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 s...