Brand quiz answers

(Disclaimer:  I did rely on search engines and Wikipedia for some of the amusing and interesting background info. As author of the quiz, I knew most of the answers to these questions when I posted them – except Question 1)

  1. Names of the McDonald brothers: Richard and Maurice.
  2. Given and family name of Ford’s biggest rival: Louis Chevrolet.
  3. Ford model whose name comes from the given name of a member of the Ford family: what New Coke was to soft drinks and Howard the Duck was to cinema, the Edsel, named after the son of founder Henry Ford, was to automobiles. The model never sold well to begin with, but the stick-a-fork-in-it-it’s-done moment came when Time Magazine, in reference to the Edsel’s “distinctive” (read “bizarre”) front grille, popularized the description “looks like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.”
  4. Not all brand names are descriptive, nor even family last names.

    Not all brand names are descriptive, nor even family last names.

    McDonald’s and Ford competitors named after daughters of founders: the gimme is Wendy’s, named after one of the daughters of founder Dave Thomas. However, many Americans (and perhaps others) may be unaware that Mercedes is a woman’s name, in use long before it became indelibly associated with a luxury German car brand. Mercedes Jellinek was the daughter of Emil Jellinek, an Austrian automobile entrepreneur who worked with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler Motors Corporation) as their first dealer.

    The iconic Mercedes logo - a propeller in a circle - in case they ever make planes!

    The iconic Mercedes logo – a propeller in a circle – in case they ever make planes!

  5. Auto and food item with same family name: the late, great Carroll Shelby is best known for having taken cars from the likes of Ford and Dodge, and then modifying them and selling them under his own name. Before he went to that great Garage In The Sky in 2012, he also managed to make a buck or two by selling his own brand of chili mix.
  6. Super-bonus question: “Ford’s load” (2 words, 11 letters)”: Sixteen Tons. (Hey, I told you to think outside the box…)

–Greg Marus

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Posted in Branding, Consumer Goods, Food Names, Name Origins, Naming Education, People Names, Trademarks, Transportation

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See his industry naming commentary (where he takes a critical look at names) via the blog on this site