Marketing Pilgrim

I realize this Sunday section I have here on Marketing Pilgrim is supposed to be concentrating on the business of content but I needed to say something about an editorial from this past Wednesday’s New York Times. Since editorials, no matter how ill conceived, are content I will stretch the boundaries of the definition today.

The gist of it as follows. Since Google is so big and most people use it for their Internet searches, how do we REALLY know if they are being fair? If we can’t be completely sure should there be some form of government oversight for the engine to ensure its fairness? In political speak, this editorial is about search neutrality.

Here is a slice of the editorial

Last night I let everyone on Twitter know what kind of underwear I wear. Don’t worry I was only joking. But that’s how I use social media. I try to be as authentic and myself as much as possible. But sometimes I have to ask myself, is that really the best game plan?

We have all heard that the trick to social media is to be yourself. In doing so we create authenticity and transparency that others can trust. But the question emerges, when does being yourself get in the way of building a strong personal brand? Would we tell Jeffrey Dahmer yeah, just be yourself on twitter, people will love you? Um no we wouldn’t because Dahmer was a horrific human being.

Susan is having coffee at Starbucks in Santa Monica. Mike is seeing a movie at Edwards Fashion Island. Cynthia is at Home feeling Left Out!

Geolocation applications are taking hold of the social media world thanks to the proliferation of smart phones and wifi hot spots. Now it’s not enough to Twitter what you had for lunch, you have to have an application that announces the exact restaurant for all to see. It’s a strange trend, given the number of people that are constantly taking aim at Facebook’s privacy issues. What’s even stranger is that, according to a survey by cyber-security firm Webroot, 55% of people who use geolocation applications are actually concerned about the lack of privacy.

Yahoo has emailed advertisers to let them know that they should expect a full transition to Bing’s search results as early as August…

…or maybe 2011.

That’s a heck of a window!

I mean, August is just around the corner and the busy holiday season is starts in just a few months. Either you’re ready to make the transition or you are not. Why have marketers go through the process of prepping for the transition, if you’re not entirely sure if it will happen now, or after the holidays?

Still, the fact that Yahoo is emailing advertisers AND warning them to prepare not just for a switch in paid search results but organic too, suggests that the switch will take place in August/September.

I have a question for you.

Do you think Google is getting sloppy?

By that, I mean, does it seem like Google is pushing new products and updates out the door without first conducting in-depth testing and customer feedback?

Exhibit A: Google Buzz. Turns out, it was pushed live without the normal rigorous testing…and Google paid the price.

Exhibit B: Google decides to mimic Bing’s background images…then quickly pulls the feature.

And, Exhibit C: After launching a complete overhaul to Google News, the search giant is now having to backtrack some–making changes in response to the many complaints:

..some of you wrote in to say you missed certain aspects of the previous design, such as the ability to see results grouped by section (U.S., Business, etc.) in two columns.

Despite the government’s alleged attempts to control Internet usage in China, social media continues to flourish in the country and that’s good news for anyone with a product to sell.

According to the new “OgilvyOne Connected” report, 1 in 4 social media users in China is an “initiator,” a member of the “cool group” who is capable of swaying public opinion with their views on products or people. This number is huge, given that in offline marketing, only 1-2% of consumers fall into this category.

The study further goes on to say that users not only tolerate marketing online but that they actually enjoy the process of learning about new products and sharing them with others. Said one respondent, “Great products and services bring people joy and happiness. This is something that can be shared among friends.”