Another day, another Facebook controversy. Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg’s meetings with conservatives or the Cambridge Analytica scandal (which the company has now received a $5 billion fine for), the social media conglomerate seems to have no trouble getting in trouble—and the public has been far from forgiving. Facebook’s reputation has taken a major hit lately: over the past year, the term “Facebook sucks” received an average of 1,600 searches per month, peaking at around 1,900 searches in July 2019.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Facebook from testing out a few new marketing techniques…😒 Here’s our breakdown on the platform’s recent decision to add “From Facebook” to the names of its other tech properties.
Why “From Facebook”, Anyway?
The average user might not care—or even know—that Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are related (that’s right, Zuckerberg has ownership over all three). But that’s about to change, as Facebook has decided to add “From Facebook” to the titles of both.
Up until this point, Instagram and WhatsApp have been able to do their own thing, bask in their own branding and dodge being implicated in Facebook-instigated controversies. So what gives? Why would Facebook want to bring two more of its properties into the mix?
“We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook,” a spokesperson for the social media network noted. Facebook claims that the acquisition solves a problem of disclosure—that it makes the relationship between the three more clear.
A Futile Move
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has other ideas: it thinks the decision to change the apps’ names is more than a little suspicious, and is investigating whether the acquisition was intended to take competitors off the market. The FTC is worried about Facebook acquiring rival networks before they can become a threat (and other anti-competitive practices across the tech industry as a whole). Can you blame them? Stitching the word “Facebook” into every digital property they own isn’t addressing the major issue here: that they are a toxic force when it comes to healthy competition in the sphere of online social platforms.
Mark Zuckerberg sucks if he thinks this bizarro move can help him get away from the FTC.
Damaging a Reputation
This “rebranding” isn’t convincing anyone that Facebook is anything but a greedy, technology-gobbling, data-selling online bully. Flaunting ownership by plastering its name on every app is like covering a festering wound with a bandaid—it’s not an effective, long-term solution.
Remember those “Facebook sucks” search stats we mentioned earlier? Well, by contrast, “Instagram sucks” receives an average of 480 searches per month while “WhatsApp sucks” sees approximately 30 monthly searches.
Has Zuckerberg truly thought about what adding “From Facebook” means for them? This move could very easily drag down the reputation of all the other properties it owns. (The company even has plans to add “From Facebook” to Oculus. Ugh.)
Facebook’s reputation management sucks. Why is it so determined to wear its bad reputation like a badge of honor?
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The Takeaway
Reputation management is critical, whether you’re a big tech company or a small mom-and-pop shop. What Facebook clearly doesn’t understand is that you can’t scheme your way through scandals and dodge the law with shady marketing and branding techniques. We should all use Facebook as an example of what not to do while trying to grow your brand online.
Instead, try finding your brand’s voice, being open with consumers and standing out because you do good work—not because you torch your competition.
Clearly, reputation management is easier said than done, but a .SUCKS domain can help. Find yours today.
Photo Credits: Shutterstock / Frederic Legrand – COMEO, Shutterstock / AngieYeoh
