After recognising that advertisers have been hesitant to return, Twitter Inc. owner Elon Musk gave a signal on Sunday that he would do more to steer the social media firm in a new direction with a makeover that would replace its well-known blue bird logo with an X.

The adjustment was made as a result of Musk’s recent revelation that advertising revenue is still only about half what it previously was; however, it was not immediately apparent on the website on Sunday evening. And as a result of it and its high debt level, Twitter’s cash flow has been negative.

The decision, according to Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester, will further alienate Twitter’s founding and formerly highly devoted user base.

“On the one hand, you can make the argument he would be getting rid of an iconic brand. On the other hand, he is signaling it is a new day for what was once Twitter and that the company is heading in a different direction with a different user base.”

In a message published on Sunday, the billionaire Musk expressed his desire to alter Twitter’s logo and asked his millions of followers whether they would support switching the website’s blue colour scheme to black. He shared a photo of a stylised X on a black background with an astronaut motif.

“And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” he said.

“It’s an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression,” tweeted Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino late Sunday afternoon. Twitter left a lasting impression and revolutionised communication. The worldwide town square will now undergo additional transformation thanks to X.

The company has changed its name to X Corp under Musk’s turbulent leadership since he purchased Twitter in October, reflecting the billionaire’s desire to become a “super app” like China’s WeChat.

The Shiba Inu dog from Dogecoin temporarily replaced Twitter’s iconic blue bird logo in April, which contributed to a rise in the cryptocurrency’s market value.

When Musk announced early this month that Twitter would limit how many tweets per day different accounts can view, the business received harsh criticism from consumers and marketing experts.

The daily caps aided Threads, a competing site owned by Meta Platforms, which reached 100 million sign-ups within five days after its July 5 launch.

(Adapted from AlJazeera.com)