Signal, Services, Segments Understanding Google’s Expanding Content Ecosystem

Signal, Services, Segments
Understanding Google’s Expanding Content Ecosystem
17 September John Blossom, Shore Communications Inc.
2014

About Shore
● Content Marketing Strategists
○ For publishing and content technology
products & services in enterprise and
media markets
● We provide:
○ Market research, intelligence & analysis
○ Marketing strategy review and advice
○ Go-to-market content and services
● Recognized:
○ Twice-awarded EContent 100 Company
○ SIIA CODiE – Best Media Blog
shorecominc.com

Google’s World
Performance
Platforms
Policies
Projects

Quantifying Google
Benchmarks of Google performance

Google is the #1 global brand
● If there is a future worth having, people trust Google to deliver it

Google is the #1 global search engine
● Rapid growth in developing nations will accelerate global market share

Google is the #1 mobile platform
● Rapid growth in developing nations will accelerate global market share

Google is the #1 computing platform
● Billions experience the Web mobile-first

Google is the #1 Web platform
● Google Chrome dominant on PCs, #3 in mobile and rising

Google is the #1 digital ad platform
● Maintaining a strong hold on revenue from context
Source: Statista

Invested in the long run for success

Strong, but Stalled in the Short Run
Treading water as revenue streams shift slowly to new and broader sources
and investors punish R&D, capex spends

Strong, but Stalled in the Short Run
● Treading water as revenue streams shift slowly to new
and broader sources

What the top-line numbers tell us
● “Understand the world and make it more usable” works!
● Google innovates rapidly, but being pushed into more and
larger acquisitions and R&D to sustain and grow markets
● Mobile and Web revenue growth is restricted
○ Marketing solutions aren’t helping small businesses to grow
fast enough to generate significant new revenues
○ Over-centralized social media and mainstream media
restricting growth of quality content destinations
○ The Signal Economy is real, but infrastructure and services
are still very immature
○ Regulatory pushback in large/developed markets
● Best hopes focused on constant redefinition of markets

Google vs. Competitors
● Apple: fading walled-garden position, Google
x-platform apps minimize
direct impact, a BMW in a Chevy world
● Microsoft: Huge investment
and restructuring to get back
into the game rapidly, strong brand growth and enterprise loyalty, but
legacy and near-zero mobile share a huge challenge vs. Google
● Facebook: Stranglehold on mom, dad, small businesses and social
marketers may loosen as Google attacks these, lack of
sense-making for personal signals and Web content
● Amazon: Strengths are becoming weaknesses as Google’s
disjointed tools for business marketing & fulfillment mature

Google Platforms 2014
Highlights and trends

The world according to Android
● Any device, any market
● Signal-driven services
● Openness that customers want
● Fueling inter-platform services
● Defines leading edge of
performance, innovation
● Expanding premium content
offerings and mojo
● Acquisitions and features pushing
into enterprise

Android: products for all markets

Android: Not just for geeks and cheap
● Leading in specs and design
○ Moto X rivals iPhone 6 for style and performance
○ Nexus “X” (Fall launch) “spec killer”
○ HTC One M8, HTC Nexus 9 Tablet (Fall)
● $100 Android One launched in India
● Flexible licensing strategy pays
○ Vendors mostly adopt Play Services
○ Allowed to compete with own services
○ “Pure” Android growing
■ Nexus/”Almost pure” models
■ Google Play Editions
■ “Silver”

Android drives signal services
● Google Now predictive and voice-driven
services (some appear in Notifications)

Android & enterprises
● iOS 67% ent. share in Q214 vs. Android 32%
● Samsung Knox MDM/EMM device management
integrated into base code
● National security-cleared versions emerging
● Acquisition of Divide for BYOD encryption and
work/personal contacts/content division
● Google committed to fork of OpenSSL to address
Heartbleed exploits
● Google Drive Android apps provide more editing

Android Wear
● Extends Android phone apps functionality
● Voice commands/notifications/gestures focus
● “At a glance” functionality
+ health sensors
● Motorola, LG,
Samsung, Asus, more
● Predictive services
● Easy-to-customise features
● All-day battery life? (varies)
● Compatible with all Android 4.4+ phones

Google Glass
● Full production availability for Explorer Edition
● The only head-mounted full-function wearable -
but a niche market (new model expected)

Is Google Glass a “fail”?
● The last “escaped
product” from
Sergey Brin?
● Extension of
Cr-48 dev’t
concept
● More apps!
● The bleeding
edge “Corvette”
tested system/apps for Android Wear “Impala”

