Word: larking
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Egbert's old California associates, who regarded him as "Mr. Go-Go-Go," had no reservations about his ability. Said one: "The people at Studebaker had better get used to living with a cyclone." They soon did. "It didn't take me long to see that the Lark is a damn good car that has been underestimated," Egbert says-but little else about Studebaker pleased him. The walls of the begrimed plant were brightened with orange, green and white paint. Egbert, from his own poor days, has a philosophy: "You can stand there in ragged clothes-there...
...during which he sometimes sat in as copilot) to shake up Studebaker dealers. He saw 1,300 of the company's 2,200 dealers (down from 2,600 in 1959) One of Studebaker's troubles is the fall-off of dealers, mostly among "duals" who handled the Lark along with other makes until other automakers brought out their compacts. Some dealers began to drop the Lark, but Studebaker thought Chrysler Corp, went too far. Studebaker prodded the Justice Department into filing an antitrust suit charging Chrysler with pressuring dealers who were selling the Lark to drop...
...remaining Lark dealers, Egbert says, "I was surprised at the amount and the depth of their loyalty," but he was dismayed at their salesmanship. "I told some guys-who didn't know me- that I wanted to buy a Lark, but maybe it wouldn't be big enough for me to get into. It took me half a dozen visits like that before one guy showed me how easy it is to get into a Lark...
...Lark advertising "stunk," and the agency was given two weeks to produce "something new." The result is a "30-day hate yourself" campaign telling car buyers they will hate themselves for not trying the Lark first. Egbert is moving ahead on a program to absorb Studebaker's tax loss credits ($94 million) by merging with prosperous companies. It was the slow pace of this program that led to the easing of former President Harold E.Churchill into a consultant's post and the hiring of Egbert...
Studebaker has shelved its plans for a four-cylinder Lark, but Egbert is working with Raymond Loewy & William Snaith, Inc. to produce a restyled six-cylinder model by 1963 and a completely redesigned 1964 Lark. To make up the costs of his program and show a profit by next year, he figures he must get 3% of the auto market v. 1.6% last year...