Google... Totally Hot Like Paris Hilton?
Totally un-related topic to the mainstream... Professionally related.
For the past couple of years there has been a debate in the SEM indurtsy as to whether or not search engines (the top ones, like Google and Yahoo!) really like having a relationship with the agencies who bring them business from top Fortune 1000 clients. The engines (Google in particular) say that "yes," they do like doing business through the agencies. However, their actions completely counter what they say.
For example, I was talking to an industry friend recently about how they wanted to reach out to Google for advice on a specific SEO tactic. They wanted to talk to a Google engineer about whether or not this tactic was legit and if it would help their major client. The rep at Google told them basically that the Fortune 1000 client could talk to the Google engineer, but that the agency (who owns the relationship with the client) could not be present at the meeting.
This is typical of Google lately; who is trying to be like Paris Hilton... All over the media and trying to do every type of role to keep dominating. (Paris Hilton: singer, actress, fashion designer, model, socialite... Google: search engine, map service, news service, instant messenger, video search, spreadsheet service, blogging service, etc...)
Google has specifically done stuff like this to many agencies out there. My friend's agency isn't the only one. Google constantly tells SEM-ers that the relationships they hold with agencies is critical and valuable to Google's success.... You bet it is! That's how they get introduced to the client. Then Google comes in and tries to undercut the agency relationship by contacting the client directly and cutting the agency completely out of the communication.
Bottom line is though, if this keeps happening, it will have the biggest impact on those agencies that only do search. Those agencies that offer a variety of media services (I think) have less to worry about. When you only offer SEM services to your clients, what happens when the client decides to just go straight to Google and Yahoo! to deal with them? You lose business. When you work with an agency and have bought into other critical services (such as media planning, web development and even off-line marketing) the clients are less likely to completely cut the agency out of the picture. They still will want the agency around for the "full-picture" marketing and strategy-building.
So, if Google is Paris Hilton... I guess that makes Yahoo! Nicole Ritchie?
For the past couple of years there has been a debate in the SEM indurtsy as to whether or not search engines (the top ones, like Google and Yahoo!) really like having a relationship with the agencies who bring them business from top Fortune 1000 clients. The engines (Google in particular) say that "yes," they do like doing business through the agencies. However, their actions completely counter what they say.
For example, I was talking to an industry friend recently about how they wanted to reach out to Google for advice on a specific SEO tactic. They wanted to talk to a Google engineer about whether or not this tactic was legit and if it would help their major client. The rep at Google told them basically that the Fortune 1000 client could talk to the Google engineer, but that the agency (who owns the relationship with the client) could not be present at the meeting.
This is typical of Google lately; who is trying to be like Paris Hilton... All over the media and trying to do every type of role to keep dominating. (Paris Hilton: singer, actress, fashion designer, model, socialite... Google: search engine, map service, news service, instant messenger, video search, spreadsheet service, blogging service, etc...)
Google has specifically done stuff like this to many agencies out there. My friend's agency isn't the only one. Google constantly tells SEM-ers that the relationships they hold with agencies is critical and valuable to Google's success.... You bet it is! That's how they get introduced to the client. Then Google comes in and tries to undercut the agency relationship by contacting the client directly and cutting the agency completely out of the communication.
Bottom line is though, if this keeps happening, it will have the biggest impact on those agencies that only do search. Those agencies that offer a variety of media services (I think) have less to worry about. When you only offer SEM services to your clients, what happens when the client decides to just go straight to Google and Yahoo! to deal with them? You lose business. When you work with an agency and have bought into other critical services (such as media planning, web development and even off-line marketing) the clients are less likely to completely cut the agency out of the picture. They still will want the agency around for the "full-picture" marketing and strategy-building.
So, if Google is Paris Hilton... I guess that makes Yahoo! Nicole Ritchie?
Comments
I have to disagree. If Google vanished off the face of the earth, millions of people would be negatively effected. If Paris Hilton vanished off the face of the Earth, no one would notice.