GOOGLE

I. HISTORY

The Google first company was officially launched in 1998 by Larry

Page and Sergey Brin to market Google Search, which has become the most used web-
based search engine. Page and Brin, students at Stanford University in California,
developed a search algorithm at first known as "BackRub" in 1996. The search engine
soon proved successful and the expanding company moved several times, finally
settling at Mountain View in 2003. This marked a phase of rapid growth, with the
company making its initial public offering in 2004 and quickly becoming one of the
world's largest media companies. The company launched Google News in
2002, Gmail in 2004, Google Maps in 2005, Google Chrome in 2008, and the social
network known as Google+ in 2011, in addition to many other products. In 2015,
Google became the main subsidiary of the holding company Alphabet Inc.

II. STRENGTHS

1. Dominance in web search, video content sharing, online advertising, mobile OS,
browser usage and many other markets.
2. Excellent acquisition capabilities
3. Undisputed market leadership in search engine
4. First mover advantage for many products and services
5. Organizational culture and spirit of creativity
6. Ecosystem of products and services

III. WEAKNESSES

1. Reliance on advertising as primary source of revenues despite diversification

2. Many products and services in Google portfolio are not profitable
3. Lack of flexibility due to size
4. Sharing user information

IV. STRATEGIES

1. Increasing internet accessibility

2. Improving search infrastructure
3. Improving mobile products and advertising solutions
4. Focus on social network and social advertising

V. REASONS FOR BEING A GLOBAL BRAND

Ten different considerations factor into the brand strength calculation: four internal
and six external. In assigning a brand strength value, Inter brand examines authenticity,
clarity, commitment, consistency, differentiation, protection, presence, relevance,
responsiveness, and understanding.