{"id":9275,"date":"2021-10-29T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T16:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preview.prophet.com\/?p=9275"},"modified":"2025-09-05T16:51:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:51:18","slug":"facebook-goes-meta-but-will-it-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prophet.com\/2021\/10\/facebook-goes-meta-but-will-it-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Goes Meta: But Will it Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Facebook Goes Meta: But Will it Work?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

This branding direction makes sense for tech companies, especially in clarifying their story for investors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Within moments of Facebook\u2019s announcement that it\u2019s renaming itself Meta<\/a>, the world swiftly reacted. The Twittersphere sniped the loudest, pointing out that the new name won\u2019t change any of the company\u2019s problems: It\u2019s still one of the most controversial companies and in the crosshairs of regulators all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, is rebranding a mistake? Far from it. As branding experts, we think it\u2019s a smart, strategic decision. Meta is a bold new brand, one with ambitions far broader than its current social-media properties. And it makes it the first company to stake a claim in the much-coveted metaverse, something so large and nebulous that even many tech people still can\u2019t define it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name certainly has its strengths. It\u2019s short, simple, and clearly grounded in the frame of reference the business intends to exist within — and redefine. With only a day of storytelling behind it, we\u2019re curious if there\u2019s more to the Meta-metaphor beyond the metaverse. Is it a wink to the alternate reality that\u2019s created through all social media? Is it a self-deprecating nod to Facebook\u2019s size and scale? Is it a reference to the expression of irony or self-parody of \u201cthat\u2019s so meta?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeta is a bold new brand, one with ambitions far broader than its current social-media properties.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a branding direction that makes a great deal of sense for tech companies, especially in clarifying their story for investors. (And it\u2019s not surprising that Facebook shares rose following the announcement.) Just as Alphabet made it possible for the company to grow beyond Google, this new name will pave the way for Meta to broaden its brand portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We expect that Facebook will still be Facebook to its users. So will Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Each of those brands can\u2013and should\u2013have narrower definitions and fulfill every expectation users and customers have for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But other parts of the company will be rebranded. Oculus, its VR division, will become Meta.  And Facebook Portal, its smart display products, will become Meta Portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Meta, the parent company becomes more expansive and is well-positioned to move into the future. And the new name comes just days after the company announced it would invest $10 billion in developing the metaverse, moving in directions far beyond its social-media roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the metaverse, you\u2019ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine\u2014 get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create,\u201d CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in the announcement. That includes \u201ccompletely new experiences that don\u2019t really fit how we think about computers or phones today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Author<\/h3>\n