Google + ... "This Place is Dead Anyway..."

I love that scene in "Swingers" (the cult classic written by Jon Favreau from '96) where Charles their "man of few words" LA-Hipster-Buddy announces "this place is dead anyway" just moments after the "crew" has arrived at a hip and hard to find LA bar.

I recall the first time I saw the movie wondering how anyone could have even finished a drink in the time it took Vince Vaughn and company to arrive, take in the scene and then quickly depart. The funny thing is ... I thought that bar looked cool! The bar lighting was nice, ladies looked fine not to mention it seemed hard to find and semi-exclusive. But Charles time and time again cracks me up by launching into a dry and cocksure, "This place is dead anyway."

Tonight I was thinking about Google + and this scene came to mind. Google + really is a fourth mover in what has become a complicated world of Social Media. Yes that's right Socialites I am counting 1) Friendster 2) MySpace 3) Facebook and now 4) Google +. Google + is not so different from the "Swingers" bar that seemed so full of promise that Charles was so quick to dismiss. Remember when Google + was invite only (semi-exclusive)? It's got a great design template right? No denying that! Facebook has already ripped a page out of the Google + mobile app by bringing bigger pictures to your handheld. On the outside Google + does still have the "Google" in it correct? So there you go. Google + is that semi-exclusive LA hideaway with a sharp looking bouncer and great lighting on the inside...

So what's the problem? Well the problem is ... "this place is dead anyway!" Google + has never been able to gain the critical mass in most people's circles to gain any real social media traction. It's like a bar full of people that seem unapproachable. When I login engagement is nearly unattainable because I have so few friends participating in the "conversation." For Social Media to fire on all cylinders there has to be a conversation that is ready to join. Right now the pockets of chatter aren't enough for the average user to stick around.

What might happen: Google + is going to open up your mouth and cram itself down your throat! Don't believe me? Fine! I was at Google's Mountain View two weeks ago and listened intently as several "Googlers (Google Employees)" described Google + as the SPINE of GOOGLE! Google is not a Jellyfish so surely how could Google + become their spine? Truth is Google is going to find a way to take your Gmail account, your Google Drive account, your Google Places account and make it become a Google + page. If they can do that successfully it is possible that more Social users would stick around for some "one stop shopping."

What may keep it from happening: No one likes a chameleon. Google + is going to take steps to make sure they don't walk in the similar steps of Facebook which means blazing a new trail. I do believe Google is capable but that is a tough challenge. Essentially without further innovation (and trust me Facebook will do their best to keep up) Google + will continue to be a place that is "dead anyway."

GM's Facebook Ad Pull Now a Part of Marketing Reorganization?

Just hours ago General Motors announced they would not be buying TV advertising space in this years Super Bowl. So the bottom line is this - GM is going through a top to bottom marketing reorganization. It is now obvious that their decision to pull $10 Million in Facebook advertising was not an isolated decision. So now I ask you? Doesn't GM look a little opportunistic in the way they released the Facebook news days before we learned (as Paul Harvey would have said) "the rest of the story?"

Does this news worry you about the future and vision of General Motors? Does it weaken their argument that Facebook advertising is ineffective? Kind of seems like General Motors may not be the best person to ask.

Interesting.

GM Stops Advertising on Facebook / Ford Reacts Quickly (Exclusive)

The timing of the announcement certainly is curious to some but today General Motors (GM) announced that they would be pulling their paid advertising from Facebook. For the full article please check out the Wall Street Journal Online today.

The news cannot be welcome news to the Menlo Park Social Media Company. Many Facebook leaders including Mark Zuckerberg have been on the road building interest in Facebook's IPO. It's still too early to see how news of losing GM's $10 Million dollar annual ad spend will effect Facebook's initial offering but yesterday's news had the initial stock price upwards to $38 dollars a share -- much higher than the initial $28 dollars to $35 dollars per share expected. 

Now Morgan Auto Group has a GM franchise. In fact I used to run that dealership specifically. I am reluctant to comment specifically on what GM is thinking in pulling from Facebook but I will say that I do feel that there is some great value in what Facebook offers as an "Identity Platform." 

