Twitter’s recent rebrand has spawned numerous hot takes and fiery debates since its conception two weeks back. Dozens of brands, influencers, and passionate internet users have flocked to the web to express their concerns, predict Twitter’s downfall, or just poke fun at Elon Musk’s inexplicable preference for the letter X.
Last week, however, the German branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature ingeniously used the publicity surrounding Twitter’s rebrand to highlight a more serious concern.
The WWF’s advert (pictured above) depicts the different iterations of Larry, Twitter’s iconic blue bird logo, from 2006 until 2012. The image culminates with an ‘X’, reflecting Twitter’s recent name change.
Of course, being a wildlife charity, the image also depicts a more somber message. The copy on the ad states that we must “protect our wildlife before it’s too late”. The X in the image reveals the end result if we don’t change our ways. In short, we can expect hundreds of species to go extinct if we do not reverse climate change in the years to come.
WWF collaborated with McCann Germany, a creative agency based in Frankfurt, to design the graphic. The advert comes at an opportune time. For one, it’s the perfect marketing spin on one of the world’s most popular current events — that being Musk’s diabolical takeover and subsequent destruction of the Twitter brand. In addition, it’s a necessary reminder about the steps we must take to prevent the destruction of our natural world.
Call it capitalizing on recent internet trends all you like. This is powerful marketing. Elon Musk may be taking all the necessary steps to kill Twitter, but, as this ad proves, creativity will always live on.
Robert Reeve
Robert is an experienced marketing professional with extensive experience working with brands to refine go-to-market plans, SEO campaigns, and content marketing strategies. A committed writer with a keen eye on the latest developments, Robert specialises in producing content across all things tech and marketing.