Android vs. iPhone
● iPhone 6 corners
“iPhone but bigger”
market
● Almost no feature
innovation, specs
often eclipsed by
best Android devices
● Apple Pay debut is timed for 2015 rollout of
smart bank cards in U.S., but Wallet does more

Android Wear vs. Apple Watch
● Full apps run on Watch
● 3 style levels
● Early 2015 availability
● Trying to do too much?
● Works only with iPhones
● Unknown battery life
● DATED concept for
wearables compared to
Android Wear
● Margin-building focus

Android on the horizon
● Nexus X - “spec-killer” phone with 4K video
● Nexus “9” - tablet w/optional keyboard
● Android 5.0/”L” - enhanced battery life, ART
performance, Material design + multi-platform
integration
● Android TV
● Year-round new
products to build
market momentum

Android TV - multiplatorm, multiplay
● Cross-content video search and curation
● Emphasis on gameplay via phones/tablets/jstick
● Chromecast integration
● Upcoming voice-command casting/auto-casting

Android & Google Play services
● Near-equivalent content vs. competitors from
audio, video publishers (can’t afford not to)
● Book publishers lag, but catching up slowly
(Authors’ Guild suit impact diminished)
● Game
publishers see
x-platform &
performance
opportunities
● Apps? #1

The world according to Chrome
● The dominant global Web experience
● 64-bit across all platforms (V37)
● Integrating Android Apps
● Chrome OS growth
● Mobile sensor APIs
● Pushing graphics standards
● Google Now integration
● Android file system access
● Chrome for Meetings
● Edit Office Docs in Drive

Chrome 64-Bit = performance
● For all PCs, Android
& Chrome OS
● Introduced in
Version 37
● Enables better
performance for
games, streaming,
Native Client
● Enables Android apps embedding

Android Apps on Chrome
● Limited release
(4 apps)
● Uses Native Client
secure container
● APIs still developing
● Keyboard or
touchscreen use
● Available for secure offline use
● Chrome as the universal OS? MSFT worried.

Chrome OS extends Android playbook
● Early “it’s a joke” false analysis in media
obscured growth as platform was refined
● Launches again and again with more and more
platform partners
● Hits “can’t miss” price points
● Touchscreen models
● High battery performance
● Truly viable offline use
● Secure, zero-virus use
● Wide enterprise use

Chrome OS grows features list
● Offline streaming support for video, audio
● Multiple profile support
● Google Now data cards integration,voice search
● Android device downloads mountable via USB
● Android-style on-screen touch keyboards
● Android apps integration
● More Web apps support (e.g., GoToMeeting)
● More Web-based developers’ tools
● New Chromebox models from ASUS, HP, Dell

Chrome - more graphics and sensors
● The gyro-sensitive, game-quality Web

Chromebox for Meetings
● Enterprise-grade streaming videoconferencing
○ High-CPU Chromebox, remote, HD cam, speaker/mike
○ Voice-activated and collaboration tools
○ Compatible with many desktop/conference systems
○ Starts at $999/room for hardware & service

Windows 8 fights Chrome OS
● Heavily discounted, stripped models
● Trial versions of antivirus, Office
● Launching at higher-than-Chromebook prices
● Back-to-school
sales pushed
back some of
Chrome OS’
2013 gains
● Enterprise sales
remain strong

Will Chrome OS grow like Android?
● Chrome’s pervasiveness on PCs may not translate to
“ready for a Chromebook/box”
● Powerful, but Drive not yet a “killer” cloud app vs.
Windows Office 365 as large enterprise standard
● Android integration
makes enterprise
sales much easier
● Mobile integration
emerging strength
● Web apps key

Chromecast: Pervasive cord-cutter
● 4+ million $35 units sold since 24 July 2013 launch
● Now sold in 12+ countries
● About 500 Chromecast-enabled apps, Drive streams
● Right now it’s a Roku/Chromecast race for streams
● Producers moving towards streaming over cable

Nest: Sensing the home
● $3.2 billion buys a branding hedge, mostly
● Aim is to have sensors and predictive services in
every room in the house
● Product recalls, high pricing makes it a long-term bet

Google+: The quiet social giant
● #2 network? stats “iffy”
● Underused by marketers
● Interest-based audiences
● Android drives global use
● Backing off author tags
● Ahead of Facebook in
automated content curation, video + photos services
● Google’s unbundled G+ services aped by Facebook

Google Drive: x-platform, offline, APIs
●

Gmail: More active + friendly
● Automated sorting of emails
● More integration of media players,
Google+ profiles and content
● Better ad context
● Integration of data from emails into
Google Now data cards (e.g., shipping
notifications)

Google for Education: Classroom
● Automated sorting of emails
● More integration of media players,
Google+ profiles and content
● Better ad context
● Integration of data from emails into
Google Now data cards (e.g., shipping
notifications)

