Why Google Will Continue To Be the 800 Pound Gorilla in the Media & Consumer Arena - Steve Blacker - MediaBizBloggers

1. Most major media and marketing companies tend to play catch-up. Sad to say by the time they catch-up there's' yet another paradigm shift. Google takes nothing for granted and expects search to either become somewhat outmoded, greatly enhanced or replaced by social networking data.

2. One example of reacting too slowing and not anticipating rapid change is Blockbuster who once owned the movie rental market. In 2005, they offered both in-store or online. Unfortunately their planning was woefully inadequate due to a lack of digital expertise and the inability to integrate two separate systems.

3. When Netflix came on the scene Blockbuster delayed its entry into mail delivery which put the then industry leader at a huge competitive disadvantage. Doing so postponed learning how to bring operating costs down.

At the same time Netflix's engineers modified industry-standard bar code sorting machines to handle the odd-shaped envelopes used for DVDs. This was done in total secrecy.

4. After introducing its online store it took Blockbuster almost three years to integrate its bricks with its clicks. Netflix by contrast quickly developed a streaming option to offer a second distribution channel. It now has a hundred distribution channels. By waiting too long and not anticipating change --- Blockbuster shares are now a penny stock and it might file for chapter 11. Netflix shares now trade in the $140 range.

5. While Google owns the search market it is currently planning for a near term sea change. Its' CEO Eric Schmidt recently stated that the real challenge is how to preserve Google's franchise in Web advertising when search becomes outmoded. "We're trying to figure out what the future of search is." he said. I wonder if other industry leaders are doing the same and devoting enough time to plan for it?

6. Schmidt feels that as more and more searches will be done on your behalf without you needing to type. Then he feels "They will want Google to tell them what they should be doing next. With a generation of handheld devices just around the corner that will be adapted at surprising you with information you didn't know you wanted to know." 7. For example, say you're walking down the street and now Google knows who you are, who your friends are and to within a foot where you are! If you need milk and there's a place nearby to get milk Google could remind you. Adds Schmidt: "The power of individual targeting - the technology will be so good it will be very hard for people to watch or consume something that has not in some sense been tailored for them."

8. Google's vision will clearly continue its' web advertising dominance as it continues to be the 800 pound gorilla of targeting information for advertisers about consumers. Says Schmidt:" As you go from the search box to the next phase, you really want to go from syntax to semantics, from what you typed to what you meant. And that's basically the role of Artificial Intelligence. I think we will be the world leader in that for a long time."

9. Another prediction from Schmidt is that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change their name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hi-jinks stored on their friends' social media sites. This might have been helpful for a Tea Party political contender in Delaware recently.

Steve's new book You Can't Fall Off The Floor - The Insiders' Guide to Re-Inventing Yourself and Your Career chronicles his 50 year career working for over 25 different companies with 189 lessons learned and insider tips from Gayle King, Cathie Black, Chuck Townsend and 28 others; Blacker is still going strong today as a partner in Frankfurt & Blacker Solutions, LLC. His web site is blacker-reinventions.com and e-mail address is blackersolutions@aol.com

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