You can make money without doing evil
Abstract: Maybe you’ve heard about Google’s Project 10 to the 100 and Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. By analyzing these contests, this short article will compare Microsoft vs Google in PR perspective.:
1. Microsoft’ Imagine Cup: ”Help Us Change the World!”
Microsoft ImagineCup 2009
Cited from Imagine Cup’s website: “Now in its seventh year, the Imagine Cup is a global student technology competition focused on finding solutions to real-world issues”
Imagine Cup encourages IT students and even photography and filmmaking students to:
- Contribute their talents to tackling some of the problems the world is facing today
- Learn new technology skills and test themself against other talented students around the world
- Make friends around the world
2. Google’s Project 10 to the 100: “May Those Who Help The Most Win”
According to Project 10100 website, this is “a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible”.
Well, more info on these two competitions can be found in their websites. What I want to discuss here is about the way Google and Microsoft run these competitions.
In my opinion, these are PR campaigns, definitely.
In case you’re not familiar with what PR is, here’s my short definition: PR (Public Relations) is the practice of building a brand image via social activities that serve the public.
PR and advertising have the same purpose: building brands. However, PR and advertising work in totally different ways. Advertising works just like a broadcast radio that continuously send company’s messages to people hoping some of them will like the messages. On the other hand, PR focuses on interaction between the company and the public. By doing something useful for the public, PR builds a better image of the company.
Let’s get back to the 2 rivals’ campaigns.
Putting aside the flashy slogan, does Micro$oft really want to help the world solving our toughest issues such as poverty and spreading diseases? Then why do they ask candidates “to create real world software and services applications that use Microsoft tools and technology” ? (http://imaginecup.com/Competition/Overview.aspx ).
Stop being so evil!
On the other hand, Google is way better than that. With no stupid “Google technology requirements” or anything like that, Google is really building its image of a “good guy”. Spending 10 million dollars funding 5 winning ideas and doesn’t require anything in return, sounds like Google doesn’t get anything. But that’s the way PR works! Google gets a lot more positive feedbacks and reviews (including this one). What a wise move.
These 2 cases are good PR examples that we should learn. They prove the Google’s philosophy of “You can make money without doing evil” to be an excellent PR concept.
Well done, Google!
Sometimes I think maybe Google is too evil that no one could realize its evilness
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Last week, I read an interesting article in Tuoi tre newspaper about Google’s project 10 to 100. They’ve collected all ideas from different people. The winner is who has an idea having influence on as many people as possible. Actually, I am trying to finish my work before deathline to get $10 million. Nothing is impossible, isn’t it? The way Google doing is remarkable!
My first assignment related to Microsoft. Since Ballmer became the company’s CEO, he’s changed Microsoft competely, especially on structure and culture. He wants people working together, share ideas, etc. But it is still ‘inside’ the company!
Google tends to be more open-minded than Microsoft.
Microsoft informed that they looked like David while Google were Gorliath in search engine…
Bravo, Google!
reference: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7647399.stm
Thanks JayP
Actually Google is even far more evil than M$.
Google knows all the rules and knows exactly when and how to break them. “Words of mouth” is Google’s favorite way, and Google is the only one who knows how powerful this method is.
BTW, actually the winner won’t get $10M as you expected
Google will only help you to implement your idea
The internet should not be controlled solely by Google. Evilness should be shared!
Don’t be so jealous, woman =))
If you want a piece of the cake, just do something innovative.
i just think, since Gg knows hell lots about you and your online life, how abt…using that information for their own purposes? Since they monitor nearly ‘the content of the internet’, how abt using that power for their own incentives? say, besides earning money from the huge personal database they own, how abt using it for political/military reasons, manipulating things in the American way of thinking?
Internet is by everyone for everyone, now it’s probably not.
And since because one is so smart, he has the utmost right to control what should be fairly represented by …ok ..big word..mankind?
haha, i know im speaking nonsense. Go find something to fill my stupid stomach now.
It’s similar to this issue: “should we make a sharper knife?”. Definitely, a sharper knife should be better. “But what if someone use the knife for harmful purposes?” Well, you can see it’s not the knife maker’s fault, but it’s the user’s responsibility
i can’t believe i came back ‘for flight’, again
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I dont see how the knife example represents the problem here. Are u saying knife = Gg? if so, in this case, knife maker = knife user = Gg company.
I feel that you are afraid of Google being a too sharp knife
Well, Google’s competitive advantage is its “good guy” brand image. They will still try to be a good guy to keep that advantage. If they do something bad, that’s would hurt themselves.
if you are a king, you have the right to set your own rules and neglect what others may really want or need (or you are so smart you make people unable to realize what they really want or need).
and most of the time we just don’t want a king – king of ‘international information’, aint it a bit scary
i call this blog Q-T dual discussion
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