It is well known that Thomas Edison was an inventor, a genius, and he never slept. Did you know that Mrs. Edison was a genius and never slept either? She was the marketing guru behind his engineering success.

True, Tom had discovered what is today known as the light bulb. When he showed it to the Mrs. Edison, Mina, his second wife, she asked, "What are you going to call it? "

Tom said, "I call it an 'affordable electrical home lighting device.'"

"Great," she responded, "with a name like that it will sit on the shelf at the patent office. We will just add it to the other money-losing patents you have conceived."

"How will people know what it does? She asked sarcastically, "From its name? You need a short catchy description that customers (yes even in the 1880's they were already called customers) will immediately identify with."

This time Tom listened. The English inventor, Sir Joseph Swan, his arch rival, was ready to introduce a similar device and he did not want to lose out this time.

Mrs. Edison started grilling her hubby. "Why will people want to buy your affordable electrical home lighting device?"

"Well... it has the incandescence of 81 candles or 2.3 gas burning lamps." he proudly answered.

"Tom, I keep telling you that those are features. Customers don't buy features, they buy benefits. How will this device benefit people?"

"They will be able to stay up later and read more books," he offered.

She glared at him. "Are you telling me that people will invest tens of dollars to bring wires into their houses to connect to your affordable electrical home lighting device just to be able to read the latest Mark Twain novel?" I don't think so. My research shows that only 18% of adults can read on an 8th grade level."

She decided to bring in some of her neighbors and ask them. (History records this as the first documented focus group.) Their comments were invaluable.

"I'll be able to put make-up on before school," said the high school debutante.

A little four year old shyly whispered that she would be able sleep at night and not be afraid of the dark with an affordable electrical home lighting device glowing in the hallway.

As always, it was the female head of the household who saw the benefits most clearly. "No more soot from the oil lamps means cleaner floors and therefore less of a need to wash and wax daily. Why with the extra time, I would be able to go to school and get a degree and work independently and therefore have the money I need to leave my husband."

Mrs. Edison was excited. This affordable electrical home lighting device could finally make her husband an entrepreneurial success. However, the focus group balked at the name. No way could they see themselves walking into one of those new Woolworth five and dime stores and ask for a dozen affordable electrical home lighting devices.

Mrs. Edison would not let them leave. "So what would you call it," she asked in desperation.

The responses were flying," How about a non-candle lighting device, or a "man-made lightning bug, or a ..."

The little four-year-old said it looked like her dad's bald head. (He had started shaving his entire head for some unknown reason.) And it gave off lots of light...why not call it a bald light or a light bald?

People stared nodding. They said the name was different and it would create a lot of buzz. They could see people walking into a store and asking for a box of light balds.

So the obvious question is: how did light balds become what is today universally known as light bulbs?

Beats me.

This article may not be copied or reproduced in any way without the expressed written consent of the Author. All licensing reqests are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact Hesh for more information or to discuss licensing.