Why my money is on Google

The Wall Street Journal (10/17) article by Rebecca Dana and Stephanie Kang reports on TV advertising viewership. The data come from Nielsen.

Roughly 10% of TV viewers change channels or leave the room during a commercial.  For the one out of five that bothered to get a TV recording system (Tivo or DVR), twice as many, 20%, avoid the commercials.

Advertisers read those numbers and say "look at the high percentage of people who watch our ads."  I look at those numbers and say, if 20% of the audience walked out of a play, a performance or a lecture it would be the end of that event.

In general, we "tolerate" advertising, because it has no relevance to us and occasionally is funny. 

What Google offers is not advertising, it is listing.  The Google listings are unobtrusive and are attempting to be about subjects and products that are related to our immediate interests.  They are a version of Yellow Page listing, just more ubiquitous.

My money is on Google regardless of whether management understands the business they are in.

Roughly 10% of TV viewers change channels or leave the room during a commercial.  For the one out of five that bothered to get a TV recording system (Tivo or DVR), twice as many, 20%, avoid the commercials.

Advertisers read those numbers and say "look at the high percentage of people who watch our ads."  I look at those numbers and say, if 20% of the audience walked out of a play, a performance or a lecture it would be the end of that event.

In general, we "tolerate" advertising, because it has no relevance to us and occasionally is funny. 

What Google offers is not advertising, it is listing.  The Google listings are unobtrusive and are attempting to be about subjects and products that are related to our immediate interests.  They are a version of Yellow Page listing, just more ubiquitous.

My money is on Google regardless of whether management understands the business they are in.