Thursday, November 19, 2009
Google and Behavioral Targeting
Since the rise of the internet, online advertising has always played a factor. Now, no matter what website you go on, you are most likely to see an advertisement somewhere on the page. In an article written in 2007 by Eric Auchard titled Google Wary of Behavioral Targeting in Online Ads, it talks about how Google is trying to find more connections between searches and searchers. At the same time, Google is backing away from selling tools to advertisers who draw lines between all your online activity.
"That is not something that we have participated in, for a variety of reasons," says Susan Wojcicki, vice president of Google's product management for advertising.The problem that most people have with behavioral targeting is the privacy issues. Many feel that it is invading on their personal online actions and that it may not have any purpose in conducting research between searches and information gathered from those searches.
This article that I got this information from was written and published in 2007. I figured that was a while ago so either they found other ways around this or they simply gave in. I found an article from March 2009, about Google and its more recent behavioral targeting policies. What I understood from this article is that while these years have passed by, most of people's general online activity was monitored through other sources, so the information was already out there. They are working on ways to opt out of this online activity tracking offering plug-ins that opt out of storing cookies, or they have an Ad preference managing tool.
A representative from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Markey said
"he and his colleagues plan to introduce legislation next year, a sort of online-privacy Bill of Rights, that would require that consumers must opt in to the tracking of their online behavior..."
Labels: Advertising, Behavior Targeting, Google, Marketing, privacy
Monday, November 16, 2009
Seth Grodin On The Marketing Decisions That Made Google Great
"All Marketers are Liars" - Author Seth Godin speaks at Google (February, 2006.)
Seth Grodin at TED, 2007:
Seth Grodin at TED, 2007:
Labels: Advertising, Google, Marketing
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Brin, Page & Schmidt on Google
Video on Google:
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin on Google at the TED Conference (February, 2007.)
John Battelle's Conversation with Google's Sergey Brin at the Web 2.0 Summit (October 2009.)
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, interviewed at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Orlando 2009.
Eric Schmit, "One-on-one with Google's CEO," CNN Money, (June 1, 2009)
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin on Google at the TED Conference (February, 2007.)
John Battelle's Conversation with Google's Sergey Brin at the Web 2.0 Summit (October 2009.)
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, interviewed at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Orlando 2009.
Eric Schmit, "One-on-one with Google's CEO," CNN Money, (June 1, 2009)
Labels: Google
Monday, November 02, 2009
Search Engine Rap Battle (searchenginerapbattle.com 2008.)
Google Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page interviewed by Journalist James Fallows at Zeitgeist 2007
Eric Schmidt Speaks . . .
Google CEO Eric Schmidt interviewed by Ken Auletta of the New Yorker (Newhouse School, June 2008.)
More Eric Schmidt:
Eric Schmidt at the Ad Age Madison + Vine Conference
Eric Schmidt at Fortune Brainstorm Tech
"Eric Schmidt and Douglas Merrill talk about Google Apps" (April, 2008.)
Douglas Merrill (CIO, VP Engineering, Google.)
Google Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page interviewed by Journalist James Fallows at Zeitgeist 2007
Eric Schmidt Speaks . . .
Google CEO Eric Schmidt interviewed by Ken Auletta of the New Yorker (Newhouse School, June 2008.)
More Eric Schmidt:
Eric Schmidt at the Ad Age Madison + Vine Conference
Eric Schmidt at Fortune Brainstorm Tech
"Eric Schmidt and Douglas Merrill talk about Google Apps" (April, 2008.)
Douglas Merrill (CIO, VP Engineering, Google.)
Labels: Google
Monday, November 10, 2008
Google is a Tween
In "Google at 10: Searching Its Own Soul," New York Times reporter Miguel Helft quizzes Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the future of his "advertising company" in these troubled economic times.
