Musk draws heat from San Francisco over giant X logo
By Nicholas P. Brown A giant, glowing X marks the San Francisco spot where Elon Musk says he
2023-07-31 04:56
First on CNN: Biden administration launches new income-driven student debt repayment plan
The Biden administration is launching a beta website for its new income-driven student loan repayment plan today, officials told CNN, allowing borrowers to begin submitting applications for the program as federal student loan payments are set to resume in October.
2023-07-31 01:47
Elon Musk reactivates Kanye West's Twitter account following X rebrand
X, formerly known as Twitter, has reinstated Kanye West's account on the social media platform. West will not be able to monetize his account, and no ads will appear next to his posts, the company told the Wall Street Journal on Saturday.
2023-07-31 00:28
Why was Kanye West suspended from Twitter? Elon Musk reinstates rapper's account 8 months after rebranding platform to X
'We’ve officially unbanned Mr Kanye West, You’re welcome,' tweeted Elon Musk on July 29, 2023
2023-07-30 21:20
How many children does Mark Zuckerberg have? Meta CEO takes family to Taylor Swift's Eras tour concert
Mark Zuckerberg was seen sporting rhinestones on his face as he took photos with his family at the concert
2023-07-30 19:56
Tristan Tate extends warm welcome to Kanye West as Twitter reinstates rapper's account after 8 months
'Tate's desperately trying to maintain relevance. That’ll be hard from behind a prison cell,' a user wrote, criticizing Tristan Tate
2023-07-30 19:20
Kanye West allowed back on Twitter following his ban over antisemitic conspiracies
Social media platform Twitter, now called X, has reinstated the account of rapper Ye, the artiste formerly known as Kanye West, after he was suspended eight months ago for hate speech. The account was reinstated on Saturday eight months after the rapper was suspended for breaking the platform’s rules prohibiting incitement to violence. Ye got his account back after assuring the platform owned by Elon Musk that he wouldn’t use it to share antisemitic or otherwise harmful language, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter. The artiste will also not be eligible to monetise his account, a new feature added by Mr Musk for paid subscribers, while advertisements won’t appear next to his posts either, the report said citing the social media platform. Ye has not posted anything new since coming back on the platform. His account showed his last post to be from December 2022, which was just two months after it was reinstated following an earlier lock out of his account. Mr Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, had in November welcomed the return of the rapper to the platform, after his account was reinstated for the first time. But on December, one of his posts appeared to show a swastika symbol inside a Star of David, which led to Mr Musk suspending his account after he violated the platform’s policy against inciting violence. Ye lost his account and his partnership with Adidas and Gap for Yeezy products soon after, when he went on a string of antisemitic rants in interviews and on social media. Mr Musk had previously also reinstated former US president Donald Trump’s account after conducting a poll in which some 14.8 million Twitter users had voted with 51.8 per cent voting in favour of the reinstatement. But Mr Trump said he had no interest in returning to Twitter and would stick to his own platform Truth Social. Additional reporting by agencies Read More TikTok ‘failing to act’ as Andrew Tate videos still seen by children as young as 13 Kanye West used offensive phrases about Jewish people, ex-business partner claims As Twitter becomes X - Seven disastrous rebrands from Royal Mail to New Coke
2023-07-30 18:19
Pokimane's savage response to fan's body-shaming comment: 'This is my life'
A fan called Pokimane 'chubby' during a Iive stream, eliciting a fiery response from the seasoned streamer
2023-07-30 15:46
As Twitter becomes X - Seven disastrous rebrands from Royal Mail to New Coke