Google Views: Curating Maps photos
●

Google Fiber: Live and growing
● 1GB/s for $70/mo, 1.5MB free w/$300 install
● Rollouts live in 3 cities, targeting 9 new metros
● Already pressuring
cableco prices
down
● FCC reviewing
competitiveness of
ISP marketplace

Google and Amazon: Unfriendly giants
● Order fulfillment initiatives
○ Shopping Express
(limited trial rollout)
○ Google[x] drone delivery
tests in Australia
● Streamlining, enhancing
support for small merchants and cloud services
● Fizzling Fire phone and TV box sales offset by
media pricing leverage and YouTube-only originals

Google Policy Trends
EU “Right to be forgotten”
Net Neutrality
Personal identity and security

Google and EU “Right to be forgotten”
● Expert panel implemented guidelines relatively
rapidly, 91.000 requests for 328.000 link removals
● Doesn’t address commercial databases that have
already scraped data into “dark” subscription
sources
● Censorship
easily
bypassed

Google and Net Neutrality
● U.S. Federal Communications received 1+ million
comments on proposed Net Neutrality changes
● Google lobbied at first quietly for preserving “all-equal”
access, then more prominently
● FCC likely
to expand
neutrality
protections

Google and personal data
● Secure HTTP and dual-factor authentication key
tools for managing personal data securely
● Apple iCloud breach triggered late and incomplete
dual-factor options, may have stifled iPhone launch
● Prioritizing search results
for HTTPS-secured sites
● But average person still
doesn’t understand the
differences well...

Google Projects
Baseline Study health data
Project Tango
Advanced communications networks
Interesting acquisitions

Google Baseline Study: small, huge
● Intense digital health data collection from 175 subjects
● Using a variety of sensors
○ May include experimental contact lens for diabetes
data
● Goal is to verify clinical
value of intense health
monitoring
● May define key services
and standards

Project Tango: 3D imaging for mobile
● Development prototype devices that scan spaces
into 3D data models in realtime
● Applicable to mapping databases, motion-triggered
apps and services, games, augmented reality
● New sensors promise
3D data via one lens
● May surface in
production products
as early as 2015

Project Ara: Production Prowess
● Modular mobile
phone chassis
● 3D-printable
components
● Tailored production
for modules and
standard chassis
● 2015 debut

Advanced Networks: web everywhere
● Titan Aerospace acquisition highlights interest in wide-area
wireless/mobile network options
● Alpental acquisition to extend capabilities of gigabit
Web connectivity more cost-effectively
● Short-term push in
Africa for higher speeds
in urban settings
● Rural strategies not
realistic so far

Machine Learning: DeepMind
● Stealth startup acquisition focused on artificial
intelligence (machine learning)
● More revenues in marketing and services shifting
towards predictive analytics (The Signal Economy)
● Quantum computing
may accelerate
machine learning
capabilities

Realtime Imaging: Skybox
● Evaluating satellite imagery for realtime “signals”
● Applications to industry, traffic services, navigation
(is the parking lot full, etc.), marketing
● Improved satellite resolution
powers detailed semantic
image analysis
● Applying lessons learned
from other semantic imaging
services

Semantic music curation: Songza
● Context-driven content curation with a human touch
● Music genres follow your work/life patterns
● Some tech may be applied to Google Play Music

Summing it all up
The big picture
What it means
What we should do

Google’s big picture
● Agile giant with long
term focus and short
term product execution
● Still a geek culture, but
learning how to make it
a brand “plus”
● Still does “moonshots”
but the target range is now more isolated from
mainstream and productized more carefully

What Google means for you
● Leverages open platforms
to build valuable signal
● Redefines what’s interesting
via new definitions of content,
markets and services
● Semantic context for data
from anywhere is gold
● Investing in the “next 5 billion” aggressively

What to do next about Google
● The era of the walled garden isn’t dead, but it’s not
where the growth is - spend on success in the
open/mobile Web and being relevant in the midst of its
signals and services (as if you shouldn’t have already)
● Be at the forefront of cross-platform standards and
services - before Google defines them for you
● Come to terms with the mistakes that you made in
combatting Google - and move on

For Follow-Up
PHONE
(+01)203.293.8511
EMAIL
jblossom@shorecominc.com
WEB
shorecominc.com
johnblossom.com
TWITTER/GOOGLE+
@jblossom google.com/+JohnBlossom
POST
John Blossom
President
Shore Communications Inc.
80 Talcott Road
Guilford, CT 06437-5002 USA

Signal, Services, Segments Understanding Google’s Expanding Content Ecosystem

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