> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.europeans.today/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Twitter’s rebrand to X shifts the focus to Musk’s ‘everything app’ plans but here’s why he might have moved too early - URL: https://www.europeans.today/2023/08/05/twitters-rebrand-to-x-shifts-the-focus-to-musks-everything-app-plans-but-heres-why-he-might-have-moved-too-early/ - Published: 2023-08-05T00:05:00.000Z - Updated: 2023-08-05T15:54:26.000Z - Description: Elon Musk has completed the ultimate act of disruption to Twitter by rebranding the platform. Here’s what that means for the future of the company and its users. - Author: Jamie Marsden - Tags: Tech, X (Formerly Known As Twitter), X, Elon Musk, Social Media, Branding, Rebrand, Logos ### Elon Musk has completed the ultimate act of disruption to Twitter by rebranding the platform. Here’s what that means for the future of the company and its users. A succession of upheavals has characterised Elon Musk’s leadership of *Twitter* since he acquired the social media platform in November 2022 – from his [U-turns on the acquisition](https://theconversation.com/elon-musks-revived-us-44-billion-twitter-bid-is-another-twist-in-this-tale-but-it-may-not-be-the-last-192039?ref=europeans.today) to [firings and rehirings](https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/elon-musk-twitter-rehire-fired-employees-soros-magneto-1235615023/?ref=europeans.today) and [a significant drop in advertising revenue](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66217641?ref=europeans.today). But his latest move is the most significant: abandoning the globally recognised *Twitter* brand and [renaming the platform *X*](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1683378289031761920?ref=europeans.today). Such drastic changes are usually accompanied by presentations delving into rebrand reasoning from company execs desperate to show how the new image aligns with organisational strategy and company vision. But in keeping with *Twitter*’s disruptive nature of late, no in-depth explanation for the *X* rebrand was given to company outsiders, although Musk invited users to [submit a logo design](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1682965462886535168?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1682965462886535168%7Ctwgr%5E366c1942d554cb137d4052f3149c6db0dcfab5b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Felonmusk2Fstatus2F1682965462886535168widget%3DTweet&ref=europeans.today). In a [widely reported-on](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/24/read-ceo-linda-yaccarinos-message-to-twitter-staff-about-the-rebrand-to-x.html?ref=europeans.today) internal memo, [chief executive Linda Yaccarino](https://twitter.com/lindayacc/status/1683353772917940225?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet&ref=europeans.today) invited staff to “build X” with her and Musk, without giving details as to how and why. > If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make go live worldwide tomorrow > > — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [July 23, 2023](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1682965462886535168?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=europeans.today) From a [brand identity](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-identity.asp?ref=europeans.today) perspective, the choice of the X symbol was unsurprising. Musk has used the letter for his engineering company [*SpaceX*](https://www.spacex.com/?ref=europeans.today), tech startup [*xAI*](https://x.ai/?ref=europeans.today) and now *X Corp* (he already made the legal change from *Twitter Inc.* to *X Corp* in March 2023). As a symbol, the character is distinctive and expresses a sense of mystery. Its general use as a stand-in for pretty much anything also aligns with Musk’s plans for an “[everything app](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwvDmXn0XQg&ref=europeans.today)” that offers much more than a way to communicate. But marketing research and the spotty history of major rebrands indicates Musk will need to do a lot more than change *Twitter*’s name and a logo to ensure that *X* really does become “everything” to its users. ## Stand up for independent journalism [Become a member of PMP Magazine](#/portal/signup/) ### **Corporate makeovers** Companies typically change brands in response to [structural, strategic and functional drivers](http://www.corporatebrandmatrix.com/the-matrix.asp?ref=europeans.today). A structural reason might be a change in ownership, with a new logo signalling a new direction. Strategic reasons frequently include either a perception issue – negative associations – or to signal a shift in activities, or reflect a change in consumer preferences. A functional reason could be optimising logo appearance on new platforms such as mobile apps, or to emphasise a brand’s continued relevance. Structural and strategic drivers often reflect a more significant change in the logo’s expression. Early brand logos, for example, frequently express core activities – think [*British Telecom*’s piper logo](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/apr/07/bt.marketingandpr?ref=europeans.today). Tech brands such as *Netflix* (which included [a film reel](https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-original-logo-looked-nothing-like-current-design-2022-8?r=US&IR=T&ref=europeans.today) in its early logo designs) have also followed this format. This makes it easier for people to understand what the company does, which is especially important in an organisation’s early years. Indeed, the *Twitter* brand identity immediately captured the nature of the platform: the idea of chirping out short bursts of thought as part of a public exchange. This is evident in the bird logo, but also in the name – the suggestion of speed in the distinctive consonant blending of “t” and “w” in the brand name and in the user’s ability to “tweet” a short message. Being known for a specific activity, however, can become a weakness. As brands evolve, a company’s range of activities can expand and the brand message no