Marketing Pilgrim

Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, is working hard to convince traditional broadcasters that they are not a threat, but merely there to help grow their business.

“Google is a new phenomena. It does not replace radio and television,” Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told delegates at the National Association of Broadcasters’ annual conference.

Schmidt assures TV and Radio that they are simply helping to bring “efficiency, measurability, targetability,” to their advertising channels.

“The tools that Google are developing are simply better tools than the previous generation of technology.”

OK, I’ll buy it, for now. There’s no doubt that Google has the experience, brainpower and technology to add efficiency to TV and Radio advertising. That said, if I were in TV or Radio advertising, I’d check to make sure my watch was still on my wrist, after shaking Google’s hand.

It’s not so much that they’ll likely get screwed by Google, but the search engine has a habit of saying one thing and doing another. Case in point, they say they’re not competing with PayPal, but every one else sure thinks they are. They say they’re not competing with search marketers, yet their are many stories of Google cutting deals behind their back, and now they’be just bought an SEM firm!

The question mainstream media should ask is this. “Why wouldn’t Google want to dominate your industry?” If there’s money to be made, they’ll simply claim they offering what their users want.

I’m not trying to make Google out to be an evil tyrant. I’m simply stating that you should remain guarded when dealing with Google. Sure you need them, but they’ve shown that they only need you, until they’ve learnt enough to go it alone. Keep you guard up!

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