A New Logo for a New Era
Seventeen years after Twitter's birth, its iconic blue bird logo has given way to a contemporary white "X" on a black background on the web version, although the mobile app continues to feature the familiar bird for now.
Beyond Tweets: The Vision for an 'Everything App'
Since his takeover of Twitter last October, Musk has openly shared his plans to evolve the platform beyond its social media roots, envisioning a versatile app capable of services ranging from peer-to-peer payments to other functionalities. His concept closely resembles China's popular WeChat app.
Musk's Personal Touch: Analysts Weigh In
Tom Morton, R/GA's global chief strategy officer, views this radical shift as Musk's stamp on the company. He emphasizes that this transformation isn't driven by user, advertiser, or market issues, but rather symbolizes Musk's ownership of Twitter. Morton metaphorically adds, "He conquered the castle, now he's flying his flag."
The Risk and Reaction to Rebranding
The introduction of the new logo has elicited mixed responses from users, leading to questions about future naming conventions and concerns about name recognition. Industry professionals such as Matt Rhodes, strategy lead at House 337, have highlighted the potential risk of this shift, citing that any hurdle to finding or opening the app could harm its usage.
Marketing Experts on Twitter's Rebranding
Rebranding efforts typically require time to settle, and this one's no different, opines Fernando Machado, former Chief Marketing Officer at Activision Blizzard, Restaurant Brands International, and Burger King. However, Machado feels the new direction is a bit cold and impersonal, expressing a fondness for the old logo.
From 'Tweets' to 'X's'
In response to the wave of curiosity about the platform's new terminology, Musk revealed that "tweets" will now be called "x's". "#GoodbyeTwitter" began trending following the unveiling of the new logo, as some users voiced their disapproval.
The 'Everything App': A Grand Vision
Musk's affinity for the letter 'X' is well-known, evident from his co-founding of x.com, an online bank in 1999, which was later transformed into PayPal. He reclaimed the domain from PayPal in 2017, citing its "sentimental value". Today, the domain redirects to Twitter.
Transforming the 'Global Town Square
Linda Yaccarino, the newly appointed Twitter CEO, disclosed in a memo to employees that the rebranding aims to extend the platform's capabilities, transforming it into a "global town square". The memo revealed plans to expand into new areas including audio, video, messaging, payments, and banking.
