The perils of international branding has once again been highlighted with the latest joint venture between the Russian gas giant Gazprom and Nigeria's state operated NNPC. Worth an estimated $2.5bn, the new enterprise is to be called Nigaz, a combination of the two words 'Nigeria' and 'Gaz'. However, the English speaking world will interpret the name in a rather different fashion.
Nigaz is not the first company to court controversy with it's branding. Mitsubushi were caught out by the naming of it's SUV model the Pajero in Spain, where the term means 'wanker'. Starbucks launched it's 'latte' coffee in Germany assuming the same word in Italian meant 'milk', but instead meant 'erection'.
Nigaz will be building refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Nigeria.
* Ok, the title inferences the word oil, but it's close enough.
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