Yesterday saw the launch of Google Music , a download store in a similar mold to Apple’s iconic iTunes. It’s clear that the company is playing catch-up to its biggest rivals, all who have integrated music into their online and mobile products to varying degrees. The company will be the first to admit that they’ve had to scale back original ambitions and despite music partners having already labelled the music service as “unexciting”, we can’t help but give one of the world’s largest companies a pat on the back for trying. It’s hard not to argue that ongoing developments such as these elevate them up the ladder of success and bring Google executives closer to harmonising the tune of “He’s got the whole world in his hands”.
Back in July we blogged on the launch of Google+. We highlighted how it could offer an opportunity to reconsider how we share our lives online and offer the potential to take a different path altogether. Since then the social network has opened up to the masses and only last week rolled out company pages across the social network . To this end, any business, group or entity can create a profile. Sound familiar?
Skepticism aside (for now), we’ve been reassured that the site offers some new “unique features” thereby enticing company presence. Save the Children, BBC News, the Daily Mail (and good old Madge!) are some that have already delved in and among the first to create profiles. In this light, what does this mean for brand’s social media strategies? Do they need to expand and integrate all things Google within their programmes or can they choose to ignore, but at risk of missing an increasingly influential trick?
Over the coming months, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s collective movement across industries from key competitors, such as Facebook, or if marketing leads will allow brands to co-exist and evolve across an increasing number of channels.
Google’s global conquest is well underway but with a proportion of companies (pharma especially) only just getting into the swing of things with pre-existing social networks such as Facebook, are we ready to take on a full-blown affair with +1? Discuss…