Billionaire Elon Musk rebranded Twitter this week and replaced the iconic blue bird logo with a black X, in his latest effort to overhaul the social media giant. The redesign ties in with Musk’s plans to build an “everything” platform –like China’s WeChat or PayTm in India – as he encouraged users to reimagine the “whole concept” of the app formerly known as Twitter. On 24 July, the Tesla founder tweeted a picture of the new logo cast on the Twitter headquarters building in San Francisco, as workers were seen taking down the bird logo that has defined the platform since it was launched in 2006. Musk also redirected the website x.com to twitter.com, and announced that Twitter will soon only be available in dark mode. But it wasn’t an entirely smooth rollout, as it was later revealed Twitter had failed to secure the required permits to change the building signage. Trademark experts also warned Musk could face legal action over his use of X, since rivals Meta and Microsoft both own intellectual property (IP) rights for the letter. The site was reportedly blocked in Indonesia after Mr Musk unveiled the X logo because of the country’s laws on online pornography and gambling. User reactions were also mixed. “The X logo looks like it’s for one of those ridiculous fragile masculinity subscription box services that would send you like an axe, a bottle of hot sauce, small batch coffee, and some beard oil every month in 2019,” one tweet – or is it an X – read. As Twitter moves into a new era, on the heels of a controversial revamp, we look back on seven marketing fails: Royal Mail to Consignia In 2001 the Royal Mail was rebranded as Consignia, but it did not last long. “The new name describes the full scope of what the Post Office does in a way that the words ‘post’ and ‘office’ cannot,” Royal Mail’s then-chief John Roberts unveiled the results of a £2m rebrand, adding that the “modern, meaningful and entirely appropriate” name was suited to the company’s aspirations of becoming an international postal operator. The public did not agree and just 16 months later Consignia was renamed Royal Mail plc, reversing what is considered one of the most disastrous corporate rebranding efforts in recent history. The strategist who led the Consignia rebrand later defended it in an interview with the BBC, explaining why the name was chosen. Keith Wells, who was the director of Dragon Brands, said: “It’s got consign in it. It’s got a link with insignia, so there is this kind of royalty-ish thing in the back of one’s mind. And there’s this lovely dictionary definition of consign which is ‘to entrust to the care of’. That goes right back to sustaining trust, which was very important.” Coke to New Coke “New Coke” remains the benchmark for bad product launches, nearly 40 years after the Coca-Cola company infamously decided to change its secret recipe to gain a competitive advantage over then-up-and-coming Pepsi Co during the cola wars of the Eighties. The decision backfired, as passionate Coke drinkers were devastated by the new taste of the beverage – even launching grassroots campaigns across the United States to bring back the old Coke. “It was the people against the corporation – only in America,” CBS News reporter Bob Simon said in 1985. “Coke said it was committed, so were the people. In California they collected signatures, in Seattle they set up a hotline.” Delighted by their rival’s blunder, Pepsi released an advertisement featuring a girl who asked: “Somebody out there tell me why Coke did it? Why did Coke change?” Coca-Cola eventually buckled under the pressure and announced it would bring back the original taste of Coke, with the company’s then-president saying: “The simple fact is that all of the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on a new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the depth and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people.” Facebook to Meta Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook became Meta in October 2021 to signal its future as a “metaverse company”. A metaverse is defined as “a digital reality that combines aspects of social media, online gaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cryptocurrencies to allow users to interact virtually.” While the tech billionaire insisted the rebrand had nothing to do with the PR crisis during what is now remembered as Meta’s worst year ever. From claims the US Capitol riots were organised on the social media platform to employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen’s allegations, Facebook’s reputation took a severe beating in 2021. And the new name didn’t help. According to a report from The Harris Poll, public trust in Zuckerberg’s company significantly dropped after the announcement that it was going to be known as Meta. PR experts also told Insider Meta would have to do “fundamental work” to win back this trust. PwC to Monday One of the Big Four accounting firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers confusingly changed the name of its consulting arm to Monday in what is widely considered a big branding blunder. “Monday is a new identity on which to build our company’s future, and it will have meaning and stand for something,” the