Google Case Study

Mark Briley

9/9/2016

Google Case

1. What is targeted advertising?

Targeted advertising is a type of advertising that reaches specific consumers based on the relevance of their search and on traits used through google.  

1. How is it revolutionizing the advertising industry?

First, this is finally a way to target potential customers directly rather than advertising to such a wide group that it only attracted a few.  Also, Google cut out the waste of mass advertising because text ads were seen by potential customers who are searching for information relevant to that topic.

1. How is it affecting newspapers and TV?

It is much more effective than newspapers and television because newspapers and tvs use techniques that are untargeted and although millions of dollars are spend on ads they rarely reach or appeal to enough people to produce customers.

1. Is targeted advertising desirable for all firms

No, targeted advertising is not desirable for all firms, most firms use an approach that is most effective for its line of business.  

1. What are the various directions for innovation to take?  Can a mature firm in a stagnant industry pursue innovation?  How successful is it likely to be?

The various directions for innovation to take include product innovation, process innovation, and technology innovation.  Yes, a mature firm in a stagnant industry should and can pursue innovation in order to end the stagnation and be able to provide consumers with better products and ensure efficiency is the process.  It may be successful at first but management usually becomes stagnant with time.

1. Would you describe Google as a happy ship?  Is a happy ship always the most efficient and innovative? Why or why not?

I think that Google was a happy ship in the beginning and still is a happy ship.  A happy ship creates a positive and welcoming atmosphere for exchanging ideas; however, if competition and seriousness fades this will result in complacency allowing outsiders to come in and take over the happy ship.

1. Do you think Google’s drive for great growth faces serious obstacles?  If so, how might it overcome them?

Yes I do believe Google’s drive for growth faces obstacles because as a firm becomes larger and continues to grow, room for exponential growth begins to decrease.  For example Google’s growth percentage was 409% in 2002, 234% in 2003, and 118% in 2004; anyone with business sense knows it is not reasonable to expect a company to continue growing at this rate.  This type of year to year growth is not sustainable as the firm grows to larger size.  Also, as they get bigger the media will not be worried about growth any longer but will become more worried about discovering major miscues and mistakes made by the company.  Google can overcome these obstacles by keeping employee morale high, focusing on customer satisfaction as its overall priority, and maintain a strong public relations department skilled in dealing with the media and its customers.

1. On balance, do you think Google has a serious public relations problem?

No, I do not believe that Google has a serious public relations problem.  For starters, Google has a history of reconciling with many companies or organizations even when it is going through litigations with that specific company.  Second, Google is known to fire excellent talents and specialists on public relations problems, showing their commitment to maintaining strong public relations to allow their business to operate and run smoothly.

1.  What is a strategic window of opportunity? What kind of firms are most likely to discover such a window?

A strategic window of opportunity exists when a traditional way of doing business has prevailed in the industry for a long time and now the industry might be ripe for change.  Opportunities are often present when existing firms are not entirely satisfying customer’s needs.  Firms in the technological industry are more likely to discover a strategic window.  The founders of google saw the emergence of the internet and the clutter of web sites as their first window of opportunity.  Google’s second window of opportunity was the development of effective forms of advertising.  

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