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Third, how do the marketing people come up
with the names of shoes? For example, the shoe at the top of this ad
has been given the name Juniper. How did that name come about?
Did a marketing expert stare at the shoe for a long time, examining it
from all angles, perhaps stroking it, perhaps even smelling it, and only
then finally hit upon a revelation? Is there a special talent to
naming shoes -- a sort of sub-specialty -- that I'm unaware of?
"Aha! Yes, I've got it. This shoe
is a Juniper! I can see that now."
And then, at the meeting, did her rivals for the
boss's favor on the naming committee argue with her? "Oh, no,
that's plainly a Cedar, or maybe a Lynx, but surely not a Juniper."
"I beg to differ," she says.
"Anyone who invests the time I have can just tell that this is
frankly a Juniper. I can see how, if you lowered the heel a
quarter-inch, it might could possibly maybe pass for a Cedar, but never a
Lynx!"
The second shoe in the ad is named a Saturday.
Why is it not a Friday, or a Sunday?
"This is clearly a weekend shoe. But I
don't think women would feel quite right wearing it on a Friday, because
Friday is just a bit too early for this particular style. Notice the
two stripes across the instep, which mark it plainly as a post-Friday
shoe, yet still a weekend shoe. I suppose we could call it a Sunday,
and I don't imagine many customers would howl and actually picket us for
such a poor choice of name, but I still see this particular model as being
a Saturday, don't you?"
"You're right. I can see that now.
Plus which, that name meshes perfectly with our campaign to reproduce
a good 'ol summertime shoe sale."
"Yep."
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