The social media giant has created a logo and corporate branding for Facebook, Inc. to differentiate Facebook, the corporation, from its popular social network with an identical name. The new logo, spelling out the word 'Facebook' itself, versus the previous blue or white 'f' the famous social media company used for many years, is set to appear in spaces such as the login screen, as well as the settings page for WhatsApp and Instagram.
Facebook, as indicated in an article Bloomberg recently posted online, started this initiative "earlier this year when it added 'WhatsApp from Facebook' and 'Instagram from Facebook' to both apps." However, the new branding depicts an even more pronounced message. The point of this new corporate branding is to guarantee that people using the two other apps know what they are using is owned by Facebook.
Promoting Awareness to WhatsApp and Facebook Users
Facebook Chief Marketing Officer Antonio Lucio said many people do not know that WhatsApp and Instagram are owned by Facebook. The official even cited a research study conducted by Pew, indicating that, according to the study, "29% of Americans knew Facebook owned both apps." Following this discovery, Lucio admitted improvement in people's perception of Facebook as a business or company.
Facebook can definitely use a boost following years of battling misrepresentation campaigns, as well as mishandling data of the private user. More so, Facebook has also become politicians' favorite punching bag and is presently going through an investigation for possibly stifling competition. This tainted reputation also means that while aligning both Instagram and WhatsApp with Facebook might achieve improvement for the overall image of the company, it can also have a negative impact on some of its brands.
Rebranding May Take Time
Rebranding like this one, still according to Lucio, could take up to 10 years to take off, and that "Facebook is fine with the brand hit on WhatsApp as it has committed 'long term.'" He also added Facebook discussed changing its name too, along with many other ways to differentiate the parent company from its central social network. Still, eventually, the company decided to retain the title.
The branding initiative is a representation of a more significant change happening within the company. Facebook Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg has been pulling various aspects of Facebook's domain closer together in the past few years. WhatsApp and Instagram, for instance, once operated very separately, and that independence is frequently utilized as a pitch by more prominent companies when they desire to obtain a popular asset.
