Just this year the social media giant Facebook, who also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, has made a sizable shift in their branding. Owner and founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, unveiled the company’s rebrand at the end of October in an effort to unify the companies platforms to focus mainly on developing the metaverse.
In short, the metaverse is a vast connection of 3D worlds that are basically an open world simulation. Films such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One are prime examples of the metaverse. It’s essentially an online realm that would work similarly to the real world but inside a computer, almost a hyper-advanced virtual reality.
Why Did Facebook Want To Rebrand?
In an interview conducted by The Verge, Zuckerberg stated that the company is changing it’s outlook to focus on two different aspects of what they do. One side being the social media apps, and the other for creating future platforms that will ultimately build the metaverse. He also states that while there are two parts to his company now, Meta is focused on combining their social experiences with their new technologies.
Anytime there’s a large shift in culture or scope of work for a company, a rebrand is usually close to follow. Zuckerberg and Facebook essentially wanted to create a new brand identity that would align with the future vision of the company, as well as encompass the new scope of work they’re beginning. While we’ve seen the new release of the Meta logo and the company name, we are likely to see more changes to Facebook’s and Instagram’s branding to better align them with what is now Meta.
What Will This Rebrand Mean For Facebook?
While Facebook has been the longstanding name of the company, this rebrand has changed that by making Meta the new company name and leaving Facebook as one of the social platforms Meta owns. With this change in brand identity, users will still be able to access their Facebook accounts, timeline, and messages like they would before. However, to start using Meta and the eventual metaverse, users will need to create Meta accounts. For the time being, Facebook and Instagram will continue to operate the way they do now, but will soon start to see changes in features as the metaverse is gradually constructed.
How Will This Affect Advertising With Facebook and Meta Apps?
Facebook advertising will be making some changes following the recent rebrand to Meta. Starting in mid January of 2022 certain targeting features will be disabled to avoid discrimination against specific groups. Interest targeting based on religion, race, politics and more will all be removed for their ability to discriminate against users in these specific interest groups. This is being done to make user experience on the platform that much more inclusive.
In addition to making their advertising platform less discriminatory, Meta will likely be opening doors to new forms of advertising within the budding metaverse. Like many have seen in movies like Ready Player One, companies will likely be able to advertise to users in the new metaverse. New forms of advertising will start to come around as well as some more dated practices like virtual billboards and print advertisements will likely be seen around the metaverse.
The Takeaway
The overall reason for Facebook’s rebrand to Meta is to unify their brand identity and clearly define their goal of creating a fully immersive online experience that everyone can use and enjoy. You’ll still be able to access your Facebook and Instagram accounts the same as before and will soon start to see these platforms change as Meta continues to grow and develop.