Glass…Google’s Next Big Thing
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Glass…Google‘s Next Big Thing
Glass…the new thing is coming and I have to admit it is pretty cool! The question is, “Will Glass by Google be the next new thing like the IPhone was to the cellular industry or will it be the Laser Disc?” You remember Laser Discs, right? They were the massive discs that were the size of a record and came right before DVD’s. If you don’t know what I’m talking about that’s ok, not many people know of them because they were a massive flop. My wife’s, sister’s old boyfriend (not meant to sound like a Spaceballs reference) proclaimed that they were going to outlive DVD’s because of their superior quality…wrong! So what will become of Google’s new creation…Glass?
If you are saying to yourself, what is this Glass thing, check out this article on Glass by Google (originally named Google Glasses, but changed to just Glass) and see what it all is about. For those of you who prefer the reader’s digest version Glass are glasses that have a small piece of glass that acts like a smartphone essentially. Yes, they did this in Back to the Future Part II (personally I think this movie was underrated) when they were at dinner in the future. I remember as a kid saying how cool it would be to have a pair of glasses like that…I guess I won’t have to wait much longer and they are much slicker in Google’s design of Glass than the Back to the Future version.
Okay, I digress though, back to the question of which will Glass be…the next IPhone or the next Laser Disc?
Well here is my argument for the next Laser Disc. Like many new products before they have an established market they tend to fail. For example, the IPhone was not the first cell phone. The IPhone was just the first cell phone with a full touchscreen and no hard keys.
It has not been discussed, but cost could be a factor as to whether people buy them. Now, people spend a lot of money on electronics, but the question is will they see value to add Glass to their repertoire.Glass? If people don’t try Glass how will they experience the benefits and more importantly identify with the product? That is a big potential issue that leads into the next issue I can see.
What if this only provides significant benefit to a small, small niche of people? In the video promo you will see people in hot air balloons, sky diving, doing some kind of martial arts fencing, ballet dancing and other more exotic, niche activities so does that mean that people will not connect with the benefits of having their own set of Glasses unless they do those things on a regular basis? Now in fairness they show clips of more mainstream activities, like interaction with kids, but will this product really resonate with the more average buyer? If not, can Glass live off the extreme demographic? Maybe, maybe not…I guess time will tell.
Now for why I think it will work. While the IPhone wasn’t really a brand new product, the IPad for all intensive purposes was the first of its kind and I would say it is doing quite well. I think even in the past few years let alone the decades since the Laser Disc was introduced our culture is much more accepting of new technology that is far removed from things we are familiar with. While Glass is a whole new product and delivers features in a new way…Glass is still uses a lot of the same products we have already used like taking pictures and videos, sharing via social media, Google searches, etc. so not as much of a stretch as it might seem.
What might be the savior if the price is a little high is there is now much more of culture among people to be the first to try something new compared to the Laser Disc era? Look at the prices people paid for IPhones and IPads when they first came out. Glass I believe is trying to capitalizing on this independent, trend setting individual who can set a trend by being one of the first to have a set of Glasses. Doubt that? Well, why do you think they are running a contest where people have to still pay for the product? Now, I know Google is running the contest for Glass so they can get publicity, but the reason they chose to get Glass out in this fashion is also because they believe that people will fight to be the first to set the trend in their area…hence my proof that there is a growing culture where people want (and are willing to pay) to be the first to try out something new. Part of the contest is you have to share how you would use Glass and why you should be picked. All of which will become part of their advertising campaign…as it should. So yes it is plausible that Glass could work even at a high price.
Now, as for the niche issue, it could be isolated to a few niches, however, I think it can also appeal to the, “I am new age…I am a trend setter…I am Google” niche similar to how Apple has created the same niche for their products. You see most companies try to sell the masses and that is not always necessary. Did you know that Apple only has about 3% of the computer market? Yep, they hold onto a small niche, but it seems like everyone has an Apple computer because their brand is so strong. When your brand is strong, everyone in your target audience buys and pays a premium for your products because to try and get a discounted price would be like discounting one’s own value…not going to happen. The result is simple, you don’t have to have a mainstream product to work, just one your target audience can identify with and support.
This last point might be the most critical in the success or failure of Glass. If Google can develop a strong brand around this concept of WHY people will want to use Glass and not what Glass does this will help them associate their already strong brand and get traction with Glass.
My personal vote is I rarely go against either Google or Apple when it comes to products that they launch. There is such a strong brand with both and at the end of the day; a strong brand is the best cure to any market challenges. Therefore, I think that Glass will be a success and excited to start seeing people walking around with essentially there computers over their eyes like an eye patch!