Marketing That Animal Magnetism

As a bachelor for my first 42 years, I’ve noticed a lot of dating service ads. But I’ve never run across one with a name as wild as that of Coyote Connections of Anaheim Hills.

“We didn’t want a traditional name,” co-founder Todd Moeller said. “We chose that name because when coyotes mate, they mate for life. They’re very family oriented.”

Of course, they also howl and bare their teeth a lot.

“Our clients are busy professionals,” Moeller said.

Good point. I’ve seen a lot of busy professionals howl and bare their teeth.

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GOAL: A TWO-CAR FAMILY: A couple of decades ago, a Huntington Beach widow founded what would seem like a natural for the Southland--the Freeway Singles Club (see photo).

She got the idea after seeing a “charming, gray-haired man” in the next lane at a red light at Bolsa Avenue and Springdale Street and realizing there was no classy way to make an approach.

Her club enabled members (for a $35 charge) to paste a large, numbered sticker on their car windows. That way, if one member was attracted to another during the morning commute on the Santa Ana Freeway, he or she could jot down the number and send a letter to club headquarters. The letter would be forwarded. (A photo was also requested--of the driver, not the car).

I lost track of the Freeway Singles Club, which apparently ran out of gas a few years later. Sad to say, I don’t believe the founder ever linked up with the charming, gray-haired man.

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WHAT WOULD LUGGAGE TAGS SAY: If an El Toro airport becomes a reality, I hope officials will agree with Paul Hoagland, the winner of a column contest to rename the facility. Hoagland wanted something with star quality to rival John Wayne Airport. He proposed that El Toro be renamed, in honor of “a true aviation expert,” Dumbo International Airport.