Google TV -Content is King

Dear Google,

In TV Land, Content is king.  And here you are sitting on the largest reservoir of user generated content in the world.  It’s time to get organized.  This trove of video is so large and the meta data so weak, that it becomes unwieldy.  What a problem to have.

User generated video can be the flesh that fills out the Google TV bones.  This is one place where you have Apple and Samsung smart TV’s beat, hands down.  Streaming live concerts like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits can easily be duplicated by the competition.  So can “cheaper” video rentals, as Netflix moves prices the wrong way.

America may want another episode of “Slap-Boxing with Celebrities,” but America needs the Google Financial Network, an education in real world finances.  American schools do not teach how to balance a check book, buy a car or finance a college degree.  Google TV, coupled with interactive, online workbooks will provide a new avenue for advertising.

Youtube videographers will jump at the chance to produce episodes in return for revenue sharing and bragging rights.

Here a few channels that can get the Google Financial Network off the ground:

Household Finance – “The Financial Background You Need To Survive In The 21^st Century” - Math, budgets, credit cards, banks and checking, etc.

Young Person’s Finance – age specific, savings accounts, checking accounts, interest, features “video-game based learning”

Stock, Commodity, Mortgage, Insurance, Auto Market Basics – “So you wanna buy what?”  Industry insiders spill their guts about how it “really” works. 

Fixed Income Basics – CDs, Strips, Coupons, Bills, Notes and Bonds – How, when and what percentage of your portfolio should be invested for your current life stage.

Charting – Stock, commodity, real estate charting and technical analysis using Google proprietary algorithms

Options – Stock, bond and commodity options pricing using standard models and special Google models. Emphasis on writing covered calls in retirement accounts

401K and Retirement Planning and Management – From the Young Turks to the Old Guard, Americans need to know how to plan their own retirement. 

IPO Roadshow – Much needed outlet for the startup community.  Google algorithms rate each company on substance and presentation.  This channel blends hardcore sales and a business plan.  This could get really funny.

Green Company News and Stories – Much needed outlet for companies focused on Green Technology.  “How To” episodes for home solar, wind, bio-diesel, etc.  Excellent chance to teach engineering and chemistry. 

Cheers,

Perk

 

Chateau Mountain View

Dear Google,

T-shirts and jeans are fine, but sometimes, when we celebrate, we like to dress up.  Google might soon wish to celebrate one million Droid activations per day.  What shall we pour into our glasses for the toast?  

How about uncorking a bottle of “Chateau Mountain View?” 

Would you prefer the Widget White or the Recursive Red?

Wine makes a perfect high end marketing tool, announcing to the world that Google appreciates the finer things in life.  And like the finer things in life, there is never enough to go around.

                       

A Parable

Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day.

Teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.

Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish,

He’ll eat steak.

Chateau Mountain View must command a super premium price to be taken seriously, let’s say $500 per bottle.  Of course we don’t want to sell wine, we want to give it away.  A bottle will be harder to get than an invitation to Google +.  I would provide free Google wine to the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington.  I trust this will generate a buzz.  I would give a bottle to the Google Employee of the Month.  All sales should be limited to no more than one case.

Chateau Mountain View must be classy, like that new Mercedes Benz spot featuring SVP Googler Gupta.  And when did Mercedes choose to air this spot?  During a “Hogan’s Heroes” marathon?” Eh, no.   They chose the number one golf tournament in the world, The Open Championship.  Classy.  No T-shirts or jeans are visible in Google HQ during the shooting of this commercial.  Hmm.

Chateau Mountain View will be a “sustainable” winery, in keeping with the Google “Do No Evil” policy.  The label will be made from recycled, Google office paper and we can have a contest for the label design.  The bottle’s shape could resemble a lava lamp.

“When only the best will do, pour Chateau Mountain View.”

Cheers,

Perk