Radiohead wiped out its entire online presence only to debut a new single a couple of days later. DKNY erased both its Instagram and Twitter history as the fashion house headed into a new creative direction. In the wake of Hedi Slimane’s departure, Yves Saint Laurent deleted all posts from its Instagram account save for one photo of incoming creative director Anthony Vaccarello.

Because the flexibility of digital content allows for ongoing editing, brands of all stripes – spanning from musicians to fashion labels – are increasingly using their online presences to reflect big changes and reinvention by wiping the slate clean. It’s not surprising, though, considering that tech savvy customers are becoming more reliant on a company’s website and social media channels as credible sources of information. But are there potential pitfalls for making such a drastic move, or does it actually work when ushering in a new era for a brand?

In this day and age, a brand’s online presence is equally important as – and in some cases even more so than – its offline one, argues Marta Sundac, senior editor at Highsnobiety, a fashion and culture news website. “One of the biggest advantages that online material offers is that it can be fleeting – gone are the days where once something is printed it’s there forever,” she said, “Brands now have the ability to offer behind-the-scenes coverage, tease campaigns and drops, without the need for a long turnaround time. It’s the informality that has allowed brands to connect with consumers in entirely new ways.”