I couldn’t help myself to write a second post this week when I saw this cute Google Doodle. Google has been making these links on their logo for as long as I can remember. I loved this particular Doodle though because it had a little for everyone (and also because it’s been the only thing that hasn’t tried to sell me anything). Most simply, this is an entertaining video game for children (or anyone really, if you ask me). It’s also a very cute love story for the hopeless romantics. The world is literally in a shade of pink, which brings a new meaning to seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. And finally, for those concerned with fair trade and helping the economies of developing nations, it shows the users where cocoa for our chocolate cakes and such comes from.
This is the perfect example for an augmented product. The core benefit is getting information quickly. The actual product is getting information from an easy-to-use website that pulls up the most relevant information for your query. The augmented product is always being able to go to Google and find a fun game to play or an interesting fact about the day. While these daily Google Doodles so not bring any direct monetary gains, by bringing the user to the site and potentially having them search something will bring them ad revenue in the long-term. Moreover, Google’s retention rate may be improved because users will want to check out what’s new on Google as opposed to going to any other search engine. All in all, a really cute ad to cheer you up before you sign in to your Gmail account or start doing your daily searches on Google.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!