Google – Make your mind up
Google’s attempt at mapping Europe through its street view project has hit problems at the German border. Though German have strong privacy laws based on ‘opting-in’ rather than ‘opting-out’; one can’t help feeling that the problems that Google is having in getting permission to add Germany to Google Maps is as much a question of trust as anything.
What Google are doing is creating a virtual version of the real world. People can object to having their house shown on Google Map but what is the point? Google is only accessing these images from public roads, as you and I can do; nobody knows who lives in these properties, unless of course you do know, which in 99.9% of the cases, you don’t.
My suspicion is that Google is being punished for their wifi transgression and subsequent dust-up with German authorities over this data. Google is clearly going through a period of transition from ‘Geek’s friend’ to ‘Corporate Power House’ and as present they seem to be vacillating between the two. They collect data in Germany along the road to being a Corporate Power House; then acted as the ‘Geek’s Friend’ by refusing to hand oit over to the authorities, citing civil liberties laws.
The problem for Google is they are caught between what they want to be and what they are, soon they will have to make the decision to aspire to what they are. Apple have successfully balanced these ideals by being ‘not- Microsoft’ and releasing good products, that Micro-soft couldn’t.
Google don’t have a Microsoft, though they try and use this ‘not-Microsoft’ strategy but Apple has already taken this ground and customers don’t perceived Microsoft and Google as being in the same markets. They don’t really have any products to differentiate themselves from Microsoft, except a phone that is more of a competitor to Apple than Microsoft. The Chrome OS seems to have gone into hibernation.
Consequently all their products are services, online, and are perceived to be products that attempt to homogenised the internet under the Google brand. In reality Google are the Microsoft of the Internet.
This has naturally lead to resistance, push back, and many failures, particularly when they have looked to try and imitate or hijack existing services. Google Buzz anyone?
Google need to manage their reputation better. Starting with understanding their Reputational Platform and knowing what story they are presenting. Part of this is knowing what they want to be and communicate this effectively. At present there is confusion in their message and therefore confusion as to what their reputation is. Without better reputation management Google will find that their reputation becoming tarnished, very quickly, and a new Google can quickly move into the market, as a result.
This is a subject that we will be returning to I’m sure.
Graeme Lindsay
Corporate Reputation Resource Centre 
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