Marketing guru Jesus Grana, a workshop presenter at Call Center IQ’s upcoming Social CRM Go Live conference and the author of Zeus of Marketing, recently blogged his scathing forecast for the future of Google Plus.
Where's the beef? I mean the +
Do I know the right people? Are we in a time warp? Will Google Plus succeed? From where I sit, the answers to these questions would seem to be No, Yes and No, respectively.
Is it about who you know?
While my contact list includes a wide cross-section of successful professionals, particularly in the areas of Marketing and New Media, none of us has received a direct invite to join Google +. While I may be writing from a scorned lover perspective (poor, little me was not invited to the party), I am wondering if Google has specifically singled us out as people that know too much about real marketing to risk a real review about its shortcomings. With that in mind, I’ll go on to explain my answers to the other two questions because I am sure that I know the right people.
[eventPDF]
80s Time Warp:
It was a sunny day, my first day as a Brand Assistant (BA) in Procter & Gamble. I received my assignment, you will be the proud BA in Always Plus, the sanitary napkin with WINGS. Just a couple of corridors from me, one of my best friends was working as the BA for ERA Plus (improved protein takes out protein). Just next door, my new colleagues were working on CharminPlus and Puffs Plus (paper with lotion). In most cases this was a brilliant flanker strategy which clearly communicated an improved product that could command a premium price and minimize revenue loss and cannibalization by maintaining the parent brand on shelf. ThePLUS product offered a clear and distinct benefit differentiation versus parent AND competition. Now I can explain my answer to the third question.
Will Google + be successful?:
[eventPDF]
Let’s try to answer the question with questions:
1. Does it offer a strong differentiation versus the existing competitors and existing brands? Please remember the power of a network is directly proportional to the number of participants in that network, and Facebook is currently estimated to have 750 million users. Additionally, last I checked, Google still stands for search engine, Android for mobile OS, YouTube for a great video repository, so what is Google + a plus of?
2. Does it offer a clear answer to a need identified from a clear customer insight?
When was the last time, from a customer perspective, you heard someone say "I really need another Facebook?" Other than Justin Timberlake (via Specific Media), there were not many enthusiastic rescuers for MySpace, and LinkedIn is pretty successful in filling Facebook’s gap as truly-professional contacts network.
3. Once tried, does it meet customers’ expectations?
I’ll let you, the ones that have been "lucky" enough to be invited to the beta trial, be the final judges, although I "hear" that the way it siphons personal data from its members makes Facebook’s privacy issues look irrelevant.
Advice for my readers:
Going back to the unifying theme in my commentary: BEWARE of the HYPE. True value comes from following basic business strategies, not PR spins on technology amplified by techies that haven’t taken the time to learn business basics.
Please comment below.
Find this article helpful? Are you committed to improving your social media strategy? Check out CallCenterIQ's star-studded Social CRM Go Live conference, featuring speakers from Verizon, Foursquare and Domino's!