You’ll discover no scarcity of individuals weighing in on Twitter’s in a single day rebranding to X, with many predicting that it will likely be a disastrous transfer. The frequent thread among the many naysayers: Twitter has a robust id, replete with its readily identifiable chook emblem, and to surrender that model recognition is solely foolhardy.
But plenty of advertising and marketing and branding consultants instructed MarketWatch simply the other — and so they cite a number of explanation why Twitter (er, X) proprietor Elon Musk is likely to be forward of the curve and why “X” certainly might mark the spot.
“It’s cool,” says Thomas Donohoe, creator of “The CEO’s Digital Marketing Playbook,” of the brand new branding.
Donohoe isn’t simply saying that X works from a stylistic sensibility. Rather, he says it permits Musk to rethink Twitter because the “everything app” firm he envisions it changing into — as a substitute of simply being an organization dedicated to musings on a social-media platform.
The X branding is each common and mysterious sufficient to play into that “everything” thought, Donohoe argues. “It could apply to anything,” he says.
Jeremy Knauff, founding father of Spartan Media, a Tampa-based agency that makes a speciality of public relations and branding, says the brand new title and emblem additionally permit Musk to free himself from a lot of Twitter’s previous unfavorable associations.
“By rebranding, Musk is wiping the slate clean and starting over,” Knauff says.
There’s additionally one thing to be stated for the truth that Musk has put Twitter/X “back in the media cycle all over again” with the rebranding, Knauff argues.
Which is to not say the excitement concerning the rebranding has all been constructive. In reality, on the brand new X, the hashtag “#Xcrement” has been trending in response to the change.
Others simply discover the brand new title and emblem a bit goofy, as evidenced by this tweet from the creators of a sure kids’s tv present:
One observer additionally pointed to the truth that “X” is a reputation that may’t be protected against a trademark standpoint.
Ultimately, although, the difficulty for a lot of is that Twitter customers could also be hard-pressed to consult with the model as one thing else. Think of how Chicagoans nonetheless name the enduring Willis Tower by its authentic title — the Sears Tower. Or what number of New Yorkers consult with the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge by its outdated monikers, the Queensboro Bridge or the 59th Street Bridge.
So, Twitter will at all times be Twitter, says Laura Altimari, head of Fine Tastes, a New York-based advertising and marketing agency. And any try at rebranding is a recipe for failure, she says.
“Changing an identifiable logo and name to a single letter in the alphabet is leading the brand recognition into the abyss,” Altimari observes.
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, stated on the platform Sunday that the rebranding speaks to the corporate’s future ambitions.
“For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential. X will do that and more,” she stated.
MarketWatch reached out to the corporate for any extra response, however didn’t obtain a direct reply.
Craig Agranoff, a Florida-based advertising and marketing govt and adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University, says it might simply be a case of giving folks time to regulate to the brand new X id. And Musk might be ready to try this, he provides.
“Elon Musk doesn’t think about today. He’s thinking about years down the road. I hate to bet against him,” Agranoff says.
Source web site: www.marketwatch.com
