The name is the thing...

(I've been hanging onto this article, because it just feels like a weekend piece... Have a safe one, by the way.)

We've seen a radical shift in what we sell and market. You sell an object or service -- you market an image. In that same vein, automakers sell you a car, but market a lifestyle.

Major automakers played it safe for a long time, with a lot of models identified by letters and digits. Now at least the pendulum is swinging back toward actual names for vehicles. And as such, there is a lot of research into finding a name that will market well in multiple places. For instance, you'd hate to spend a lot of ad and development dollars only to find out your product means "masterbation" in another language.

Don't laugh. It has happened. Forbes recently compiled "The Best, Worst & Weirdest Car Names. Take a few minutes, it's pretty interesting.

Oh, and one more thing.

It's not enough to research those words, but by all means, think like a Junior High Prankster.

(I'm long past that age, but if I were working for Publix, I'd better have a contingency plan for what to do if the "L" burns out.)