Emergency thought: Twitter's rebrand is...

Emergency newsletter!

I’m calling it an emergency because an idea just popped into my head, and I wanted to share it with all of you - my fantastic new subscribers, who are graciously inviting me into your inbox or spam folders.

Seriously, thank you for the initial support. It means the world to me.

Now, onto business….

Emergency thought

Twitter’s rebrand is… I recently came across the following tweet, which contains the below quote from Seth Godin:

“If Nike announced that they were opening a hotel, you’d have a pretty good guess about what it would be like. But if Hyatt announced that they were going to start making shoes, you would have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what those shoes would be like. That’s because Nike owns a brand and Hyatt simply owns real estate.”

It’s a great analogy.

It’s why the Max rebrand really made little sense.

Imagine an HBO hotel. You’d probably imagine it in Hawaii or Italy, home to its White Lotus series. You’d think it’d be premium, upscale, quality yet varied in what it offers. You’d probably pay more than other hotels for it. I sure would.

Stripping that brand away, to include a Sandals-like discovery+ resort, is weird.

Now imagine a Twitter hotel. Chaos in the lobby. Understaffed. You go into your room, only to be screamed at. You know other people staying there, but it’s hard to find them across the sprawling complex. And everyday, something changes.

You start getting charged for the breakfast buffet that was previously complimentary. The pool is closed, now open, but only once per day for people who paid less for their rooms.

Would you want to stay at this hotel?

No. No you wouldn’t.

Which is why it’s smart for Elon Musk to try a rebrand, as reported by the WSJ, because though the Twitter brand is strong, its in the gutter.

Maybe X can stand for innovation. Maybe it can stand for his hallmark of just, trying shit. Who knows.

But a brand at its core is simply what you stand for, and what you deliver on to your customers. In exchange, your customers keep that expectation, and for good brands, like you for it.

You may hate Elon Musk, but cannot fault him for recognizing a sagging brand. The threat of Threads, while on the current come down, was too close of a call to not get started on this now.

Will he be able to execute a new vision? Probably not. He is the source of the chaos which has corrupted the Twitter brand. But the decision to try is a worthwhile endeavor.

Stay thinkin,

Danny