Facebook acquired Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014 respectively. They act like ‘independent’ entities under the Facebook ecosystem. If there is a person who has never heard of Facebook but uses WhatsApp and Instagram, there is a possibility that they do not know it is owned by Facebook.
Early this year, Mark Zuckerberg said that he is planning to integrate WhatsApp, Messenger and WhatsApp. They share the same mothership, Facebook and we are now seeing steps towards that goal.
According to The Information, Facebook wants to add its name to Instagram and WhatsApp, which is a big shift by the company.
Apparently, three sources told the publication that they want to rebrand the apps to Instagram from Facebook and WhatsApp from Facebook. This ‘from Facebook’ branding will be visible inside the apps.
This was confirmed by a Facebook’s spokesperson, Bertie Thomson. “We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook.” She likened the move to other branding like Workplace for Facebook which is their enterprise chat tool.
Also, it is being reported that Mark Zuckerberg has been frustrated by the fact that Facebook hasn’t gotten more credit for the growth of Instagram and WhatsApp. This association could improve its ‘brand image’ with consumers.
Well, this is an interesting move by Facebook that is not weird at all. They own the apps and as such they would want people to identify it with the brand. However, the mothership has grappled with privacy concerns lately and tying up their other assets could affect the individual brands of WhatsApp and Facebook so the effect is yet to be seen.