What's in a Name?

The Exercise of Rebranding

When Elon Musk suddenly announced the rebranding of the ubiquitous Twitter to X on 24 July 2023, the world was completely caught off guard by the impromptu move, which wiped out 17 years of widespread brand recognition and awareness in one fell swoop. Twitter is such an iconic brand (like Google, Xerox and Kleenex) that the word “tweet” has become part of public vernacular. That is why industry observers were completely befuddled by Musk’s decision to ditch the well-loved Twitter name and its famous blue bird logo. And despite Musk’s best efforts to rebrand “tweets” as “X’s”, many of the old terminology associated with the Twitter brand continues to be used or referred to extensively.

Thus, Musk’s rebranding of Twitter is, in the eyes of many observers and users, an exercise which eroded the power of the Twitter brand. Therein lies the danger of rebranding. In today’s bustling world, an established brand is an omnipresent force. It not only shapes our perception of the product(s) we consume, it may very well define and become the essence of our lifestyles.

So, why do companies take the on the risk of rebranding?

THE HISTORY OF BRANDING

Let us first understand what branding is. The word is derived from the Old Norse (between 8th to mid/late 14th century) word “brand” which means “to burn”. It refers to the practice of producers burning their mark onto their products. The origins of branding in its earliest form may be traced all the way back to around 2000BC and it was used purely to depict ownership. Back then, farmers branded their cattle to make them stand out from other livestock, and craftsmen would imprint symbols onto their goods to signify their origins.