Branding
Brands We Like: Google
By Eric Groves
In this month’s “Brands We Like” series, we’re showcasing one of the biggest global brands to exist, Google. I mean, let’s face it, there are a ton of huge brands that have become part of our lives. But at the end of the day, the Google brand has become such a part of our society that it has become a verb, with some dictionaries even offering a definition! Sure, we’ve declared our love for the rumbling rebels, for razor-like wit and good, clean emotional advertising, but you just don’t hear people running around saying “Why don’t you Harley it?” or “Just Dove it!” In our technology-driven, internet-addled world, Google is a part of our everyday life, and its emotional marketing efforts have positioned itself high on the shelf of brands we adore.
The Google Brand Goal
Google knows what their “It” is. Their branding truly has a meaning. Without that it, or that meaning, you might as well start applying brand-aids to your marketing plan because it will get messy. Without it, you can’t tell your brand’s story. Great brands like Google have their ‘It’ down. They have one singular meaning behind every bit of marketing. Through that meaning comes an emotional experience – an experience that connects your customer to your brand by sharing the same thoughts or holding the same beliefs.
Google’s goal is to bring the world together — through their services, through the internet, through technology. After all, in our always-connected world, we are often disconnected. But, when you use Google? World and thought-leaders past and present come together to inspire and motivate, parents share precious memories with their children, and even little monsters dance together on the streets amidst all their quirks. If you don’t feel a connection to the Google brand after watching those examples, we suggest the keyword: heartless.
“WHAT YOU FEEL” NOT “WHAT’S FOR SALE?”
Watch a Google ad and you probably won’t hear “Mister Big Announcer Guy” boasting the latest and greatest features while fugly fonts reinforce why you should “buy now!” Google, like their products, are better than that. You see, the Google gaggle undoubtedly feel that their products and services are bigger-er and better-er… but they don’t bend their message to brag.
They advertise the feelings, and only the feelings, that the end-user gets through using Google. Just take a look at the below examples. You’ll see that the full-on mention of the product doesn’t come until the very latter portions of the ads. It’s not until after the viewer has made the connection that they realize they’re actually being sold something. Before they take a shot at selling you on the service, that Google goal has already scored with the consumer.
Google is an interesting brand case study, because instead of portraying themselves as an emotionless robot like their products actually are, they have gone to great lengths to expose the true intimacy of their products. Just think about all of your Google searches. Some of them have been very personal, like “how do I make this rash go away?” and “how do I get a girlfriend?” Ok, maybe don’t think about your Google searches…The point is Google has done an excellent job at bringing meaning into their brand. That’s why we like it…a lot.
