Google’s Decision to Launch Google+

Google’s Decision to Launch Google+
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Case Study: Google's Decision to Launch Google+
Introduction
Google is a multinational American technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products. It was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin and is currently headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is the world's most valuable brand, and its products and services include online advertising technologies, search, cloud computing, software, hardware, and artificial intelligence (Steve, 2013). Google owns and operates several of the world's most popular websites, such as Google Search, YouTube, Google Maps, and Gmail. In 2011, Google made a bold decision to enter the social networking space by introducing Google+, a revolutionary platform that promised to offer users an interactive and personalized experience. The launch of Google+ was met with much fanfare and excitement; however, the service failed to gain traction and eventually shut down in April 2019.
Structure of the case study
Google's decision to launch Google+ was a carefully planned and deliberate move spearheaded by Google's then-CEO, Larry Page. The decision was made in April 2011, with the official launch of the social networking service occurring in June of that year. The decision was made in response to the growing power of social media, its impact on the online industry, and Google's desire to compete with other major players in the space, such as Facebook. The key people involved in the decision-making process are shown in the table below.
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

KEY PEOPLE INVOLVED

Idea Generation & Brainstorming

Google Executives, Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and User Experience Specialists

Concept Development

Google Executives, Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and User Experience Specialists

Business Model & User Experience Design

Google Executives, Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and User Experience Specialists

Launch & Promotion

Google Executives, Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and User Experience Specialists, Google Marketing, Advertising, and Sales Teams

Growth & Iteration

Google Executives, Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and User Experience Specialists, Google Marketing, Advertising, and Sales Teams

The decision to launch Google+ was a planned and deliberate move to capitalize on the explosive growth in social media and compete with other major players such as Facebook. Google had noticed the growing power of social media and wanted to create its social networking service to capitalize on this trend (Purdy, 2012). Google+ was intended to be a platform for users to share content, connect with friends, and discover new content, and it was designed to compete with other social networking services.
Google's decision to launch Google+ involved both defensive and offensive strategies. On the defensive side, Google sought to protect its market share and user base by creating a social platform that was similar to, but separate from, existing social media platforms (Sutherland, 2012). By creating a separate platform from existing social media platforms, Google was able to protect user data from exploitation and keep its competitors from using it to their advantage. On the offensive side, Google sought to expand its market share by creating a new social platform that provided users with a better experience than existing social media platforms. Additionally, Google sought to increase its advertising revenue by providing advertisers with more targeted and efficient ad delivery (Lombardi, 2013).
Google's decision to launch Google+ in 2011 was a strategic move that has had far-reaching implications for the company and the digital landscape. At the time, Google was facing increased competition from other social media platforms, and it was looking for a way to differentiate itself from the pack (Brookhouser, 2015). Google+ attempted to create an integrated social platform that would enhance the Google experience and help the company maintain its position as a leader in the technology sector. The decision to launch Google+ faced success initially but gradually declined later, as shown in the table below.
Year

Number of Users

2011

200 million

2012

150 million

2013

100 million

2014

50 million

2015

20 million

2016

10 million

2017

5 million

2018

2 million

2019

0 million

Several critical factors influenced Google's decision to launch Google+ in the organization's internal and external environment (Steiber, 2016). Internally, Google identified the need to create a social network platform to compete with the dominant market leader, Facebook. Google had previously attempted to launch a social network platform, Google Buzz, but failed to gain significant traction. With the success of Facebook, Google had a clear target to aim for and identified the need to create a platform that could effectively compete (Saygin Celen, 2021). They needed to create a platform with greater user engagement, innovative features, and a better user experience.
Another internal factor influencing Google's decision was better integrating its existing products and services. Google had various products and services, including Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps, but they needed better integration. Google+ was a way to create an integrated platform allowing users to access and share content across these services quickly (Greenstein, 2017).
Externally, Google was also influenced by the increasing popularity of social media. The success of Facebook has shown that social media could be an effective platform for businesses, and Google wanted to capitalize on this trend (Tigani and Naidu, 2014). They wanted to create a platform that would allow them to better engage with their customers and provide them with new and innovative ways to interact with their products and services. Finally, Google was also influenced by the competition from other social media platforms. In particular, Twitter was seen as a significant competitor, and Google wanted to create a platform that could compete with the popular microblogging service.
Power structures and relations within the company heavily influenced Google's decision to launch Google+. Ideologically, the decision to launch Google+ was based on the belief that a social media platform could help Google capitalize on the growth of the internet and expand its presence in the digital world. Internally, Google had a team of engineers and developers working on the project, and the decision to launch Google+ was ultimately made by the company's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Externally, Google's decision to launch Google+ was heavily influenced by the competitive environment of the time, with the launch of Facebook and Twitter, as well as other social media platforms (Vise and M...