Obama has promised to appoint a chief technology officer (CTO) for his administration. Eric Schmidt claims not to be interested. Google's CEO did endorse Obama and will now serve on Obama's economic advisory board for the transition period. Miguel Helft quotes Schmidt's economic advice for the President-elect:
Schmidt predicts that Google will survive the recession even if advertising revenue drops. Growth will slow but not stop. CEO Schmidt is confident that Google advertising is a superior product because:
Obama has promised to appoint a chief technology officer (CTO) for his administration. Eric Schmidt claims not to be interested. Google's CEO did endorse Obama and will now serve on Obama's economic advisory board for the transition period. Miguel Helft quotes Schmidt's economic advice for the President-elect:
"The strongest position I have taken from an economic point, with Senator Obama, now President-elect Obama, has been to try to solve all of our problems at once. And the easiest way to do that, at least in domestic policy, is by a stimulus program that rewards renewable energy and over time attempts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. The Google calculations, which we announced about a month ago, indicate that over a 22-year period, you can save a trillion dollars by investing in these technologies, including plug-in hybrids, and thereby reduce our reliance on oil."
Schmidt predicts that Google will survive the recession even if advertising revenue drops. Growth will slow but not stop. CEO Schmidt is confident that Google advertising is a superior product because:
"We have a product that is more measurable, more targetable, and we are the innovator in the space. At some point, people need to sell products, and at some point they realize that the best advertising is measurable advertising, and they conclude that we do that."
Labels: Google
Thursday, November 06, 2008
FCC Opens White Space to Wireless Internet
The Federal Communications Commission has ruled that the parts of the broadcast spectrum known as "white space" are going to be made available for wireless Internet applications. These white spaces were once used for broadcast television but with the advent of digital television the broadcasters don't need as much bandwidth. There was a major battle of the corporate lobbyists over this issue pitting the new media technology companies like Google and Microsoft against the old media giants and people who use wireless microphones.
Check out this New York Times report on the decision.
Check out this New York Times report on the decision.
Labels: Access, FCC, Google, Wi-Fi
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A "Cesspool" of Disinformation?
“In a world of disinformation, which is the future . . . "
--Google CEO Eric Schmidt
[Source: Jack Myers, "Magazines Are Solution to Web's "Cesspool of Disinformation," Says Google's Eric Schmidt" Huffington Post, October 9, 2008. ]
Eric Schmidt's recent remarks at the American Magazine Conference have caused a stir in the blogosphere.
According to Myers, Schmidt is worried about the future of news: “the future of high quality journalism is a huge problem. A reasonable prediction is that there will be fewer voices. More money is needed to fund high quality work.”
As the media economy becomes more competitive there is less money to fund quality journalism. Schmidt predicts "fewer voices" (media concentration) but the lack of quantity may be compensated for by the preservation of quality journalism. So, what are the news media to do?
The resources necessary for "high quality journalism" will not come from the revenues generated by the printed page: Print, according to Schmidt, “will be a smaller component of a much larger online business, serving an audience that consumes in a different way.” Younger consumers will demand an more "interactive experience" and print must move online to meet that demand.
But the online world requires the content that quality journalism produces. According to Schmidt the Internet is “becoming a cesspool,” of useless information. Here is Schmidt's solution according to Myers:
“In a world of disinformation, which is the future,” he said, “brands are the solution. Brand affinity is hard wired and fundamental to the human condition – who you trust and who you don’t. People want real value, real information, real leadership and messages of hope.”
Schmidt is proposing a collaboration between the magazines and companies like Google to save the "brands" of quality journalism as they shift away from print and move online. An online business model will generate the revenue necessary to support the production of "quality journalism."
It's brand loyalty that will help keep our noses above the surface of this cesspool of disinformation. Set the algorhythm for the quality journalism of the American magazine and help Google help the magazines generate brand loyalty for your favorite news provider.
I would like to take this opportunity to pledge my brand loyalty/allegiance to the New York Times, one nation under the Wall Street Journal, and to the BBC for which it stands, with brand loyalty and quality journalism for all.
