Is Google the Next Virgin?
The Christian Science Monitor, has an interesting look at the growth and maturation of Google. In the article, Gregory M. Lamb asks what type of company does Google want to be when it grows-up?

Grand vision seems to be the touchstone for the seven-year-old company, which earned more than $1.2 billion last quarter and is growing so fast and in so many directions that many observers are left scratching their heads. Just what is Google? Does the company itself even know? If it does, will its supersecret culture allow that vision to flourish?

I offer up some thoughts...

Developing a PayPal-type service could open up new opportunities and revenue sources, Mr. Beal says. The possibilities might include an auction service, a video-on-demand service, or even its own version of iTunes. Think about it, he says. "You'd use the world's best search engine to find music, and then use Google Wallet to pay for it."

OK, I know I am quoting myself, bear with me...

Google's rush to put its brand on a slew of online services takes advantage of its "feel-good factor," Beal says. It already offers maps, a shopping guide, and specialized searches, such as news and images on the Web. The approach is similar to the way Richard Branson marketed his Virgin brand across a wide variety of products, he says.

This is something that has occurred to me over the past few weeks. Being a Brit - and in total awe of Richard Branson - I'm very familiar with the successful (and some not-so-successful) brand stretching that Virgin has been able to do. The name "Virgin" has been associated with everything from music, to airlines, to weddings and cell phones (in fact, dozens of unrelated products). Virgin achieves this because the brand has that "feel-good factor", consumers just implicitly trust the "Virgin" brand.

That is the exact enviable position Google finds itself in. They're adding the Google brand to just about anything that comes to mind, and you know what? It's working. Search, email, music, videos, payment systems...Google could launch just about any new product and it would be held in high-regard, simply because of the Google name. Even the grumbling surrounding Gmail, was nothing more than a speed-bump for the Google brand-juggernaut.

I think the Google name has a lot of stamina. Forget the quality of their search results or the many scientists they employ, Google's most prized-asset is surely their name. If they can keep that clean, they'll be able to launch just about anything they desire, and be successful!
Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |