 PM on July 3, 2009

And I just found out there's a whole country called "turkey"...

I fed one a duck stuffed with a chicken before devouring them. It wasn't as good as all the magazines said.
posted by codswallop at 2:56 PM on July 3, 2009

Can't have a business venture without nigaz.
posted by Iron Rat at 2:56 PM on July 3, 2009

I guess none of the outraged people have been to Turkey. NIGGAZ been selling gas there for years.
posted by redteam at 2:58 PM on July 3, 2009 [2 favorites]

From the "problem" link in the post:

How many people are going to risk getting killed simply talking about their job in as (sic) bar.

“I tell you, I’m so sick of working for bloody Nigaz!”

Chk chk boom.

posted by idiopath at 3:04 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

why should the world revolve around American lexicographic sensibilities?

Yeah. A pretty big bakery company in many parts of Latin America is Bimbo. Must make for some very puzzled US tourists on the supermarkets, I bet.
posted by Iosephus at 3:12 PM on July 3, 2009

They should merge with the Russian media firm that bought LiveJournal, to form "SUP Nigaz".
posted by acb at 3:19 PM on July 3, 2009 [15 favorites]

Yeah. A pretty big bakery company in many parts of Latin America is Bimbo. Must make for some very puzzled US tourists on the supermarkets, I bet.
posted by Iosephus at 3:12 PM on July 3 [+] [!]

Bimbo Bakery goods sell in 7-11s and grocery stores here in southern California.
posted by basicchannel at 3:20 PM on July 3, 2009

Also, you see their trucks all the time on the roads here.
posted by basicchannel at 3:21 PM on July 3, 2009

Bimbo Bakery goods sell in 7-11s and grocery stores here in southern California.


For some reason that doesn't surprise me...
posted by i_cola at 3:30 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

This reminds me of when Matsumura Fishworks and Tamaribuchi Heavy Manufacturing Concern merged.
posted by ignignokt at 3:47 PM on July 3, 2009 [9 favorites]

posted by codswallop How 'bout NIGAZ? Perhaps unsurprisingly, some people have a problem with this.

Well, if they start to mumble, and they want to rumble? Mix them and cook them in a pot like gumbo.
posted by mattdidthat at 3:50 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

basicchannel: "Yeah. A pretty big bakery company in many parts of Latin America is Bimbo. Must make for some very puzzled US tourists on the supermarkets, I bet.
posted by Iosephus at 3:12 PM on July 3 [+] [!]

Bimbo Bakery goods sell in 7-11s and grocery stores here in southern California."

You can buy Bimbo bread in my local grocery store here in Kansas.
posted by Science! at 3:50 PM on July 3, 2009

NIGAZ? With attitude?
posted by TedW at 4:11 PM on July 3, 2009

You're thinking of Northwest Airlines.
posted by Maximian at 4:31 PM on July 3, 2009 [2 favorites]

Yeah. A pretty big bakery company in many parts of Latin America is Bimbo. Must make for some very puzzled US tourists on the supermarkets, I bet.

They sell up here in KY, too.
posted by dilettante at 4:51 PM on July 3, 2009

I only hope that the website has the obligatory 'My NIGAZ."
posted by Mister Moofoo at 4:53 PM on July 3, 2009 [6 favorites]

Apparently, the deal won't be finalized until Gazprom cashes a money order from NNPC and gives the money to this guy they know.
posted by orme at 5:49 PM on July 3, 2009 [5 favorites]

Story has it in the reforms post the Good Friday Agreement when the Royal Ulster Constabulary changed its name, they were going to be the Northern Ireland Police Service until someone pointed out they'd end up getting call "Nips." Forces on the mainland already have to contend with accusations of having a tit on their head when they wear the traditional helmet, so they avoided the free gift to gobby spides and went for PSNI instead.
posted by Abiezer at 5:58 PM on July 3, 2009

Business aside, why should the world revolve around American lexicographic sensibilities?

Pft. American sensibilities are the only sensibilities that matter.
posted by rodgerd at 6:28 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

I really hope they sponsor a soccer team.
posted by alpinist at 6:44 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

And here I thought Northwest Airlines was the most gangsta company.
posted by Mikey-San at 6:51 PM on July 3, 2009 [2 favorites]

i keep reading gazPROM as gazPORN
posted by liza at 7:03 PM on July 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

Does this mean they'll need a new company song?
posted by Xere at 7:35 PM on July 3, 2009

My favorite unfortunate naming decision has to be this one. Gives me a giggle every time I see one looming in my rear view.
posted by flabdablet at 8:05 PM on July 3, 2009

Hey Mother Earth aint gonna drill herself you know
posted by nervousfritz at 8:54 PM on July 3, 2009

A: It's pronounced Nye-gaz.
B: This is really not any funnier than the name of the country itself, which is not particularly.
posted by empath at 9:41 PM on July 3, 2009 [2 favorites]

In Spain there is a coffee named Bonka as well as the aforenamed bread. So for breakfast you can have your Bimbo & Bonka.
posted by adamvasco at 11:54 PM on July 3, 2009

They sell up here in KY, too.

This just makes me think of something else entirely.
posted by tapeguy at 4:28 AM on July 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

why should the world revolve around American lexicographic sensibilities

It shouldn't, but it should be noted that many ESL students are very aware what this particular lexicographic sensibility means.
posted by moonbiter at 4:38 AM on July 4, 2009

So there may be a problem when Aer Lingus and Cunnard Shipping combine?
posted by dangerousdan at 5:56 AM on July 4, 2009 [2 favorites]

This choice of name is beyond the pale.
posted by cmfletcher at 9:08 AM on July 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

My favourite: the Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance which is/was a melding of the centre right and right political parties in Canada. A name whose acronym is wildly funny once you add party to the end.
posted by Mitheral at 10:52 AM on July 4, 2009

Guardian article containing many branding FAILs.
posted by not_on_display at 7:12 AM on July 7, 2009

This brings to mind the attempted buyout of Loral Space Systems by Lockheed Martin. Had it gone through, the new venture would have been named LoMoral.
posted by ooga_booga at 12:23 AM on July 8, 2009 [1 favorite]