HBO Max's social team knows its rebrand is absurd. It's leaning in.

Business Insider

14-05-2025

Max is going back to HBO Max after removing the HBO from its name in 2023.
The internet is making fun of the company for backpedaling.
But the social team at Warner Bros. Discovery got ahead of the roasts by making fun of itself first.
The internet is making fun of Max for changing its name to HBO Max (for the second time). But no one is mocking the re-rebrand with as much gusto as Max itself.
The company is poking fun at the switch by posting conclave references on TikTok, Harry Potter memes on Instagram, and teasing X on the social platform.
The self-deprecation is not limited to Max's main accounts. An Instagram page for the HBO show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," also chimed in, for example.
V2 approved by legal. pic.twitter.com/uUhH3RU4T6
— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025
Max's social team is going all out with the jokes because it probably knows that backpedaling to an earlier name is silly. It's much better to laugh with the internet than be laughed at.
"This is something where they were like, 'We're just going to get totally excoriated, so at least we can be in on the joke a little bit,'" Jeremy Goldman, a senior director of client briefings at EMARKETER, told Business Insider.
For those not acquainted with the confusing name history of the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service, Max has bounced around from "HBO Go," to "HBO Now," to "HBO Max," then "Max," and now back to "HBO Max."
There were probably business reasons for each of the name changes that made sense in a boardroom, but the frequent switches have been confusing for the average consumer (my Roku remote still has an HBO Now button).
While WBD put out a relatively straight press release today about the rebrand, the company distributed a meme to go along with it, as my colleague Peter Kafka, who dove into the business implications of the rebrand, pointed out.
On social media, the company went all in on silliness. There, being earnest is a recipe for mockery.
Send thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/i0SaondrFf
— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025
If you're posting to social and you've got something slightly embarrassing to say, such as that you are backtracking on an earlier rebrand, better to lean into humor and irreverence, knowing that the internet won't shy away from pointing out you're repeating yourself. (Full disclosure: I work at a company that also flipped back to its original name after attempting a rebrand.)
Budget airline Ryanair is particularly adept at making jokes at its own expense on social media. The company often posts viral TikTok videos that make fun of the trade-offs of its cheap flights, such as limited legroom or additional costs for some seats.
So kudos to Max for laughing at itself. Just please don't change your name again.