After being tagged as a brand-unsafe platform, Twitter has undergone a slew of changes, with the latest being the ‘X’ rebranding. As per the recently appointed Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino, it’s an exceptionally rare thing– in life or in business– that one gets a second chance to make another big impression
After more than a decade of existence, Twitter has let the doors open for its iconic bird to fly away owing to owner Elon Musk’s obsession with the letter ‘X’. This rebranding falls in line with his plans to make ‘The Everything App’.
As per the recently appointed Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino, it’s an exceptionally rare thing– in life or in business– that one gets a second chance to make another big impression.
“Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square,” she added.
How is the Indian adland perceiving the move?
According to Himanshu Arora, Co-Founder, Social Panga, Twitter holds a very high brand recall, and this change to a new logo of ‘X’ seems “a bit ad-hoc and erratic”.
New features on Twitter seem like coming more on mood swings, rather than a planned or long-term thought-through process and come across as a hit-or-miss scenario, he denoted.
“The platform has always set a benchmark with its trail-blazing innovations. With evolving times, Twitter is now ready to set the bird free. No frills or fancy designs, just a minimalist X is enough to rattle the many users. While this may divide the community, the timing of this rebranding is crucial,” opined Manish Solanki, COO and Co-Founder, TheSmallBigIdea.
He also added that this could signify a significant departure from the platform’s current identity and potentially pave the way for Twitter’s evolution into a “more multifaceted and innovative digital space.”
Similarly, Angad Singh Manchanda, CEO and Co-founder, Chimp&z Inc also shared that while the rebranding move is breaking the internet and it looks like the billionaire is aiming to rebrand Twitter as ‘X’ on the surface level, the move signifies more than what meets the eye.
“With the vision that Musk has for Twitter or X, as it is known now, this change in brand implies that we are closer to a massive overhaul of the social media platform than ever before. Musk’s vision to have one social media platform for everything, be it socialising, voicing opinions, or even trading in cryptocurrency, might as well be the next big revolution that shapes the future of the internet,” he opines.
He then went on to share that even though it remains to be seen whether Musk will be able to achieve his ambitious goals for Twitter, his vision for the platform is certainly one that is worth keeping an eye on and what’s for sure is that this is not the last we are hearing of X, as we bid adieu to the iconic blue bird.
FCB Kinnect’s National Head-Design, Priyanka Soni agrees. She also shares the opinion that the rebranding could attract new users, long-time users may feel disconnected from the platform due to sudden and drastic changes, leading to a temporary dip in user engagement.
On the other hand, Meet Jatakia, Director of Branding and Marketing, Cossouq, the new rebranding of Twitter’s logo and name is a change that reflects Twitter’s commitment to becoming a more open and inclusive platform.
“The new name, X, is more versatile and can be used to represent a wider range of products and services. This rebranding is a sign that Twitter is ready for the future and is committed to innovation,” he said.
Jatakia also highlighted that Cossouq has high expectations for Twitter to become a more powerful tool for businesses to connect with customers and build relationships with them through a plethora of things such as sharing product news, announcing special offers, and launching brand campaigns.
“We believe that Twitter is an essential platform for businesses like ours to connect with their target audience and build a meaningful rapport with them. We look forward to seeing how Twitter evolves in the years to come,” he added.
In Arora’s viewpoint as well, Twitter is an integral part of content consumption and has a loyal audience, which will not switch immediately, but if there are too many changes coming too often, it may annoy end users and can also not work well in the favour of advertisers.
“Twitter’s rebranding will have probable after-effects on ad spends from a marketing standpoint. In the long term, it is likely to have a positive impact, attracting new users and reinforcing relevance in the fast-paced digital landscape, however, immediate effects may vary,” Soni opined.
She then went on to emphasise that advertisers should remain flexible and adaptable in response to the evolving landscape following Twitter’s rebranding,
“To navigate the changes successfully, it’s crucial to gauge public sentiment and monitor user feedback throughout the rebranding process,” she highlighted.
