Can a new logo be the 'X' factor Twitter needs?

Elon Musk is never too far away from our screens and notifications. Whether it’s challenging brother billionaires to Byzantine cage matches or causing ripples through the crypto market with random statements, Musk is both boon and bane to newsrooms, and his latest move promises to be yet another paradigm shift.

After much speculation, Musk finally revealed a new "X" logo as part of Twitter's rebranding, replacing the iconic blue bird symbol that has represented the platform since 2012. The new logo, a white "X" against a black background, now serves as the emblem for official accounts, including the primary Twitter handle.

Additionally, he shared the news that X.com (formerly and now again owned by Musk) now redirects to Twitter.com. And forget about tweeting, as when asked what tweets would now be called, Musk said “x's”.

All this comes even as Musk’s original purchase for $44 billion is now valued at about $23 billion, with the platform bleeding money despite Musk’s ruthless cost-cutting exercises, and steadily losing advertisers and earnings.

However, Musk still asserts the purchase of Twitter was an accelerant for his plans to develop X, “the everything app.” Indeed, Twitter's recently acquired CEO, Linda Yaccarino, noted that the "X" branding was aimed at remaking Twitter into a "global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities."

And what about the marketers themselves, and their thoughts on the rebranding? exchange4media enquired whether this will be a match made in heaven or a continuing divorce from reality.

Something old…

“Off the bat, the Twitter logo shift feels highly dissonant. The current logo has undergone a series of transformations and is almost synonymous with the platform. Losing that and creating something from scratch might feel detrimental to the ethos of the people who have been using it,” says Mithun Mukherjee, ECD, FCB Kinnect, adding, “But on the flip side, if Musk’s plans are to be taken at face value, Twitter will eventually morph into something bigger.”

Alin Choubey, Business Head-North, FoxyMoron, Zoo Media agrees, “While a new logo certainly offers Twitter an opportunity to change its brand identity and recognition, I doubt it will have a major impact on the current perception of Twitter. From a look and feel perspective, the logo fails to make any significant impression—at least to me.”

“As for "X, the everything app," it could be a promising offering, provided it has a clear vision and a well-thought-out game plan. WeChat, the super app in China, serves as an excellent example of how such a concept can succeed and play a vital role in shaping a country's digital landscape and the daily lives of millions of users. However, if "X" is led similarly to Twitter, then I don't hold high hopes for its success,” adds Choubey.

Experts say a logo change alone is too little to have a significant impact on advertisers. If the platform's offering and consistency in delivering it improve, Twitter could potentially look back at the immense potential it had earlier. A report indicates that the average amount of time people spend on Threads daily has plummeted more than 75 per cent since its rock star debut on July 6. “However, Twitter is currently too big to be easily replaced or skipped,” says Choubey.

Something New….

“Objectively, yes it’s a tad bit unsettling to see the bird be replaced with one big X. But a lot of legacy sites have gone through similar transitions (if not as extreme) and we called that ‘going with the times’,” Vaibhav Pathak, Co-Founder and COO, Dot Media, adding, “I do think this is in line with one man’s conviction to re-create a  brand the world knows and that is no easy feat. It’s going to be a long time before the X universe sees the light of day but we’re here for the change.”

Hiren Shah, Founder and Chairman, Vertoz believes a company's branding, which is symbolized by its logo, must be modified periodically if it is to remain contemporary and relevant.

“Regarding Elon Musk's vision for "x, the everything app," it's important to note that any connection between the new Twitter logo and Musk's vision would be purely speculative at this point. As for the impact of Twitter's new logo on advertisers and brands returning to the platform, it's essential to remember that the success of advertising on any social media platform is determined by a multitude of factors beyond just the logo,” he says.

Something Borrowed…

Abhishek Mukherjee - Director Design - Brand & Creative, Moengage, points out that over the years, "Twitter has transformed from being solely a microblogging platform to a multifaceted social media platform. It has introduced various features like multimedia tweets, Spaces (audio chat rooms), Fleets (disappearing tweets), and more, expanding its scope beyond just written tweets. Introducing the “X factor” implies a fresh direction for the brand and hints at exciting new possibilities."

Brands and advertisers are more concerned about user engagement, targeting capabilities, and overall reach of their campaigns. Shah says, “If the new logo reflects positive changes in Twitter's platform, user experience, and offerings, it could potentially attract more advertisers and brands to consider using Twitter for their advertising campaigns. However, it's crucial to monitor user response and actual performance metrics to gauge the real impact of any platform updates on advertising engagement and ROI.”

“Additionally, Twitter’s ongoing efforts to improve the user experience, address concerns about safety and harassment, and differentiate itself from other social media platforms would also influence advertisers’ and brands’ decisions to return or invest in Twitter as a part of their marketing strategies,” says Abhishek Mukherjee.

Something Blue….

But what about the little blue bird and its legacy? Experts say there’s more at stake.

“The tweet-based platform might just be a small portion of it. From that perspective, it might be pertinent to eventually do one of two things: either change Twitter’s identity or make it stand for something bigger. Clearly, Musk has chosen to go for the former,” says Mithun Mukherjee.

Even the overall traffic on the platform has been declining since January, with CBS reporting a 5.8% drop as of June. Advertisers started pulling out of the platform because of Musk’s changing policies on the safety and stability of the platform. After Musk’s plans of cutting staff and relaxing content moderation policies took root, Twitter’s revenues took a serious dip.

“Overall, the impact of the logo change on advertisers and brands returning to the platform would heavily rely on Twitter’s ability to effectively communicate the rationale behind the rebranding, the tangible benefits it offers, and its commitment to catering to the needs of advertisers,” notes Abhishek Mukherjee.  

“While a change in identity might create excitement among users, will it be enough to get advertisers, is anybody’s guess. The faith and trust that has been lost by Twitter’s advertisers will need to be reinstated through some shape or form,” says Mithun Mukherjee, concluding, “More importantly, metrics which impress the importance of the platform to the advertisers could give the much-needed trust boost.”