AAAA

I'm no marketing expert, but when a classmate last quarter briefed an article in our Corporate Strategy class about a hotel company that owns a luxury chain called "W" wanting to get more into the business-class level of a Marriott, I suggested that the firm call the new line of hotels "U". So you'd go to "U" if you wanted one level of service, but to get twice that, you'd go to "double-U".

With that, I still recall one of the more clever things Rebecca Howe did on "Cheers" when she took over the marketing for Norm's housepainting business. She made up a poster with a chameleon with a cap and a paintbrush, and called the company "AAAA Painting." That way, when people looked in the phonebook, it would be the first one they'd come across. And her slogan was "Let 4-A Painting be your Foray into Painting." Brilliant.

With that, I just found out I got all As in my classes last quarter. Making the 8 nanoseconds of sleep I got in August almost worth it.