Slogan Translation - Translation Problem #1

The product I chose is San Benedetto thè verde (green tea). Their slogan is “Unico come thè,” which, literally translated, is “unique like tea.” Of course, in Italian you have the pun of thè and te, so the slogan is also saying indirectly “unique like you.” I thought about trying to rhyme with “tea:” me, we, he, and so on, but none of the rhyming words worked with what I need to say, so I abandoned that approach.

Next, I paired the two phrases communicated by the original:

Unique like tea

Unique like you.

Since the pun doesn’t work in English, this falls a bit flat. Plus, tea isn’t really unique, so it doesn’t make much sense. Instead, I began to play with phrases that would communicate this same idea:

You’re unlike any other, your tea should be too – San Benedetto green tea

This was better, but not great. Next I tried:

You’re one of a kind. Your tea should be too. San Benedetto verde

I went back and forth with whether or not to translate the word “verde.” My thinking was that “verde” is similar enough to “green” in Spanish that many Americans would recognize it, and keeping the Italian word would add an exotic feeling to the name – something to set it apart from other green teas. I even toyed with adding some play on “green,” such as “they’ll be green with envy,” or “your friends will be green with envy.” But in the end, this seemed way too heavy handed and too far outside the message of the slogan, so I nixed it.

My final slogan: “You’re one of a kind. Your tea should be too. San Benedetto verde.”