Google isn't getting much of a break in China. Last week someone who had been to their launch party sighed to me that, had it been any other company, people would have thought it silly and pretentious. Not being among the "in crowd", I have no firsthand impressions to report, and others may feel differently. This week Shanghai Daily reports that Chinese net users are giving the company a savaging over its choice of Chinese name, 谷歌 ("Guge"), or "harvest song":
Reasons cited for [a petition calling upon Google to rethink its Chinese name] are the name is "weird," "unsophisticated" and could damage the "cool" image of Google in China.

"Google, we love you, but we don't love Guge," said the Website, which received more than 2,600 signatures yesterday. "The name Guge is not satisfactory and we are disappointed. Do you hear us, Google?"

***

Domestic media were quick to pounce on the "harvesting song," saying the Chinese name reflects the US-based company's lack of understanding of the local psyche.

***

"Google gives us an individualistic feel, yet Guge sounds traditional and rural ... in other words, it's outdated," said a blogger on another Website.

Industry analysts also told Shanghai Daily that Google could have picked a better name.

"A valley song has got nothing to do with Google's original meaning," Tom Doctoroff, Greater China CEO of ad agency JWT, said yesterday. "You make mistakes like this when you don't know your consumers. It's a huge mistake."

But Google China is unfazed by the commotion.

"Guge is not a substitute for Google, rather, it will complement Google," the company said in a statement in response to queries from Shanghai Daily.
The comments echo feelings reported to me by a friend yesterday, a longtime China-based journalist. On the other hand, in the absence of an official Chinese name, Chinese net users had bestowed such unflattering names as 狗狗 ("Gougou")/doggy, so they did need to fill the vacuum and its definitely an improvement upon that, or anything else that refers to house pets. Furthermore, the name hardly seems likely to become one of those legendary China branding disasters like Coca Cola's original Chinese name. More likely, once the shock of newness wears off, it'll be ignored in all but official situations. A look at the Google.cn website shows that it's still the English brand that gets prominence.


 Spot the hidden Chinese brand

Updates:
  • Via Shanghaiist, China Snippets with a translated version of the flash video introducing Google's Chinese brand.
  • Also, Virtual China with a post from a few days ago explaining some of the back-story behind the brand. Plus, they link to the Chinese "No Guge" site. Note the slight change to the new Google China logo there, and their own somewhat, ahem, derivative logo.