[ R.I.P. Christian Science Monitor Print Edition ]
For more pearls of wisdom from Eric Schmidt check this out:
Google CEO Eric Schmidt
"The Future of Technology,"
Bloomberg Headquarters in NYC (October 20, 2008.)
Labels: Google, news media
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Future of Advertising According to Google's Nikesh Arora
Nikesh Arora (President EMEA Operations Google) discussing "the future of advertising" at the IESE Business School in Madrid in June of 2008
Labels: Advertising, Google, Internet, Marketing
Vinton Cerf @ Google Zurich on Future of the Internet
Vinton G. Cerf, aka the "father of the Internet," is the co-designerof the TCP/IP protocols that made the Internet possible and former Chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). He now works for Google as a vice president and "Chief Internet Evangelist."
Listen to Cerf discuss the history and future of the Internet in this speech given in November of 2007 at Google's Zurich headquarters.
Labels: Google, Internet, Vinton Cerf
Google CEO Eric Schmidt @ Fortune Brainstorm
Google CEO Eric Schmidt interviewed by David Kirkpatrick at Fortune Brainstorm on July 23, 2008
Labels: Google
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Google's New Business Model Based on YouTube Ads
Check out this Wall Street Journal video interview with Google Ad Executive Tim Armstrong in which he describes Google's new "ad model" for moving beyond the profitable search business and cashing in on the more than one billion YouTube videos watched every day.
Google will post ads before (preroll) or after (postroll) YouTube videos. The Wall Street Journal reports that only about 4% of the videos posted are appropriate for advertising because of copyright issues or other corporate concerns about YouTube content.
It is amusing to watch a digital ad exec eschew PowerPoint presentations in favor of drawing on a "napkin." After so many tedious digital presentations a hand-drawn sketch stands out. Maybe Google should try selling ad space on cocktail napkins instead of YouTube preroll.
WSJ reporter Kevin Delaney writes that YouTube advertising is not catching on quickly with advertisers despite the enormous numbers of videos viewed:
WSJ reporter Kevin Delaney writes that YouTube advertising is not catching on quickly with advertisers despite the enormous numbers of videos viewed:
"YouTube is critical to Google's campaign to extend its advertising reach far beyond text ads tied to Web searches, its revenue powerhouse. Google wants to sell more video ads and display ads on YouTube and elsewhere. It also wants to crack the television, radio and newspaper ad markets. Its target: the 90% of global ad dollars that don't currently flow to the Internet."
Delaney's WSJ article includes a pie chart that underlines this key point: 90% of advertising dollars are still flowing to other media. Internet advertising is just one small slice of a $510 billion dollar pie. That's the real challenge that Google and other online media giants still must confront if they are going with business models based on advertising revenue:
Labels: Advertising, Google, Marketing, YouTube
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Google This...Gas
Google will not sell its own brand of gas, but it will direct you to the nearest hotel for a night of rest. Google announced this past Wednesday that it will be placing small color screens on gas pumps that will be connected to the Internet and offer you directions to landmarks, restaurants and hotels in that area. As of right now, you cannot type in your destination at the pump and get directions there, but you can get a print out of directions to one of the landmarks, hotels, etc.
“Motorists will be able to scroll through several categories to find local landmarks, hotels, restaurants and hospitals selected by the gas station's owner. After the driver selects a destination, the pump will print out directions.” (
Maybe this will distract you enough so you don’t cringe when you pump gas at $3.25 a gallon. This is a nice concept because it opens Google up to even more people who may not be familiar with it, and allows Google to look good doing it. How many of us have been on a road trip and roll into a gas station late at night and try and get directions from the attendant who either does not speak English or has no idea of his surroundings. Google will save you!
As someone who is not good with directions and who also does not own a GPS, I am happy to try this out, but also if I was to go on a major trip somewhere, I think I would plan it out a bit and not rely on gas stations with Google at the pump.
