That which we call a Rolls

Mid January, 2023 

     The early car makers didn't waste a lot of time creating fancy names for their cars or companies.

     They named them after themselves.

     Ford. Buick. Chevrolet. Chrysler. Dodge. Ferrari. Porsche. Rolls-Royce.

     Soon, however, things changed. Future generations of automobile marketers decided that they could sell more cars if they came up with exciting, evocative names -- names that men, the principal buyers of cars in America, would find irresistible.

     For example, when they were marketing to the upwardly-mobile family man who aspired to wealth and "class," they offered the Town & Country, the Park Avenue, or the Crown Victoria.

     The younger free spirits went for the Aviator, Sunfire, Liberty, Escape, or Explorer.

     Well and good. The car in America is a wish-fulfillment as well as a means of transportation, and buying a car with a highly evocative name is fine with me.

     What turns me off is a new trend in product naming that I find quite repellent. I'm talking about giving everything, from cars to companies, names that don't mean a darned thing. (META!!!)

     My advice? Insist that the marketing materials written for you actually say something and communicate benefits. And finally, don't be afraid of lighting up your copy with personality and emotion.

     Let your competitor drive the Elantra. You drive the Porsche.

Warmest regards,