Now It’ll Be “Instagram From Facebook” And “WhatsApp From Facebook”

Two of the digital world’s most potent brands are getting a revise. According to a new story by The Information’s Alex Heath, Facebook will rebrand Instagram and WhatsApp as “Instagram From Facebook” and “WhatsApp From Facebook,” respectively. A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed Heath’s reporting and explained that the company wants “to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook.” To be more specific, Heath says that the switch was borne of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s frustration with the fact that the company he founded doesn’t get enough credit for the popularity of Instagram and WhatsApp. It’s true that plenty of fans of those apps aren’t paying attention to who owns them: Heath references two 2018 surveys that found more than half of Americans were unaware of their connection to Facebook. But that arms’-length relationship has long been considered an asset for everyone involved. A few years ago, as teenagers decided that Facebook was no longer cool, the story goes, they showed their disapproval by abandoning it—in favor of Instagram. Read more at Fast Company.