You might think it’s strange that one of the biggest internet brands is advertising its web browser product in television commercials, but in actuality, it’s a perfect example of how important integrated marketing is for all businesses — even the biggest web company.
In a new series of commercials, Google tries to connect its Chrome browser with human experiences and develop an emotional connection between users and the branded experience. Watch two of the commercials in the new “the web is what you make of it” campaign for Google Chrome below.
It’s a smart move and marks the biggest offline marketing investment that Google has ever made. The Chrome browser is chipping away at market leader Microsoft Internet Explorer market share, and the company believes that getting more people to use Chrome will lead to greater loyalty and use of other Google products, particularly Google’s search engine.
The New York Times reports that Google spent some time talking to internet users in New York City and asking random passersby what a browser is. Surprisingly, most didn’t know the answer and even fewer realized that there are different browser options available to them. You can see for yourself in the video below.
Clearly, education has to be an important part of Google’s marketing strategy, particularly when casual internet users are unlikely to see the value of downloading a different browser unless the benefits are clearly communicated to them. It doesn’t seem like a big leap to assume that people who are happy with Chrome will use other Google products, particularly since Google does such as great job of integrating its products. It all goes back to education though. Will these television commercials be enough to motivate people to switch to Chrome? For more web-savvy people, the answer is probably yes, but for the less technically adept users, the shift might not be easy.
What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
