Typo, myopia, or poor execution?

This posting is the first part of two stories about what I think are examples of poor marketing execution. Today, companies spend millions of dollars in new ways not only to creatively engage consumers, but also in establishing a long term relationship with them. Despite all their efforts, some still fall short in ensuring their marketing efforts are executed to perfection. If these efforts happen to fail in the long run, the entire marketing department is there to be blamed. Sometimes simple mistakes in executing the final stages of a program can cost the entire failure of the marketing program. Often times, the planning, research, and strategy stages of a marketing plan are the first ones to be scrutinized for not "getting in right" from the beginning, but executing correctly a plan is as important, if not more than the stages of its conception because that is what consumers ultimately will experience at the point of sell or service.

Two weeks ago, I went to the Nissan dealership to take my car to its regular oil change service. Usually, I bring a book with me, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down and wait about 30 to 45 minutes for the service to be completed. Every time I go there, I also like take a look at the new cars they have at showroom. This time I remember looking at a beautiful red 300 Z, when suddenly a salesman vigorously approached me and start explaining all the car features. He gave me his card and I thanked him. I also told him that I was just looking around. As I was heading back to the waiting room, I looked at his business card and read "Se Habela Espanol." I didn't know if I should laugh or go tell him that his card had a big typo. Instead, I stopped and said to myself. "We are in 2008, I think by know most of the salesmen people, especially in Texas should know Spanish and also should know that it is Habla and not Habela." I also thought that it could've been a simple typo; nonethelsess, I noticed that the name of the salesman was Caesar and not Cesar, as I remember it is normally spelled. I don't know what it was, but if a company like Nissan spends big dollars on Spanish advertising, or hires sales people that are supposedly bilingual, so that they can better communicate with the Latino community. Why not double check that all your efforts are being executed correctly? I don't want to be paranoid or anything, but I think that sometimes these little mistakes in execution can turn off people who really appreciates their heritage and language, and thus return as customers.