QOTD: Ready to Play the Name Game?
A word is a powerful tool. It can instill deep feelings, trigger emotions, and just generally play with someone’s head. And when a singular word happens to be the name of a company, its creators had best choose wisely.
Wednesday’s joint announcement from Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group got plenty of people talking about words — well, one particular word. Let’s play a game.
As you read yesterday, FCA and PSA plan to name their merged companies Stellantis. It’s a take on the Latin word “stello,” meaning “to brighten with stars.”
While us uneducated boors here at TTAC World Headquarters haven’t boned up on our Latin lately, we assume few others have, either. Which is why the creators of Stellantis faced an avalanche of jokes.
do not take Stellantis if you are pregnant or might become pregnant
some common side effects of Stellantis are dizziness, difficulty breathing, aging products, insomnia, and hellcatitis
talk to your doctor to see if Stellantis might be right for you https://t.co/b6CtI4mxqZ
— Team Radar Love (@midnightdorifto) July 15, 2020
To most, the word means nothing, so the brain instead associates it with something that sounds like it. Space ships and man pills and the like come to mind.
Maybe you’ve got a better name for a fusion of FCA and PSA. Surely you can think of a title for the group poised to sell Dodges and Peugeots under the same umbrella?
[Image: Fiat Chrysler]
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Google would likely ball, but call the merged FCA-PSA Alfabet*? *Misspelling deliberate, with Alfa in the portfolio.
I would call it Betelgeuse. It is largest known star. Its diameter is about 700 times the size of the Sun. If you want to call after person - call it Edison.
Frank Rizzo Motors.
I really don't care what they call this company, I will never buy another one of their products again. Enough coverage on this.