Google is a fantastic brand. Period. I only say this as a starter statement to clearly establish where I stand following a spate of recent articles questioning the continued long-term success of this 12 year old search titan. The article that pushed me over the edge was in the latest edition of Fortune magazine and it’s well worth a read [Click to Read].
So, in response to the question “Is Google over?”, I would answer a categorical “No” but let me add a few more detailed observations:
– journalists generally have an extraordinary ability to confidently predict the end of things but real-world behavior doesn’t seem to work in such a clinical way – great brands age but rarely die sudden deaths
– true, the dizzy ascent of the early years for Google may be on the wane. This is not a surprise and all of the major tech companies experience this flattening out to some degree…well, apart from Apple, that is!!
– Google has reached “verb” status and as such, has become a part of our culture and of our daily routines. Life without Google is unthinkable
– also true, the search business is in a constantly evolving state but it is ‘evolving’ rather than ‘revolving’ and I would suggest that for the foreseeable future, it will continue to be a dominant digital need
– lastly, its growth performance has allowed Google to be a little indulgent and experimental around looking for new ideas and it is certain that in the future, innovation efforts will need to be more structured and more focused
Bill Gates once remarked that Microsoft would never be brought down by a known competitor and that the biggest risk to his business was from a totally new competitor from outside the category. And that may be true for Google as well. Its new nemesis is Facebook. But Google knows this well and is directing much of its efforts towards neutralizing this monster.
The focus for identifying competitive advantage usually lies in either new product development or in business model innovation, or a combination of both. But for me, in this case, there is a huge additional opportunity and that is to add some passion, humanity and emotion to their brand DNA. Let me explain:
– the good news is that Google is quite simply one of the world’s best ‘engineered’ brands: the bad news is that we all know that engineers can be a little anal, nerdy and dorky!!
– however, llfe as a great engineered brand does not necessarily always lead to being a great ‘experiential’ brand and it is the Google experience that needs to be fundamentally elevated
– Google is highly respected and encourages a rather formal relationship with most of its users. What now needs to be added to the mix is an equivalent dose of affinity and affection
– And I am not suggesting a soppy, tear-jerking advertising campaign as the solution. What I am proposing is a fundamental change to the personality and character of the brand that retains all of its engineering ‘head’ but adds a new experiential ‘heart’
It is my opinion that in today’s fast moving, complex and stressful world, brands need to be both equally respected and loved in order to build trust and drive long-term success. There are defining moments in the growth cycle of a brand where that DNA needs to be modified. It’s not a surprise, given who founded and runs the company that Google has arrived at one such defining moment.
So Google, take heart and to quote the Beatles “there’s nothing you can do that can’t be done…it’s easy…all you need is love.”
Simon Williams
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