Everybody On The Planet Is Our Target Audience: Google Marketing Boss

Kiev, Ukraine - December 03, 2011 - Woman hands holding and touching on Apple iPad2 with Google search web page on a screen. This second generation Apple iPad2 is designed and development by Apple inc. and launched in march 2011.

When your customer base is every single human being currently alive, it throws up some pretty unique marketing challenges, Google’s Joshua Spanier has told Sydney’s Ad:tech conference.

Spanier is the tech giant’s marketing director, global media and said when you have a potential customer base of eight billion-plus you’ll never get a marketing team big enough. “How do you make decisions, how do you organise, how do you scale? I could have a team of a thousand people and still not have enough,” Spanier said of the company’s unique marketing challenges.

Spanier recounted the company’s CEO Larry Page comparing the tech behemoth to toothbrushes – “Billions of people use it, twice a day or more and that’s the inspiration for Google’s products.”

photo[1]

Such is the enormity of the marketing task, Spanier explained his department was split into two – code and customer. Code’s job was big data, algorithms, making everything work faster; while the customer side was the “thinking beyond the ads”.

“That said it’s wrong to think of it as one side as creativity and the other just code and computer programs. It’s actually about being innovative on both sides,” he said.

Spanier described the “bit” between the two as the “mushy middle” or push marketing. “And I think push marketing has failed,” he added. “You’re seeing the traditional media planning and buying and traditional uses of technology is not working, if it ever worked that well at all.

“What we’re seeing now is code and custom coming to the fore in creating interesting and engaging programs and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing at Google.”

Naturally, Spanier said technology would continue to do phenomenal things and if the gadgetry and programs didn’t exist now it would be “invented to exist to start solving a lot of these problems”.

“There’s this notion that success looks nice and easy…. but I want to make it very, very, very clear we have screwed up so many times it’s embarrassing,” he confessed, “but that’s okay because at Google we have a culture that celebrates learning from mistakes. And this notion that we have all the answers is completely wrong.”

Spanier added: “There has never been a better time to work (in the digital space) than today. The future is completely open and it’s not a matter of ‘what should we do?’ because there’s no limit to what you can do.

“In the US adidas used the tagline of ‘impossible is nothing’ and it feels like that and even the experts don’t know where it’s all going right now and by 2020 or 2025 there may be some new paradigm and a more organised world, but right now I love the chaos, I love the opportunity, I love the fact that we can do amazing things with digital technologies to do the marketing of the future right now.”




Please login with linkedin to comment

Advertising Standards Bureau Openpool PADC PRIA

Latest News

Innocent Bystander Wines Challenge The Boring With New Campaign
  • Campaigns

Innocent Bystander Wines Challenge The Boring With New Campaign

Yarra Valley Winery Innocent Bystander has launched a new masterbrand media campaign that will sweep across the eastern seaboard. ‘Come Play in the Shadows’ is a bridge between the serious aspects of winemaking and the bright, social world of wine enthusiasts. It aims to challenge the normal, the boring and the same-same. Innocent Bystander prides itself on […]

Apple Enlists None Other Than Taika Waititi For Gorgeous (& Not Christmas) New Work!
  • Campaigns

Apple Enlists None Other Than Taika Waititi For Gorgeous (& Not Christmas) New Work!

Everyone’s favourite tech brand, Apple, has stymied the current rush of Christmas ads with cute new work promoting the Personal Voice feature of its latest operating system iOS 17. And no expense has been spared either, with none other than Academy award winning director and the world’s most famous New Zealander, Taika Waititi, drafted in […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Clean Up Australia Unveils Brand Refresh Via uberbrand
  • Campaigns

Clean Up Australia Unveils Brand Refresh Via uberbrand

Clean Up Australia today reveals a refreshed brand identity to coincide with registrations opening for Clean Up Australia Day 2024. The work was created by Sydney creative agency, uberbrand, and is in the market from this week across TV, radio, outdoor, print and digital platforms. “We are one of the nation’s longest-running environmental charities continuing […]

Musk: Advertisers “Go Fuck Yourselves”
  • Technology

Musk: Advertisers “Go Fuck Yourselves”

Elon Musk has told advertisers who are considering pulling their spend from X to “Go fuck yourselves” in an on-stage interview. It’s a pretty frank statement for the company’s owner and chief technology officer which, until recently, received 90 per cent of its revenue from advertising partners. Musk was chatting to journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin […]

Triple M Puts The Gold Back In The Gold Coast
  • Media

Triple M Puts The Gold Back In The Gold Coast

It’s the station the Gold Coast grew up with, and in a local nod to its heritage, Triple M today has been officially renamed to 92.5 Triple M Gold. 92.5 Triple M Gold has brought the good times and greatest hits back to the Gold Coast with Flan, Ali & Spida for Breakfast, South East Queensland’s very own […]

Big data technology and data science illustration. Data flow concept. Querying, analysing, visualizing complex information. Neural network for artificial intelligence. Data mining. Business analytics.
  • Marketing