company’s then-CEO Greg Brenneman said, announcing the new name that, apparently, conjures images of “fresh thinking, doughnuts, hot coffee”. However, the brand name was a flop as it failed to capture the essence of PwC’s work, and caused widespread confusion – and derision – from members of the public as well as the press. “The day of the week formerly known as Monday would like to announce its name change to distance itself from PWC Consulting. Forthwith it will be known as Tuesday Eve,” one person quipped. Reporting on PwC’s new name, CNN Money said a spokesperson from Wolff Olins, the agency that led the $110m rebrand, “could not immediately be reached Monday—the day, that is.” The rebrand was eventually rolled back. Hershey’s new logo The well-known chocolate company in 2014 unveiled a logo that resembled a “steaming pile of s***” as the abandoned design continues to amuse TikTok users nine years later. When Hershey’s set about trying to create a fresh and modern interpretation of its beloved Kisses icon, it replaced a photograph of their silver Hershey’s Kiss with an animated, brown version and a gray curlicue to represent its packaging. “The new branding will impact all visual aspects of how The Hershey Company presents itself,” the company said in a statement at the time, “from consumer communications to websites to the interior design of its office spaces and the look of its retail stores.” Amused customers were quick to point out the logo had ended up looking like a poop emoji instead, an unsavoury association to make with a chocolate brand. @zacharywinterton Once you see it you cant unsee it. This design is proof that not all logos are created equal 💩 #logodesign #designfail ♬ original sound - Zachary Winterton Sunny Delight The orange soft beverage launched in the UK in 1998 was once considered a threat to Pepsi and Coke. However, a poorly-timed advertisement amid regulatory scrutiny brought grey storms for Sunny Delight, as the drinks sales fell from a record high of £160m to a measly £6.8m by 2010. The Food Commission launched a campaign against Sunny Delight, claiming it was bad for children after it was reported that one child in Wales turned yellow from drinking 1.5 litres of the drink. “This is excessive consumption and consumption on that scale would lead to a yellowing of the skin because of the beta carotene, in the same way as drinking too much carrot juice or orange juice would,” a spokeswoman for the company said at the time. The girl’s condition, caused by betacarotene which gives the drink it’s colour, emerged at the same time as Sunny Delight was running an ad campaign featuring a pair of snowmen turning orange. Consequently, the popularity of Sunny Delight reportedly halved, as consumers lost their appetite for the bright yellow, sweet drink. Cardiff City’s football kit In 2012, the club’s then-new owner gave the kit an ill-conceived makeover. He decided to put the team, nicknamed the Bluebirds, in a red kit and changed the logo from a blue bird to a red Welsh dragon. “The change of colour is a radical and some would say revolutionary move which will be met with unease and apprehension by a number of supporters, along with being seen as controversial by many,” ex-chief executive Alan Whiteley said. “To those I would like to say that this was not a decision that has been taken lightly or without a great deal of thought and debate. Fans retaliated and the blue kit was restored, with approval from the club’s owner Vincent Tan. Read More Sinead O’Connor latest: Singer moved to London ‘to feel less lonely’ after son’s death, neighbours say England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup result and reaction as Lionesses win but Walsh injured Man in debt after driving motorhome through London’s low emission zone First British passports issued in King’s name unveiled Royal Mail wins contract for collection and delivery of passports Mapped: Ten worst UK hotspots for dog attacks on postal workers
2023-07-30 14:51
Pokimane reveals her top underrated YouTube channel picks: 'Some content creators I've been enjoying'
Pokimane became wildly famous due to her upbeat nature outside of gaming and she is using her popularity to help others
2023-07-30 14:47
Andrew Tate claims he's 'not sorry' as he discusses past webcam business: 'Everybody made money'
In a candid interview with Candace Owens, the American political commentator, Andrew Tate opened up about his involvement in the webcam industry
2023-07-30 14:18
People are Upgrading Their Smartphones Less Often, Research Shows
When it comes to buying new smartphones, customer interest is on the decline. According to
2023-07-30 04:55