Right now, this Google experiment will be used on 3500 pumps. The screens will be ad free as well.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Does Google Have to Much Control of The Internet Market
After reading "Google Prepares to Fight Antitrust Battle Over Its Search Rankings" by Pamela A. Maclean I would agree with Google that they are not a trust company. In fact it is my opinion that the are simply just the top dog at the moment in a very competitive market. In the Internet world power is constantly shifting and companies that aren't growing are sinking. It wasn't to long ago that AOL was controlling how we accessed the Internet, now AOL seems to falling into an imminent demise. Google is making every effort to stay on the top of their game and their doing it legally. Its not like they just bought yahoo.com or altavista.com. Anti-Trust agencies should be more concerned with companies like Fox. Owner Rupert Murdoch recently purchased myspace.com, granting them a great deal of control of all forms of mass communication. Fox is trying to control the way we receive information and they are or are becoming a trust. I don't feel that Google is currently a trust, but in future year's if they stay on top of the search engine industry becoming a trust may be an issue.
Labels: aol, Google, google revolution, pamela a. maclean, trust
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Google gets Myspace
A couple of weeks ago we discussed how Microsoft invested a large sum of money in Facebook and beat out Google for that small share. Well, I've found an article on Forbes.com and it describes how Google has now gotten Myspace on their side. Google is starting something called "OpenSocial" which I had a hard time understanding what it is but it is an application that is used on different social networking sites."OpenSocial will allow developers to build tiny applications that can be used
across many social networks, boosting traffic and advertising on their
sites. Google and MySpace said the main benefit of the platform to
developers is that it standardizes how applications are created. "
From my understanding of the article, the entire point of having Myspace join Google in the OpenSocial project is advertising dollars. Going through these different websites to add something to your Myspace page makes people see more ads which brings in money to all of the above mentioned companies.
Labels: Google, myspace, opensocial
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Google May Fight Microsoft In Battle of Cell Phone Software
After our discussion in class about the flattening of the world by corporations and globalization i came across an old fashioned newspaper article about something similar. Newsday reports that Google may get in the market of producing cell phone software to rival Microsoft's, which of course is really the only show in town when it comes to devices like palm pilots and blackberries. This may be a welcomed change and freshening up to cell phone software that is old and past its time. The new Microsoft windows Mobile 6 is basically just a smoothed out version of the previous generation for example. Like we talked about in class, America is behind the time tech wise and we need some good competition to get back in the game. I don't want to go to India for a job.
I think this would be a good idea because going on Google's reputation, it just seems like everything they touch turns to gold. And rather then creating a whole new phone and possibly service to launch this new software, they can simply piggy back on existing phone companies or service providers. Google also stated that it would rely on Linux software, which is free and open to the public. This is an important step in creating an OS that will constantly be improved, not to mention Google would be reaching out to more people then ever. I do not own a smart phone that requires a OS but if i did i don't think i would want Microsoft software on it, i would rather have Apple but we all cant afford the iPhone, so Google create a nice piece of software and bring us into the future.
I think this would be a good idea because going on Google's reputation, it just seems like everything they touch turns to gold. And rather then creating a whole new phone and possibly service to launch this new software, they can simply piggy back on existing phone companies or service providers. Google also stated that it would rely on Linux software, which is free and open to the public. This is an important step in creating an OS that will constantly be improved, not to mention Google would be reaching out to more people then ever. I do not own a smart phone that requires a OS but if i did i don't think i would want Microsoft software on it, i would rather have Apple but we all cant afford the iPhone, so Google create a nice piece of software and bring us into the future.
"The software would challenge Microsoft Corp.'s products that run Web-browsing phones. About 1 billion of those devices will be sold by 2011, according to research firm IDC in Framingham, Mass. Google plans to let phone makers and wireless companies sell handsets based on its software, rather than creating a device like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, the Times said"(Bloomberg News)
Labels: Cell Phones, Google, Microsoft
