Remember when Facebook was the hottest thing around? Those days are quickly receding into the distance and the parent company of Instagram – the current social media sensation – are determined to slow down this process if not stop it outright.
That’s why they’re forcing their cooler kid brother Instagram to start wearing around its name like a brand and just like a rancher’s cattle Facebook wants you to know who owns what. Apparently, this wasn’t immediately clear to people who have used the heck out of Instagram but whatever.
But Instagram isn’t the only Facebook division getting the branding: popular text messaging service WhatsApp will also have to start wearing around Mark Zuckeberg’s mark. In a comment to The Information, Facebook said that, “We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook.”
Initially, the Facebook name will only appear on screens for apps and in listings in the app store but it could become more integrated into the various divisions’ logos over time. Really it isn’t a big change but it is somewhat curious given that most people are well aware that these are Facebook properties.
As PetaPixel points out and The Verge notes, the company had already done this with its Oculus VR division sometime earlier.
Increasingly under governmental scrutiny around the world for its privacy practices and otherwise, Facebook as a brand has suffered a lot more than most in the social media world. Instagram has largely escaped any negative connotations associated with its parent company but that could change if the ties that bind them together are made even more explicit.
Of course, we’d love to know what you think: Is Facebook’s branding of Instagram and WhatsApp a smart move or something that reeks of desperation? Let us know in the comments.
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