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The first Google phone which hits the market next week is actually the sum of three parts: Google software, HTC hardware and, for now, T-Mobile’s network. Trying to grasp this concept is a bit less difficult than trying to grasp what a commodity derivative is, but that still doesn’t convince me that Google’s foray into the mobile phone business is a great way to leverage its powerful brand name. In fact, I think the super-brand might be stretching the limits of what made it a super brand to begin with; a simple promise to be the best source of information on the planet. Can the brand that built its credibility on being a content provider of mind-blowing proportion also be perceived as a credible purveyor of hardware? Should the brand that’s gained undying loyalty and admiration from answer seekers everywhere try to cross the line and compete in Sony’s, Motorola’s, Panasonic’s, or even Apple’s technology space? These questions are actually similar to those addressed by Disney’s Robert Iger during a conference at which he spoke about the company’s short-lived efforts in the phone business. Consumers just couldn’t connect the magical idea of Mickey Mouse and Sleeping Beauty with telephones.

The Google brand is associated with content, not stuff. And the odd thing is that any Google phone applications that have to do with content, like music or photos or video-downloading, aren’t as fluid and intuitive to use as other mobile choices, most importantly, its assumptive major competitor, the iPhone. Just as I wouldn’t think about buying a plasma TV from NBC, or a bunch of movies from Panasonic, the jury’s out on whether Google would be top of mind when it came to buying a new mobile phone service. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Google brand. But my love is associated with being able to get answers to questions in a New York second, with being able to see my house from outer space, with being able to compare and contrast content from advertisers and information sources in the blink of an eye. The Google brand is hardwired into people’s minds as a content brand. In its attempt to move into the hardware universe, I hope it doesn’t get its brand equity wires crossed.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008 at 10:43 am and is filed under Main. By: Allen Adamson You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.