Edward “Ned” Jordan entered the auto industry as advertising manager for the Thomas B. Jeffery Company. Jordan remained with the Jeffery Company until 1916, when he organized his own company?the Jordan Motor Car Company. Although production was low?Jordan refused to build more than 5,000 “Playboys” in any single year?the company always showed a profit, largely as a result of its advertising program. Instituted by Jordan himself it was the first to stress the esthetic value of the car and make an appeal to the prospective buyer’s sense of adventure and glamour. The company prospered until the 1929 market crash. After the depression, Jordan worked as an advertising consultant, and in 1950 began writing a weekly column in the Automotive News.