SenateSHJ Launches New Trans-Tasman Practices

SenateSHJ has launched a new digital, data and insights capability designed to help clients tackle the growing complexity of communication challenges. SenateSHJ Digital, Data and Insights (DDI) will combine the firm’s existing Digital and Insights functions to create a Trans-Tasman capability focused on digital communication, and the generation and use of data to improve communication. […]

Nova Shakes Off Swift Mania With Dedicated Station
  • Media

Nova Shakes Off Swift Mania With Dedicated Station

As Australia counts down to the launch of Taylor Swift’s much anticipated The Eras Tour in February 2024, Nova Entertainment Network has launched a new station dedicated to the pop superstar. Nova (Taylor’s Version) will be available to stream 24/7 on the Nova Player App or on novafm.com.au up until February 2024. The dedicated station […]

QMS CEO John O’Neill On His Plans To Get OOH Spend Up To 20% (Watchout TV!)
  • Media

QMS CEO John O’Neill On His Plans To Get OOH Spend Up To 20% (Watchout TV!)

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising has seen a meteoric rise in recent years – rising from 4-5 per cent of ad spend to 10-11 per cent of ad spend. Speaking to B&T, QMS CEO John O’Neill outlines his plans to move this up to 20 per cent.    Picking Up A Percentage Of Revenue From TV One […]

AANA’s New Code Means Stricter Rules Apply To Advertising To Children
  • Advertising

AANA’s New Code Means Stricter Rules Apply To Advertising To Children

The new Children’s Advertising Code comes into effect today following the completion of a wide-ranging public review by Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA). The new Children’s Advertising Code extends safeguards to all advertising directed at children, addressing concerns from the community, government and industry. AANA CEO Josh Faulks said the new Code recognises the […]

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile
  • Media

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile

Creative technology platform Bonzai has announced the launch of BrandStory – a new premium mobile ad format. BrandStory offers triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time in view than single scroll ad formats, addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide for more real estate to drive real results by seamlessly intertwining awareness, exploration […]

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7
  • Advertising

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7

B&T went through the looking glass this morning, with editor-in-chief David Hovenden (above) appearing on Channel 7’s The Morning Show to get the general public involved in our search for Australia’s Greatest Ad. Hovenden chatted with Kylie Gillies and stand-in host Matt Doran about what makes a great ad and showcasing some of our favourites […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma
  • Opinion

Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma

The science is not in question – smarter people than I, with far more data, have codified it. The logic is not up for grabs…it makes sense that creating mental shortcuts to your brand keeps you at the top of your mind. Lead image: Kate Smither – Owner, The Tall Planner I wouldn’t even take […]

Opinion

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
African woman using a cellphone in an office alone
  • Marketing

Ortto & Tall Bob Partner To Deliver Better SMS & MMS For Australian & NZ Businesses

Two Australian-born technology providers have joined forces to bring more power and choice to marketers in Australia and New Zealand with mobile messaging that is more local, cost-effective, and integrated. It’s a partnership that sees two Australian software companies come together to deliver a world-class mobile-first solution for marketers building data-driven, personalised, omnichannel campaigns. While […]

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.
  • Media

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.

Snap Inc. has announced a number of new recruits. B&T unaware if it positively impacted SEEK's share price.

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh
  • Technology

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh

This will be of interest to any Reddit fans, graphic designers or lovers of an orange so bright it burns the retinas.

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market
  • Advertising

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market

Zitcha and Broadsign have teamed up to integrate the Broadsign out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform with Zitcha’s retail media platform. The collaboration empowers retailers to maximise and monetise in-store digital display networks and enables advertising partners to easily view and book available in-store inventory and review campaign performance alongside the retailer’s other media channels. With the […]

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label
  • Marketing

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label

Today, 7-Eleven has announced a one-of-a-kind collaboration with the popular Sydney-based anti-resort wear label Double Rainbouu. Dropping tomorrow, December 1, just in time for summer, this limited-edition capsule will infuse the fashion brand’s rebellious spirit with a distinctly iconic 7-Eleven flavour. The unisex collection features five must-have styles comprising two signature Hawaiian shirts, a peaked cap, a bucket hat […]

realestate.com.au Extends Major Partnership With Sydney Swans
  • Marketing

realestate.com.au Extends Major Partnership With Sydney Swans

Australian property site realestate.com.au has announced the extension of its partnership with the Sydney Swans for two further seasons. Lead image: Tom Harley, Owen Wilson and Tom McCartin realestate.com.au has partnered with the Swans since 2016 and has called the back of the club’s iconic guernsey home since becoming a major partner in 2020. This […]

Avenue C Nabs Paula Lopes From KINESSO
  • Marketing

Avenue C Nabs Paula Lopes From KINESSO

Leading independent media agency, Avenue C, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Paula Lopes as Digital Director. Paula, a seasoned professional with over 17 years experience in the media industry, joins Avenue C from her role as Chief Operations Manager of KINESSO (merger of Reprise, Matterkind, and Kinesso specialities).