Blog Assignment #6: How Google Manages Crises

Yup, the last post. A little late, but I've been busy with finals recently AND it was a little difficult digging up information about crisis management. After Google-searching (ironic) and searching their website for answers, I have come to this realization: Google is a tool that other companies use towards crisis management. A most recent effort by Google itself in handling a public/international crisis was the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami early this year. Below is a snapshot of the now out-of-date website.

Screenshot taken on my *ahem* Google Chrome browser...

This website offered a widget for donating to the Red Cross' fund for aiding Japan. The site, obviously powered by Google, also posted accurate updates on the situation with the Power Plants and the rescue efforts during the aftermath. There were Japanese transit statuses available, message boards for contacting loved ones, and a Google Map widget specified for Japan.

Google Earth and Google Maps aid other companies in their crisis management efforts. This makes sense as Google is a powerful tool for gaining information and tracking events. The above information was the closest I could find to a structure that Google has to implement crisis management.

Just because this is my last academic post for now, does NOT mean this is the end of my posting on this blog; expect commentary and opinions on a WIDE range of topics, including sports, media, music, and life in general!

Assignment #2: Google's Branding

The 2nd assignment for class is to cover the branding for my chosen company, Google. Given Google's intricate approach to simplicity (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron), branding plays a BIG role in how they present themselves as on online presence and a rapidly growing company. I'm going to run down a list of aspects in Google's branding. But first, here's my drawn interpretation of Google downloading the internet (inspired by sci-fi depictions of infectious diseases).

A little upside down. but you get the picture.

Anyway, here we go:

• Uniqueness: If being unique were a superpower, I'm pretty sure Google would be either Superman, or Thor. Given Google's original purpose when it started, the company has come a long way into making it's own identity and atmosphere. Going from search engine, provider to a full blown company within 10 years of it's inception (no relation to the movie) makes it unique without a doubt
• Authenticity: Google's pretty damn authentic; they have their own brand of smartphones and tablets running under the "Android" division, as well as services such as GoogleTalk, (phone, chat) GoogleMaps (navigation/listings) & GoogleMail/Gmail (email). There's no "copy/paste" about the user experience in these services. Not to mention if you have a Gmail account to start with, virtually all their services are available to you.
• Likeability: I think Google has always advertised itself as a tool first and a corporate identity second (sometimes on the same level). From its commercials, promos, and products you don't receive a "conglomerate/factory" feeling. Despite the power Google really does possess (it's always growing), it doesn't let that power take over the overall feel of the company.
• The name "Google" can be viewed as unique, whimsical, or even silly. But truth be told, "Google" is derived from the word "Googol", which is actually a mathematical term. It is "the figure 1 followed by 100 zeros equal to 10^100". Interesting since Google features seemingly limitless results in specific searches.
• Google also has many spokespeople who announce (most of the time through conferences or blog/video posts) new developments with Google's services & products. This gives the company the feeling of an even employee structure. Of course there's a CEO, Larry Page (co-founder of Google), but he's not making all the announcements himself from a glorified platform.
• Overall Personality: The overall personality is that of a laid back, yet hard working company. If you personified Apple, they'd be more of the "techno-nerd who is social, and always looks for new ways to dazzle their friends". Google is that new guy who "sees what his competition is creating, and succeeds in doing his own work and giving it his own flair while still being friendly about it". Google presents a simple, yet layered experience for its fans, users, & employees.

Google's Pumpkin Themed Doodle

Google has a tradition now of providing "doodles" on special occasions or holidays. These doodles reflect the mood (they had new muppets posing for the letters on Jim Henson's birthday this year, shamrocks and a green palette on St Patty's day etc.). Today however I think they did an impressive job: they feature a sped up montage video of the team creative team carving out pumpkins with ghoulish letters to read out "Google".

Googl'anterns

below is my face when I saw the size of the pumpkins:

Assignment #1: Organization Overview (Google)

The organization/company I chose to follow is Google. Google has been around for more than 10 years on the internet; with humble beginnings as a little known (yet powerful) search engine. Since then, Google has evolved into a large corporation that focuses on user/customer experience and innovation. In my opinion, it's honestly one of the few corporations that can hold it's own against the likes of Apple and Microsoft. In this post, I going to cover Google's mission statement, how it presents itself, the website's interface, and the target audience.

• Mission Statement

When you open Google.com and click on "About Google" at the bottom, it takes the user to a page with links to details about Google. The mission statement sits near the top and reads: Google's mission: Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Their corporate philosophy sounds suspiciously like something from the "Terminator" or "2001: A Space Odyssey". However, since their emergence in the late 90's, that's what Google has appeared to do. They downloaded the internet twice. Not once...but twice. The "whole" internet! (Skynet, anyone?) This was necessary to provide their biggest service to users: their search engine.

• How Google Presents Itself/Website

Google presents itself as fairly simple, user friendly, and always improving and changing. The background has always stayed a stationary white color (unless Google is honoring a moment in history or a holiday), while the logo's primary colors are green, red, blue and yellow. Fairly easy colors to remember, right? The company itself is presented as an open environment that thrives through interaction and unique work atmosphere.

• Brief History/Products & Services

Google began in 1996. Stanford University graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page created a search engine called "BackRub". The engine used links to determine the importance of individual webpages. From that humble beginning, Google has grown incredibly fast; they now offer advertising and web applications (Google Music, Google Talk, YouTube, etc.) in various languages. As Apple did before them, Google invested in creating a mobile device division. This division was named "Android". This catapulted Google onto a whole new playing field, offering apps that are mobile extensions of their web applications and services. In keeping with their presence on the internet, Google made 75% of the apps on their market FREE for Android users.

• Target Audience

To be fairly blunt, Google's target audience is anyone with a computer/phone who has internet and is technology literate. Their appeal spans a MASSIVE demographic from age, to gender, to race, and even to location & class. As their mission is to organize the world's information AND make it universally accessible and useful, their target audience is the human race at large.

(again with the Skynet feeling....)