longer captures the scope of its activities. In *Twitter*’s case, the core activity currently remains unchanged, but the rebrand aligns with Musk’s intention to make the platform more than a communication app. He has often discussed the idea of creating an “[everything app](https://www.axios.com/2023/07/25/elon-musk-everything-app-twitter-x?ref=europeans.today)” – like Tencent’s popular *WeChat* app in China, which provides communications (similar to *WhatsApp*) and payment functionality. *WeChat*, which has [more than 1.3 billion](https://www.statista.com/statistics/255778/number-of-active-wechat-messenger-accounts/?ref=europeans.today) monthly active users, proves there is scope for combining communications (like *Twitter*) and online financial transactions (like *PayPal*) into a promising future proposition: “the [global town square](https://elevatesociety.com/the-internet-is-becoming-the/?ref=europeans.today) for everything”. In other words, a platform that is so central to authorisation, communications and transactions that it becomes a single arena for all kinds of exchanges. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/15/40/1540bec0-7154-4feb-b8e1-97f579155b08/content/images/2023/08/www-0688b.jpg) ###### Elon Musk. | [CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA/STEVE JURVETSON](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elon%5FMusk%5Fat%5Fthe%5F2015%5FTesla%5FMotors%5FAnnual%5FMeeting%5F%2818659265152%29.jpg?ref=europeans.today) ### **Too soon to signal a new direction?** But it could be premature to signal an aspiration that is currently inaccurate. Back in 2000, energy giant *BP* (formerly *British Petroleum*) rebranded to express a vision of cleaner energy-related activities. First, it shifted to the abbreviation *BP* and then it claimed that the initials *BP* stood for “Beyond Petroleum”. But *BP*’s claim was [perceived as misleading](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2000/jul/25/bp?ref=europeans.today) by the public because the message preceded the activity [by decades](https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottcarpenter/2020/08/04/bps-new-renewables-push-redolent-of-abandoned-beyond-petroleum-rebrand/?sh=39aca3311ceb&ref=europeans.today). On the other hand, in the latter part of the 20th century, US company *Philip Morris* wanted to move away from a strong [association with tobacco brands](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/16/business/philip-morris-to-change-name-to-altria.html?ref=europeans.today) built up over decades of selling cigarettes including *Marlboro*, *Chesterfield* and *Parliament*. In the 1970s it started to acquire food and beverage companies including *Kraft Inc.*, before [rebranding to *Altria*](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/company-insights/090516/top-6-companies-owned-altria-mo-sabl.asp?ref=europeans.today) in 2003 (it then [*spun off its* Kraft Food](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/764180/000119312507017014/dex991.htm?ref=europeans.today#:%7E:text=Distribution%20Effective%20on%20March%2030,by%20Altria%20to%20Altria's%20shareholders.) subsidiary in 2007). At the time of the rebrand, this showed the company was becoming more “diversified”. Importantly, the action preceded the message. By shifting to X.com without much explanation, *Twitter* could risk following in the footsteps of *BP* rather than *Altria*. It’s not clear if *Twitter*’s users will stick with the platform long-term without knowing the underlying reasoning and how it will serve their loyalty – particularly with newer alternatives available such as *Meta*’s *Threads*. ## Accurate, fearless, and unbiased reporting [Become a member of PMP Magazine](#/portal/signup/) On the other hand, by [crowdsourcing *X*’s logo design](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/23/twitter-elon-musk-says-he-wants-to-change-companys-bird-logo?ref=europeans.today) (on *Twitter*, of course), Musk included users in the rebranding process. This is often [a critical feature](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijmr.12020?ref=europeans.today) of successful corporate rebranding. But of course, one of the biggest risks of changing a brand identity from one that has global recognition, recall and awareness, is that users may not like the change. By removing the *Twitter* brand there is an immediate [loss of brand equity](https://doi.org/10.2307/1252054?ref=europeans.today) – the [positive associations](https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420410546934?ref=europeans.today) consumers have with the brand – which could ultimately encourage people to move to other platforms. Musk and the rest of *X*’s leadership may hope that the recent publicity, as well as the established behaviour of using the app, might reduce some of the impact. But the importance of involving stakeholders in the process will need to extend beyond asking for help with a new logo design. Convincing users to remain loyal will require *X* to provide a more convenient and engaging future experience on the platform, whatever that may be. ![PMP Magazine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/15/40/1540bec0-7154-4feb-b8e1-97f579155b08/content/images/2021/09/end-flat-1.png "PMP Magazine") --- ### **Sources:** ##### ▪ **Text:** This piece was originally published in [The Conversation](https://theconversation.com/twitters-rebrand-to-x-shifts-the-focus-to-musks-everything-app-plans-but-heres-why-he-might-have-moved-too-early-210393?ref=europeans.today) and re-published in PMP Magazine on 5 August 2023\. | The author writes in a personal capacity. ##### ▪ **Cover:** Adobe Stock/[Bilalulker](https://stock.adobe.com/uk/contributor/203782756/bilalulker?load%5Ftype=author&prev%5Furl=detail&ref=europeans.today). (Licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?ref=europeans.today).) ![Creative Commons License](https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88x31.png "Cover photograph license") --- ![The Conversation](https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210393/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic)