On Monday, Facebook announced its "New Company Brand," including a new logo that features the name of the social platform written in all capital letters. Monday night Twitter was blowing up with people poking fun of facebook rebranding to FACEBOOK. Many said it seems like their new caps lock logo is just shouting at people. Others felt they were a part of a Black Mirror Episode due to the way Facebook suddenly adds it’s named to all of the apps they own. Some people on the internet were baffled Facebook owns certain apps like Instagram.
Along with the new logo, part of Facebook’s rebranding is centered around receiving credit for the other successful apps people don’t associate with the brand already. In June, Facebook began its rebranding process by adding “from Facebook” taglines to its products. It seems there is a growing importance for Facebook to be acknowledged and given credit for owning other products such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted, “It was Facebook’s resources in areas like anti-spam, internationalization, and ads that helped turn Instagram from a sub-50 million user product to a billion-plus one today.”
Many users are poking fun of the huge company’s need to attach their name to their other products. Some might say this lack of awareness might actually be helping Facebook. A recent Pew study found only 29% of Americans correctly named the two as companies owned by Facebook. Given Facebook’s breakout of data security, election interference, and ongoing privacy scandals, it’s probably better off if people think they can escape Facebook and what it represents in the media by using other platforms they don’t know are associated with Facebook. It seems like Facebook has considered the risk of taking credibility away from its other apps and would rather do so as long as it benefits the central company and Facebook brand.
Antonio Lucio, Facebook’s Chief Marketing Officer states that “People should know which companies make the products they use. Our main services include the Facebook app, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, Workplace, Portal, and Calibra. Today, we’re updating our company branding to be clearer that these products come from Facebook. We’re introducing a new corporate logo and further distinguishing the Facebook company from the Facebook app, which will keep its own branding.”
Facebook started as a single app. Now they have grown out of being just an app to now offering a whole suite of products. Their rebranding is centered around increasing awareness about the products that come from Facebook. So far the rebranding has included the new company logo and further distinguishing the Facebook company from the Facebook app. I am confident there will be further changes released shortly to support their new rebranding. Comment below what you think of the changes thus far and what you think Facebook’s intentions are with this rebranding.
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