From Twitter to X: When Rebranding Risks Brand Equity

When you think of Twitter, chances are you picture the little blue bird, the word “tweet,” and a platform that shaped culture for more than a decade. That’s the power of brand equity—when a name, a symbol, and a set of experiences live in our minds and become part of everyday language.

But in 2023, Elon Musk made the bold move to erase the Twitter name and rebrand the platform as X. The question is: what happens to consumer-based brand equity when such a drastic change occurs?

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Consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) lives in the minds and hearts of consumers—their awareness of the brand and the image they associate with it. Twitter had both: awareness: Everyone knew what Twitter was. “Tweeting” was literally a verb in the dictionary and image: It stood for fast news, global conversations, and cultural moments.

By removing the Twitter name, Musk essentially reset years of equity. Awareness didn’t vanish overnight, but the strong associations tied to the bird, the tweets, and the culture suddenly felt disrupted. As Joe Moglia wrote for Forbes:

“A rebrand of this scale, replacing a globally recognized brand that has become part of the language with something new, is no small undertaking. There are times when a rebrand is called for, and times when it isn’t.”

That line captures the dilemma: Twitter’s brand wasn’t just recognized—it was embedded in culture.

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The Value of Brands in Mergers and Acquisitions

Brands often make up a huge portion of transaction value in mergers and acquisitions. Strong brands reduce risk, create loyalty, and represent long-term financial returns. Twitter’s name once carried that kind of weight.

By discarding such a recognizable identity, the rebrand risked eroding this financial and strategic value. A brand that was once instantly recognized now faces confusion, slower recall, and mixed associations. This weakens its negotiating power and diminishes the intangible—but very real—value of the brand. 

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Will the Rebrand Enhance Equity?

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It’s still too early to know if “X” will carve out a strong identity of its own. But so far, the evidence suggests the rebrand weakened brand equity rather than enhanced it. Many users still call it “Twitter.” The emotional bond built over years doesn’t transfer automatically to a new symbol or name.

For “X” to succeed, it must build a new, consistent brand essence—one that people can identify with and feel connected to. As Solomon Timothy explained in Forbes:

“The more often you can deliver on your brand promise with a strong brand image, the easier it will be for consumers to remember your brand and what it stands for.”

Without that consistency, X risks being seen as just another platform, rather than the cultural icon Twitter once was.

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Identity and image take years to build but can be disrupted overnight. A rebrand isn’t just about changing visuals—it’s about respecting the essence that already lives in people’s minds.

Twitter’s transformation into X shows how easily equity can be lost if brand identity and brand image fall out of alignment. And as both Moglia and Timothy remind us, rebrands must be carefully considered and consistently delivered—otherwise, even the most iconic names can fade.