What's In a Name? Image is everything… at least in the world of marketing. And that’s why I’m stumped as to how Ford Motor Company let a real doozey of a name slip past their PR people. I was watching the International Car Show a few weeks back, when a new Ford concept car was shown. Not only was it ugly, its name left quite a bit to be desired. Called the SYNus (pronounced SIN ewe ess), I wondered if Ford was making some type of comment about America’s morality. But when the name flashed across the screen, it jumped out at me as SINUS. Just imagine calling your local repair shop, should Ford stick with this name. “Joe’s Garage. Can I help you?” “Yes. I have a problem with my SINUS.” Now, Joe the repairman has to make a split-second decision whether to continue the call, or refer you to a specialist. “And what seems to be the problem with your SINUS?” “It’s dripping.” Obviously, Ford has to come up with a more appropriate name (no, hemorrhoid won’t do the trick). Ford shouldn’t feel too bad. After all, everyone is word-challenged at one point or another. Take a look at sports names. Some are obviously great… such as the New England Patriots, for example (with a column entitled Northern Comfort, you just knew I had to get a plug in for the repeat Super Bowl champs, didn’t you?). Others are, well, a bit weak. What is with the Washington Nationals? They couldn’t think of a real name so they saddled the team with the name of the league? Or how about those Arena Football League names like the Rush, Crush, Soul or especially the VooDoo? What is that team’s players called after a long, excruciating game when the guys are all pooped out? We could also use college teams as an example of bad choices: Boilermakers, Tar Heels, Fighting Illini, or… ummm… no, I better not go there. I have far too much respect for my editor. Even individuals struggle with words. I have one family member who “unthaws” food before cooking it. This is the same person who calls two bits a “kwadder.” Another came up with this gem: after taking a bite of a cookie one day, this unnamed person said, “These Pecan Sandies taste better than I remember. They must be putting more walnuts in them.” Ahhh, words. Just like Ford’s SYNus, words can make you or they can break you. Edward George Bulwer Lytton was partly correct when he said, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” The truth is, “Words are mightier than the sword… or a dripping sinus.”