Facebook has been one of the most amazing success stories of all time. That being said, in recent years it has also raised much concern with regards to privacy and political freedom. They hope changing the name and brand to Meta will help distract and distance themselves from these growing problems. Let’s explore whether this will really make a difference for the company.
First, there are three sides to the Facebook privacy and political argument.
One side likes what Facebook is doing in taking sides, as long as they are on the same side.
Two, the other side dislikes what Facebook is doing. They are concerned with loss of privacy and of political balance and freedom.
Three, are users not interested in politics. They just want to let lets friends and family keep in touch, and let businesses and government communicate with the public.
Facebook troubles focus on privacy and political banter. That means one and two in the list above.
Over time, taking sides has become one of Facebook’s biggest challenges. And this problem is not getting better. In fact, it has been growing and getting worse over time.
Facebook new brand Meta will not solve privacy or political problems
That’s one reason Facebook is updating their brand name to Meta. The question is this. Will this solve their political and privacy problems?
No, and I will explain why.
This is the same path other companies who have been struggling with their original brand name have taken over the last decade.
· Comcast changed their brand name to Xfinity.
· Charter became Spectrum.
· Google became Alphabet.
These changes happened because these companies had PR problems with their original brand names caused by their own actions. So, these were self-inflicted wounds they were trying to distract the marketplace from.
Changing brand name does not help companies bypass problems
So, has changing the brand names of these companies helped them bypass their PR problems and grow?
I don’t think so. These companies have continued to grow, but I don’t think that is because of the new brand name.
Consider Altice, which is the third largest cable TV company. They have the same problems as Comcast and Charter, but they never updated their brand name.
Yet, Altice is doing just fine.
The problem with Comcast, Charter and Google is they are hurting themselves with their own past behavior.
Self-inflicted wounds due to bad decisions in the past and not taking care of their customers.
Reason Comcast, Charter and Google updated brand
Instead of valuing their customers and users, cable TV companies only focused on their investors. Users suffered with poor service and a lousy reputation.
Companies need to focus on their workers first, then their customers, and then if they do a good job their shareholders are rewarded. Any other order creates a self-inflicted wound. And that is what many companies are faced with.
So, as competition from new technology entered the scene, suddenly they realized they better improve their relationship with their customers. That was the only way they could survive.
That’s why Comcast and Charter updated their brand to Xfinity and Spectrum. They were running away from the bad reality they created.
They were hoping users would be distracted and forget their past behavior.
Google always had good service, but their privacy and political problems were getting too much attention and that was hurting them.
Changing brand name is a distraction for marketing purposes
These three companies changed their brand name as a distraction for marketing purposes.
When companies struggle with their past behavior issues, they often want to run away and hide. This is what these companies have done.
The fact is, over the last decade, these companies have continued to grow. However, I don’t believe it had anything to do with their brand name change.
Facebook should lead by example, not wait for government
The recent Facebook ad campaign has television commercials saying they are concerned. They say the U.S. government should create new rules so social media can be fair.
That sounds good and I agree with them.
However, there is no reason Facebook cannot solve this problem today, on their own for their own organization.
Facebook can be a leader if they do the right thing and lead the charge into a new era for social media, free from the privacy and political problems they originally created.
If that is the case, then why are they using this issue as a marketing strategy rather than digging in a fixing the problem?
It seems to me that if they really want to make a difference, they can do so, today.
Facebook has been struggling with growing political and privacy concerns. They are also advancing their direction, moving into the metaverse, which is the next step for the company.
Facebook Meta still face the same privacy and political challenges
Facebook has many reasons to re-brand the company. The only problem is this does nothing to address the political and privacy problems they face.
Brand name changes are a distraction from the real problems the company faces based on its own behavior. Just like that of Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum and Google Alphabet.
The names also have a completely different feel. Facebook sounds like a friendly place for friends and family to share stories and information.
Meta is not a warm and fuzzy sounding brand name. It sounds like a sci-fi flick.
Based on all these reasons, I believe Meta is the wrong brand name for Facebook to change to.
Facebook Meta is like movie metaverse from The Matrix
It will only focus attention of users and regulators on the same problems that they have been dealing with for years. In fact, this new Matrix-Movie-like metaverse could very well open the company to even more scrutiny.
The new Facebook advertising campaign television commercials show they know they have a self-created problem and they know how to fix it.
Facebook should do right thing, fix problems, lead through example
Sure, they should encourage the U.S. government to create rules, but they can fix the problems they created themselves, starting today.
So, Facebook, it’s time to step up and do the right thing. Lead through example.
Bottom line, I think Facebook or Meta will continue to grow and continue to move into these new areas like the metaverse.
However, I also believe this movement will not quiet the dissent they face unless and until they fix their real problem around privacy and politics which they created themselves on their own in the first place.
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