What's In A Name? Getting Lincoln on the Mark Again

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Lincoln is a brand at an inflection point. After years of fumbling for an identity, a suitable one is finally forthcoming. Whether you agree with it or not, Lincoln's masters have finally settled on a workable future for the brand and they're executing it. It won't be easy. Many risks have been and will be taken. If I may humbly suggest one more, though: return to the Mark.

Some decades ago, the minds behind Lincoln decided that the name "Mark" was untenable. It no longer resonated with customers and should be put out to pasture. Perhaps it was the right decision at the time. The brand managers have stood by that decision for a long time now, despite many calls to bring it back. It's been ignored as Lincoln fumbled with and squandered historic names like Zephyr. With the switch to the MK naming convention, it receives at best a subtle nod but no formal recognition. That's a start, but many would agree that MK is a cumbersome naming scheme in need of reconsideration. Consider this, then: let the name Mark be spoken of again.

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There are plenty of good reasons to consider this. First, as demonstrated above, is an appeal to Lincoln history. That's something the brand's masters ought to embrace. After all, the thrust of the brand's new marketing message is to capitalize on its history. Today's Lincoln ads extol the brand's glory days with images of great Lincolns of the 1930s to 1970s. They sell heritage and prestige. Is Mark not a historic, prestigious name steeped in Lincoln history? What comes to mind when you hear the name Mark? The Continental Mark II? Mark III? Many brands would kill for that kind of association.

Second, Mark is simply a more elegant, refined name. For those who know, it invokes history. For others, it evokes old Hollywood and the snap of a clapboard and the cry "action!" To others still, technical progress being measured. Perhaps for some simply a vague image of old time luxury. Regardless, it evokes something. MK evokes nothing, but perhaps confusion. Is such an appeal to emotion, to a sense of luxury and prestige, not exactly Lincoln's new marketing message?

Third, Mark alleviates the confusion that plagues this MK naming scheme. Many automotive experts I know have struggled at some point in my presence to remember which MK is which. I've done it myself. If we, the people who ought to know, don't, then what hope is there for the uninitiated buyer?

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The problem, as I see it, lies in the placement of the unique character. Placing it at the end of the name allows it to get lost. Consider this: when you read a long, difficult word or name, what do you do? You sound it out, aloud or in your head. But suppose you're not that invested in whatever you're reading. Do you stop and work at it until you've got it, or do you give up and add the suffix "whatever" to however far you've gotten? Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. Luca…Cordero…di…Monte-whatever. The same thing happens when you read MKZ too quickly and you're not sure if that was a Z or an S, but do you really care enough to go back and check? MK-whatever. Notice how Cadillac gets away with a remarkably similar naming scheme without the confusion. Why? Because the unique, defining character is right up front. Without having to even finish the name, aloud or in your head, you know from the first letter which car you're reading about. A. C. X. ATS. CTS. XTS. The TS, for identification purposes, is inconsequential.

Mark, to my ears, is simply a more elegant name. Mark is also a common word, one I see nearly every day in one form or another. MK is not. My mind gets hung up on MK because it's unusual. M and K are not letters that follow one another anywhere in the English language. They're an aberration together. They're confusing to the eye, and by the time I've worked them out, how much attention am I paying to what comes after? Little to none, and that's the problem. What comes after is the only bit that really matters.

My mind doesn't trip up on Mark because I recognize it. My mind breezes right past Mark and onto the defining character that follows. I get right to the important part, the suffix. Yes, they're all Mark, but which Mark? T? S? Let's get to the point.

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It wouldn't be hard to do. After all, they changed the name of the brand to "The Lincoln Motor Company" to make it sound more exquisite. If they can change the name of the whole company so easily, surely it can't be too hard to change the names of the cars. I would hope Lincoln hasn't let the copyright on Mark expire (though they did lose Continental…). They wouldn't even need to change the badging on the trunk. Leave the MK and simply refer to it in advertising and marketing as Mark. Lincoln Mark Z. Mark C. Mark X. Mark S. The suffix letters of S, X, T, etc. are already of a different size and font on the backs of the cars, the change to MK as an abbreviation for Mark is already implied. Throw a period in there if you must to demonstrate it's an abbreviation. Lincoln MK.S works just as well.

Perhaps Lincoln's market research doesn't see the problem with MK that I do, and thus they lack the impetus to change it. But even if it isn't broken, argue that Mark isn't a more elegant name better befitting this more elegant brand Lincoln is hoping to build. Given the choice, I'd much rather tell inquisitive souls I'm driving a Mark S than an MK-whatever. Wouldn't you?

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