STAN FREBERG HERE...How Cars Are Named (Well, One Car...)
Stan Freberg here. The Acura company has put out a new model with a nearly forgettable name. And that reminded me of another true but amazing story about how Ford named a certain car. After this. [:60 SPOT BREAK]
Freberg here. A story in the L.A. Times said recently that the Acura company has now switched to "alpha-numerics" in naming their cars. In other words, in an effort to sound more like a Mercedes or BMW, their new model is called "the 1997 2.2 CL Luxury Coupe." Hmm. Apparently, it's just like a Honda Accord, but with confusing numbers on the end of its' name. Ah, marketing...
It reminds me of when the Ford Motor Company once hired the poet Marianne Moore, and asked her to come up with a poetic name for their new car. She submitted list after list of names: the "Cloud," the "Cumulus," the "Rainbow." No good. The "Seahorse," the "Aquatic," the "Dolphin." Ford said, "No, but keep trying."
Then she went to stones--the "Turquoise," the "Emerald," the "Diamond." Then, Native American names--the "Iriquois," the "Mohawk," the "Navajo."
Meanwhile, after exhausting close to a hundred names, Marianne Moore one day got a letter from the Ford Motor Company. It said, "Dear Ms. Moore: Thanks for all your help, but we've decided to name it...the 'EDSEL'."
Hmm. Great idea, huh?
Stan Freberg here.
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