Wrong Anthem, By Gum
A company selling Wrigley's gum wanted music for a commercial in Russia. It went to an English company, and bought a catchy tune. The commercials aired in Moscow, until the Chinese embassy called to ask why the Chinese national anthem was used to sell gum. The company calls it a "misunderstanding."
Copyright © 2009 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
STEVE INSKEEP:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with a story of globalization gone wrong. A company selling Wrigley's gum wanted music for a commercial in Russia. It went to an English company and bought this catchy tune. The commercials aired in Moscow, and then the company got a call. The Chinese embassy was calling to ask why gum was being sold using the Chinese national anthem. The company now calls it a misunderstanding.
It's MORNING EDITION.
Copyright ©2009 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.