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Google Adword

Analysis: An Insider's View of Google

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

October 3, 2011 | 4 min read

Having recently returned from Google's Global Top Contributor Summit in the US, where only 10 English speaking Google Top Contributors were invited, Jack Porter-Smith, marketing manager, Peach Digital shares his insight on the search engine giant.

A surprise trip to Google

Recently I was lucky enough to visit Google’s head office in Mountain View, San Francisco. Being a ‘Top Contributor’(TC) on the Official AdWords English forum, I was invited to attend a two day ‘TC summit’ to discuss all things Google, with particular focus on the AdWords product.

Throughout the two days a number of sessions were held with various product managers, where demonstrations of products and features were given, and then fed back on and debated by the group of TCs. The vast majority of information disclosed was confidential, so I cannot share details of the features or products, but I can share my experience from an insider’s point of view as I reflect on the environment and ethos of Google itself and the Googlers within.

Not what I expected

The most striking thing about my visit was how real it all is, that Googlers are just people, and Google is a company just like any other. Contrary to my wild imagination, the offices of Google are very fun and vibrant, but markedly low key. For example, with the buildings I visited the only indication that it was in fact a Google building was a small signpost at the entrance which is principally designed to direct traffic in the car park. There was no Hollywood style signage, no flashing lights and certainly nothing that jumped out at me - in fact most of the buildings are dull, grey and relatively featureless from the outside.

My spirits were soon lifted by the array of vibrant colours and random features as soon as I stepped inside however, with Googlers hopping between meetings on inflatable exercise balls and old London style telephone boxes situated seemingly at random in hallways. In the cafeteria (one of 16 on campus) I was struck by an amusing sign above where the food is served that read, ‘Optimise Your Life’, a cross reference between eating healthily and optimising AdWords campaigns. Inside there is always something that catches the eye, the novelty of which for Googlers must wear off, but for an over-excited search enthusiast like me it felt like being a kid in a candy store. Which, to an extent I was - as later in the day we were taken to the on-site Google store where I bought a neon light Google desk sign and selection of desk toys for my team back at Peach HQ in Glasgow.

Driven more than ever

It would be easy to think that as clear and dominant market leaders, Google could rest on their laurels, become complacent, sit back and reap the rewards. I was surprised and encouraged to see first-hand that this is not the case, having met with the VP of sales and marketing for AdWords, the director of product development for AdWords and various product managers within that team. The amount of testing and development is incredible with a continuous stream of beta releases, many of which never make the final cut. I learnt that the ethos is to develop software hard and fast, but not to work to deadlines for fear of compromising output quality – software will be delivered as soon as it is ready, not necessarily as soon as it is needed.

In summary

This trip was the best I have ever had, it put six years of hard work in to context and most importantly humanised Google to me. Meeting with the heart of the organisation, feeling and witnessing their enthusiasm, passion and drive to deliver success affirmed that despite being the biggest and best in the industry, it strives to be even bigger and better. This is a great sign for the future of search marketing in an ever increasingly competitive environment for advertisers.

Google Adword

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Peach Digital

Peach Digital Limited has been operating since 2000, providing website design, development and digital marketing services.

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