The Pollywog Blog

The UK’s Daily Mail reports “More parents using txt language to make their child’s name gr8.”

Abbreviated versions of traditional Christian names are appearing on birth certificates along with “original” ways of spelling which even include punctuation marks.

Anne has been changed to An, Connor to Conna and Laura to Lora.

There were reportedly six boys who were named Cam’ron instead of Cameron, and according to the online parenting club Bounty, one girl born last month was born Flicity.

Child development experts aren’t happy about it. University of California psychology professor Albert Mehrabian says that deviating from conventional spelling when naming your kid carries some risk: “Unconventional spelling connoted less masculinity for men and less femininity for women [and] more anxiety and neuroticism were attributed to those with less common names.”

The article attributes the wacky SMS spelling as an extension of the trend started by celebrities toward “original” baby names. Bounty spokesman Pauline Kent explains:

“Some of these new and different names are a way for parents to give their children a unique identity.

“It is similar to the thinking that goes in to naming a new brand of product for example - something to make them stand out from the crowd.”

Maybe so. But a can of peas with a stupid brand name won’t be seeking psychotherapy 30 years from now.

The Ford Fiesta is making a return to the American market. Company officials announced that a new version of the Fiesta, which has been selling well in Europe, Asia and Latin America for the past 30 years, will be launched globally within the next two years.

And in a move that has some Ford execs nervous, the car will have the same name in every country, rather than allowing regional marketing teams to develop names that leverage the local culture.

Ford is going for efficiencies, despite the risks associated with the one-name-fits-all approach.

The company needs just one logo for ads, one set of nameplates for products; and online content and film for TV commercials can be shared. Branding experts say using one name can save a business tens of millions of dollars a year in marketing costs.

“Branding experts” also say it’s expensive and difficult to change a negative brand perception. But that’s what Ford is up against here in the States.

When Ford introduced the Fiesta in the U.S. in the late ’70s, though, the car was so unpopular it was pulled from the lineup after two years. Recently, some of those questioned in focus groups said “Fiesta” sounded cheap.

Yes, that’s how I remember it, too. It was right in there with those boxy little Chevettes, Vegas, Pintos and the rest of their ilk–Detroit’s late-in-the-game answer to our collective shock when gas prices rose to A DOLLAR A GALLON late in the decade.

Granted, today’s Fiesta looks nothing like the uninspired model from the 70’s–and it had better not. The new Fiesta had better be as differentiated as possible from the Fiesta that many Americans still think of as “cheap.” And Ford would do well to market this Fiesta to an audience too young to remember the first one.

It’s a gamble. Will Ford save enough in marketing efficiencies to cover the costs of the full-barrel PR and advertising blitz needed to re-map the Fiesta brand name to this (hopefully) superior car?

And even if a younger audience doesn’t remember the first Fiesta, is the “Fiesta” name itself cool enough to attract them?

We’ll see if this Fiesta lasts longer here the second time around.

We have long admired Jawbone headsets from Aliph, not only for their sleek design, but also for their spot-on brand name. Now Aliph is showing some additional positioning prowess with the introduction of the personality-driven Jawbone Limited Edition “Jawbone Loves Talk” series.

Featuring a smooth case that differentiates them from the standard mesh design of other models, the limited edition headsets are available in three colors–and three different embossed mood statements:

• Gold: Sweet Talk (flower)
• Black: Dirty Talk (Playboyesque silhouette)
• White: Trash Talk (Cartoon obscenity)

As far as we can tell, they’re technologically identical. And while headsets have always triggered emotional purchases based on color and design, this is the first we’ve seen with a emotional overlay appealing to personal whimsies or communication styles.

Aliph released this limited edition at this year’s Ted conference, and sadly, the headsets are not only scarce in quantity but almost impossible to find. You can’t just up and buy one. Of course, that merely heightens their appeal.

Want one. Really want one. Gold, please.