In 2021, the Facebook Company made the decision to introduce new branding that would signal a shift from what our company is known for today – social media – to what the company wanted to be known for – the social metaverse. This new name and brand system, Meta, expresses a vision for the future and embraces the company’s full range of technologies.
In addition to defining this new name, symbol design and brand system, we created a film to kick off Connect Conference, Meta’s annual conference that focuses on virtual reality. The film provided important context to the keynote, with the message that the metaverse will be made by all of us.
The film was shared across social channels and drove traffic to Meta’s new website, meta.com – reaching 12.8M people in the first week of launch.
The day of Connect Conference, we activated a rapid response strategy across our social channels to spread the news far and wide, partnered with influencers to playfully engage with the launch news, and developed real-time replies to brands and public figures in response to their reaction of the new name.
In all, this was one of the largest marketing efforts in the history of our company, spanning across consumer marketing, business marketing and hardware teams.
The journey to a new company brand started in 2019, in part because Facebook the company needed a way to further distinguish itself from Facebook the app. Now, with a new name, Meta can represent that the company is more than one product, while helping to bring the metaverse to life.
Meta’s annual Connect conference brings together augmented and virtual reality developers, content creators, marketers and others to celebrate the industry’s momentum and growth. In 2021, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg took this opportunity to launch Meta’s rebrand. The goal was to signal a shift from what our company is known for today – social media – to what we want to be known for – the social metaverse. Our new name and brand system, Meta, expresses our vision for the future and embraces the full range of technologies we build.
“Meta” was chosen as the new company name because it can mean “beyond,” a reminder that there's always more to build. Unlike traditional brand design processes, the new Meta symbol was designed to live in motion and 3D. Drawn from a single line in space using Meta’s Quest technology, the symbol forms a continuous loop that works seamlessly between 2D and 3D contexts. It is designed to be experienced from different perspectives and interacted with. It can resemble an M for “Meta,” and also at times an infinity sign. The Meta symbol was designed to dynamically live in the metaverse — where you can move through it and around it. It was also important that the symbol take on a blue gradient and pull in the color of Meta’s core products, connecting the company’s future to its origins.
We created two film spots to inspire curiosity about the promise of the metaverse. “This Future Will Be Made by All of Us,” shows how we’ll all create its future together. Connect 2021 kicked off with this 90-second film that shares our vision for a future that will be made by all of us. To tell this story, we partnered with a diverse range of talent, from sci-fi writer Octavia E. Butler, to the family of the futurist Arthur C. Clarke, to everyday creators. “Tiger” is about how the metaverse will bring two-dimensional experiences into immersive, three-dimensional worlds.
We activated a rapid response strategy across social media to engage with our audiences where conversations about Meta—and the metaverse—were happening. We also partnered with influencers Emily Zugay, Khaby Lame and Angry Reactions to playfully engage with the launch news. We developed real-time replies to brands and public figures in response to their reaction to the new name. Accounts like Wendys, Hulu, 7Eleven, Budweiser and even Ryan Reynolds jumped in – centering our brand in the social conversation.
In all, this was one of the largest marketing efforts in the Meta’s history, spanning across consumer marketing, business marketing and hardware teams.
The goal was to signal a shift from what our company is known for today – social media – to what Meta wants to be known for – the social metaverse. By redefining the company brand, we achieved our goals of helping the world understand the potential for the metaverse, and building excitement around the future of social connection.
