"Browser" itself is a funny word -- maybe that's why Bowzer from Sha Na Na was popular. From any angle, it's a dull thing to advertise. Certainly, it's a paradox for Google to indulge in this kind of buzz building. Brand building through video storytelling is kind of retro, especially compared to the clinical world of online search. Google is a kick-ass company for sure, but the economies of search might just kick traditional ad agencies to the curb, along with their old-timey methods of engagement.
Ad people might snicker a bit, then, and think the company should stick to its core competency-world-changing technology-rather than release video ads with taglines like, "Google Chrome: A new way to get online." As ad phrases go, it's simple and not bad, except that it's not exactly true: Chrome was introduced last September, which makes it practically a Methuselah in Web years.
In the eight months since then, Chrome has won less than 2 percent of the browser market, behind the behemoth, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which has over 60 percent, as well as Mozilla's Firefox and Apple's Safari. (Chrome is not yet available for Macs, so I couldn't try it out myself.)
But really, despite its hyper-futurisitic godliness, why shouldn't Google use good ol' advertising to build awareness? And commissioning various filmmakers to explain, metaphorically, what the browser does, and posting the stuff on YouTube (which Google owns), is the most neutral, viral way to do it. It's better than an inevitably awkward and inauthentic product placement on The Celebrity Apprentice. (Joan Rivers to Annie Duke: "Hold on a minute while I access valuable information via my Chrome Web browser, bitch!")
There's plenty of irony to go around, however, as one commenter complained that Chrome would only play her YouTube videos for a few seconds before crashing.
