(EXPANDED FROM 7/5/2023) The LTD was one of the Ford Motor Company’s biggest successes in the 1970s because it attacked General Motors’ hierarchy of brands in multiple ways. After failing to beat the popular Impala […]
(EXPANDED FROM 6/22/2023) Frank Aberdene was new to marketing luxury cars, yet his first assignment was a particularly tough one: the 1978 Lincoln Versailles. After discarding drafts for days on end, he finally — and […]
(EXPANDED FROM 5/4/2023) When it was time to develop the print advertising for the 1971 Ford Maverick, the copyrighting team was told to be extra honest. In other words, come up with an approach similar […]
“Dr. Oldsmobile” stopped by to complain about nomenclature used in the story, “Road Test columnist attacks Motor Trend for Car of Year awards to Pontiac.” The good doctor asked: “Who calls a 4-4-2 a Cutlass […]
I had to get my Toyota serviced this week, so let’s take a quick look at what the Japanese automaker is currently trying to sell us Americans. Of course, this is but one data point […]
Political media scholar Dave Karpf (2025) has called Tesla’s recently announced new master plan “bad. Sloppy. Ludicrously vague.” What’s more, he says that it is “significantly less coherent than the previous three master plans (from 2006, 2016, […]
(EXPANDED FROM 7/18/2023) Our discussion about the Ford Maverick got me thinking about Lee Iacocca. More than any other car, the Maverick reflected how Iacocca’s sensibility differed from that of Robert McNamara, the father of […]
Even when Daryl Bates was old and near death, he still vividly remembered that moment in 1976. Back then he was a pretty optimistic person, but this time he simply couldn’t shake off his funk. […]
(EXPANDED FROM 5/21/2024) A drive through a lovely rural area in Oregon reminded me of a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial from decades ago. The spot did an unusually good job of showing the sensuousness of driving. […]
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