So, the Twitter rebrand huh? I can’t imagine I’m breaking the news to you at this point, but if anyone has been on a news detox, Elon Musk has decided to rebrand Twitter to simply X. It came out of left field, taking people on social media by surprise and leaving many scratching their heads. Why change the name of one of the most recognisable brands in the world?
His reasoning, which has since been explained, is that he didn’t feel the name “made sense”. The name originated when the site only allowed 140 character messages, much like birds twittering (apparently) but now that Musk has changed this to allow paying, “verified” users to post much longer messages, he feels it’s irrelevant and doesn’t have any meaning. Whereas X does…
The reaction has largely been negative, arguably due to a combination of the common fear of change but equally due to public perception of Elon Musk. YouGov data highlights that views of him as an innovator and a visionary have dropped, while more people now view him as impulsive and right-wing.
The comms issue at play here is one that’s seen in many businesses rebranding in place of a clear comms strategy. The announcement was made in a tweet and therefore came across in the eyes of many as a change being made on whim. This may be simplifying things somewhat as Musk has since said that he’s aiming to make X a social media, instant messaging and banking app. Hopefully if it does go down the ‘jack of all trades’ route, it doesn’t become a hub of misinformation that does more harm than good.
This is where the key lesson lies. A successful rebrand should be steeped in a strategy that speaks to the wants and needs of consumers, customers or clients - depending on the type of business. Those that don't have this strategic plan rarely resonate with the end-user. Look at ProperCorn, which has expanded its brand to become Proper Snacks to include a broader range of items. It talks to the consumer while supporting the bottom line. Until Elon Musk considers this type of thinking, he’ll continue to struggle to positively engage the users of his own social network, while alienating brands and consumers looking to avoid a deluge of misinformation.