Ford Motor Company has shown some real leadership in Social and has some strong "Faces" behind some first class social efforts. One of those faces is former Toyota Exec James Farley who is now Ford's Chief Marketing exec. Another and a personal favorite of mine is Scott Monty who I was able to meet earlier this year. So instantly upon hearing the news from GM today I (and many others) took to Twitter to get Ford's take from Scott Monty. 

From: @brettamorgan To: @ScottMonty 

Scott any read on what GM is hoping to accomplish by both pulling from Facebook and timing of announcement? 

From: @ScottMonty To: @brettamorgan

Our focus is on Ford and our continuing relationship with Facebook. It's all down to execution. 

Scott continued in other replies to various Twitter Questions: 

"We've seen FB ads as effective when strategically combined with engagement & innovation, not as a straight media buy." 

In one especially pointed response Monty responded to a Tweet stating "Bad news for Facebook" with "Or a play for attention." 

While I have no crystal ball to tell you whether or not Facebook's stock offering will sink or swim I will say this. Because of guys like Farley and Monty, Ford Motor Company will be on the cutting edge and continue to create distance between themselves and other manufacturers. They will do this by engaging in this new age, not by turning their backs. 

Brett Morgan is the Variable Operations Manager for Morgan Auto Group which owns and operates 11 franchises in the state of Florida. (Tampa, FL) 

Walking in the Land of Search and Social

Dope Indeed. 

The phone in my pocket buzzed. I was receiving a text or an “SMS” (if you are talking to a software engineer in Palo Alto). 

“So did u check in AT Facebook ON Facebook? Cuz that’d be pretty dope!”

Google's HQ in Mountain View

I glanced up from the conference room table at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California and smiled. My buddy Ryan was being sarcastic --- but he had to know that I was secretly geeking out. I’ve known for quite a while that social media was not a fad. In my college days I was an early adopter of the social site Friendster. Post college I remember sitting at my ABC radio office in Richmond and receiving my first e-vite to try Myspace. I also can still recall the first night that I attempted to login onto Facebook. It might have even still been entitled “THE” Facebook and I do recall that because my University was not associated with the site --- I could not login. 

Facebook has taken over the old Sun-Microsystems Campus

Fast Forward to 2012. In May Facebook reported 901 Million active monthly users. They have changed the course of how we interact, communicate and network with the people we meet. Facebook to me is no longer an efficient way to keep up with old college buddies its a platform that binds the majority of Americans. For me having the opportunity to visit both Facebook and Google felt like a long overdue pilgrimage to Palo Alto. I was a guest of Haystak Digital Marketing who had brought a group of dealership personnel, factory representatives, digital marketing professionals, advertising executives and guest speakers for a two day Digital Summit on the campus of Google. 

Google for many internet users is a diving board to all things web related when consumers search for information on cars they wish to purchase. At the dealership level it's easy to concentrate solely on late game marketing that creates traceable actions related to the sale of a car. What we often don't realize is that our paid search efforts and organic search content are already vying for the opportunity to become a given consumer's dealership of choice --- even long before they have decided which car they are going to purchase. 

In 2011 the Automotive industry meant nearly 2 billion in sales revenue to Google or about 5% of their total revenue. 96% of Google’s revenue comes from paid search revenue such as sponsored links and display. What does that mean? Well it means that Automotive outpaces nearly ever industry outside of travel, general retail and finance and insurance. We are important to Google and Google is becoming more important to our customers and the ways they discover information when they shop. Research has shown that Americans research nearly 18 different sources before they purchase a car --- that’s more than consumers shopping for a new computer or an elective medical procedure. Search drives a great deal of our customers fact finding and we are finding creative ways to talk back. 

E-mail and usage of general web portals are down. Use of search and social networking are up. It’s the next phase of the internet evolution. The goal is arriving there before our competition.  

5 Quick Take Aways from the Google “Digital Summit at Mountain View” for YOUR DEALERSHIP TODAY: 

1. Mobile usage is growing and many dealership websites lack in their mobile capability.
2. The ability to research online is shortening the shopping window. 81% of consumers purchase within 3 months.
3. Customers utilize video in the early shopping stages to decide which vehicle to select.
4. Customers who “like” your dealership on Facebook typically have a higher level of trust with your store and brand.
5. % of Consumers utilizing dealership websites is increasing. Website usage peaks within 30 days from purchase.