Just what is going at Twitter? (Or should we say X now?) Elon Musk’s topsy-turvy tenure has taken on yet another bizarre dimension with the entirely left-field decision to rebrand the iconic social media network.
X, as it will henceforth be known (not overly imaginative is it?) will progressively do away with old trappings linking it to its former identity over the coming weeks (goodbye, little blue bird), although users will note that apart from a logo change – the interface is entirely unchanged and the website is still listed as twitter.com.
So will this prove to be a stroke of genius by Musk as he looks to stamp his very particular ‘persona’ onto the platform, or will it prove to be the final nail in Twitter’s coffin?
While it may be popular with a small, devoted hardcore of Musk lovers – it would appear that the initial reaction has been overwhelmingly negative, with a plethora of brands jumping on a golden opportunity to meme the rebrand into oblivion.
does this make me the alpha bird? pic.twitter.com/OHXmwFTFfT
— Duolingo (@duolingo) July 24, 2023
Musk’s dramatic decision is inevitably a symptom of the wider malaise befalling Twitter since his takeover, namely plummeting advertising revenue and user numbers. It would be oversimplistic of course to blame all of this on Musk’s helter-skelter spell in charge, but his seemingly endless string of rash, irrational decisions have driven a spoke straight through the wheels of any kind of potential recovery.
With this latest ill-advised decision, it’s hard to see when, if ever, serious advertisers and brands will be tempted back to the platform en masse; as Whiteoaks International head of social, Nick Wheywell explains: “Twitter has been in a period of decline for several weeks, which has become a huge concern among marketers.
“Elon Musk has destroyed what we know and love about Twitter, like the authenticity of the blue tick, the buzz of conversation and its uniqueness compared to Instagram and TikTok. Because of this, we think it’ll end up driving people away even more”
What’s more a recent YouGov poll has revealed, perhaps unsurprisingly, that the vast majority (67%) of Twitter users have reacted negatively to the change, with a whopping 41% viewing it ‘very negatively’.
Flight Story co-founder Oliver Yonchev tempers this pessimism by pointing to the fact that nothing can be built without taking risks, and Musk certainly has previous in that regard: “I think first and foremost, the ‘X’ rebrand is classic Elon Musk. Elon takes big bets. It goes against convention to build something, a name, a legacy, a history and completely try and reinvent it.
“I also believe there’s another part of this where Elon probably recognises the limitations of Twitter in its current form, in terms of its commercial growth. Musk has spent $44 billion (overpaid), risking a lot personally. I imagine he recognises that Twitter as a product, in its current state, has lost more users than any other social app.
He continues: “There’s been a billion people trying to use the app, yet it always hovers around 300 million users, or somewhere in that region. This signals a potential limitation of demand for a global “town hall” as he describes it.”
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Another dimension to consider in this rapidly evolving situation is naturally the harm that this will have on the extensive global brand recognition that the Twitter brand has built up over the last 15 years. The blue Twitter bird has truly become an iconic logo; as a brand it’s as instantly recognisable as any other US juggernaut such as Google, Starbucks or even Disney.
Has Musk’s decision to trade in the blue bird for a rather non-descript-looking ‘X’ signed Twitter’s death warrant? Wheywell seems to think so, trotting out the old adage “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Musing over the move, Wheywell adds: “Twitter had been an esteemed social network among individuals and businesses for several years. It served as a unique outlet for discussions, accommodating users of all generations to freely express their viewpoints.
“Perhaps the intention behind this bold manoeuvre is to reignite user engagement and prompt curiosity towards the platform’s latest alterations.”
But is it ever really a good idea to throw away that much instant brand power? I very much doubt any branding expert would argue that Musk’s decision is in the brand’s best interest – and certainly not to entirely strip away its hard-built identity, now globally recognised by millions – if not billions of people the world over.
Metaphorically too
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2023
With the emergence of the Meta-back Twitter rival Threads, will this rebrand only serve to drive Twitter’s remaining casual users into Mark Zuckerberg’s eagerly-awaiting arms?
Most likely, it would seem – at least according to that YouGov poll, which indicates a growing dissatisfaction among the British public with Musk’s histrionics, with 61% of respondents now having an unfavourable opinion of the South African magnate.
Musk’s rather uncouth usage of his own platform to air his views in a series of admittedly funny memes, is also not the behaviour you’d want from the owner of a multi-billion business. His tweets at the time of Threads’ launch only serve to illustrate this point, do advertisers really want to be associated with what appears to be a petulant teenager disguised as a middle-aged billionaire?
“Twitter is having a particularly bad hair day amidst the news of Threads’ arrival,” Alfred head of social media, Rich Langrish notes.
“The platform is rolling out significant changes while grappling with unregistered users being blocked and temporary rate limits. Elon Musk’s Tweets in response to Threads’ data collection practices? Let’s just say he’s not sending Zuck a housewarming gift…”
As Langrish points out, Musk constant tweaking of the platform’s tried and tested features over the past few months have led many users to experience as vastly different sit to what they were used just a few months ago, and it would seem that by unveiling this new identity – Musk has finally done with anything resembling the Twitter we knew before he absurdly barged into its HQ with a detached bathroom sink 8 months ago.
Will advertisers ever be able to use ‘X’ as a viable platform again? It’s hard to say – and will ultimately be entirely dependent on the ever-changing whims of one man.
What cannot be ignored is that Musk is undoubtedly a highly astute businessman – and should he choose to woo advertisers again, it wouldn’t be entirely implausible that the network could be restored to its former glory. In any case, new CEO Linda Yaccarino sure has an awful lot of work on her plate.
