My Crazy X

Symbols can be so powerful.

I'm veering from social impact today to talk about branding, my stock in trade for several decades.

I've been on twitter since 2007. I LOVED it during the early, 140-character days; put up with it during its T-rump teenage years; and more recently have been hanging on to the runaway train wreck, by a "thread," since the King Who Has No Clothes purchased it last year.

I was willing to see where twitter went, as I'd been with it a long time and had a lot invested in it. At the same time, I started exploring other social media, kind of like a trial separation in a marriage. Now, however, it feels like a full-on divorce is imminent with my crazy X.

One of the things I've always loved about twitter is its bird logo. It's quite simply brilliant. Brands are basically built on emotion, and the airy, light buoyancy of the little bird is so positive and conjures up so many positive associations.

And the rebranded X, oh, that black X! Sinister and darkly foreboding. Check out the side-by-side image comparing the two and judge for yourself.

When I saw the "X" installed on my twitter page I instantly knew it was time to go; the brand that had resonated with for 16 years instantly became off-brand, no longer aligning with my personal brand. And all that from an instant glance at the new logo. Brands can be powerful that way, like a pheromone that attracts or repels. It's Elon's way of saying he doesn't want me there – count me repelled.

Of course, perhaps that is part of King's plan.

On the professional side, oy vey! It's been strangely intriguing watching a master class being taught in real time of what NOT to do in a rebrand. With X, the King jettisoned the global awareness of billions of people on the planet and ditched brand equity and goodwill worth billions 💰 more. Surely, the word salad of his proclaimed "everything app" could have been achieved within twitter without the rebrand. One word comes to mind for the decision: hubris.

And, okay - that logo design? 🤮

Compare this to the parallel of what's being referred to as the cinematic rebrand of Barbie. Talk about strategy and execution! Also, hats off to the folks at Mattel who gave the creatives free range. When you do that with smart folks like Greta Gerwig (or your agency's team) you generally get far more than what you asked for.

But perhaps this is all for the best. The twitter logo was extraordinary, and the new brand is X-tra-ordinary. The beloved little twitter bird can now rest in peace and can alight on a branch where it can tweet without being henpecked to death. While breaking up can be hard to do, the new brand name and logo gave me clear direction and permission to move on, to finalize the divorce and explore new relationships and connections elsewhere.

Of course you can always find me here if you need me.

Godspeed, friends.

Russ

Quote of the Week

“If you really think that the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.” Guy McPherson

Cool Tools

• How dirty is your website - Yes, friends, your website has a carbon footprint. The Godspeed website performs better than 86% of the other websites tested using the "original website carbon calculator" from our friends at Wholegrain Digital, producing .14g of CO2 every time someone visits the page. It's worth a visit to see how your website fares, plus the calculation is delivered with a bit of humor and concrete actions you can take to reduce your CO2 emissions. (We also wrote in a previous issue about Ecograder, another website carbon calculator from our friends at mightybytes. Check it out while you're at it.

Trivia Time

As of yesterday, here are now 7,165 certified B Corporations around the world. Which company was the first certified B Corp?

• Untours, a vacation planning and support company in Media, PA.
• Caprock, a wealth management firm in Boise, ID.
• King Arthur Baking Company, America's first flour company (founded 1790), located in Norwich, VT.
• Green Retirements, a financial firm specializing in socially responsible retirement plans in Oakland, CA.

Today's trivia answer can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.‌‌‌‌

‌Find the Most Meaningful Work of Your Career

Our partner One Work has you covered with meaningful work that goes beyond a paycheck, a cubicle, or a weekly team Zoom call. In this week's "Impact You Can Bank On" edition, you'll find purposeful jobs like those below, along with many more at the One Work website.

• BENEFICIAL STATE BANK - Is working in a state of bliss too much to ask? Well how about working in a beneficial state every day? Here's your chance at this founding B Corp financial institution. Chief Impact Officer, Los Angeles, Fresno, or Oakland, CA; Portland, OR; or Seattle, WA.

• BEDROCK - A cool company that's developing unmanned, marine robots that map the oceans to help climate science and weather prediction - bonus points for for offering equity to employees. Accounting Manager, Richmond, CA.

• ALVÉOLE - Looking for a job where you can get buzzed? Time to suit up! Aléole is looking for to help schools and offices care for their beehives. Urban Beekeeper, San Francisco, CA; Dallas and Austin, TX; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA, or Seattle, WA.

Check out One Work's full roster of purposeful jobs with mission-driven companies and organizations.‌‌‌‌‌

Trivia Answer‌

In 2007, 82 founding companies were certified as B Corps. Untours has the distinction of being the first company to receive a B Corporation certification. Caprock, King Arthur Baking Company, and Green Retirement are all founding B Corporations, part of the initial group certified as B Corps in 2007.

Have an interesting social impact tool, idea, or trivia question you'd like to share? Reply to this newsletter and let me know - I'd love to hear about it. You can also hit me up at rstoddard@oliverrussell.com.

Also - please don't hesitate to forward this to a friend you think would benefit from it - thank you!