The bleeding edge of the interactive society (or fraternity if you will) was has been all a flutter about Google’s decision to launch a browser called Google Chrome. Google Chrome would compete directly against Microsoft Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Apple Safari. If you read the blog posts and followed people’s twitter streams you’d think Google Chrome was going to cure cancer, fix the deficit, and end the war in Iraq.
As leaders in the interactive space it’s often difficult to balance the excitement of something new with the reality of its scale. As speculation ran rampant about what Google Chrome means for users, advertisers, Microsoft, Apple, etc. it was really tough to separate the hype from the reality. For example let’s look at the twitter search results for Google Chrome. You’ll find thousands of tweets about the topic. In fact, the conversation seemed dominated by talk of the browser. However if you look at what the overall web was thinking about you’ll see a much different story.
Specifically, let’s look at what Google Trends and Google Insights says about how Google Chrome stacks up against Cancer and Gas Prices. It wasn’t very impressive was it? You had to look really hard for those Google Chrome results huh 
My point isn’t that Google Chrome is unimportant or not something to pay attention to. Actually, I think Google Chrome is worth paying a lot of attention to. It’s critical we stay ahead of the trends. Our clients expect it of us, our contributions to the community are amplified by it, and let’s be honest it’s fun!
My point is we need to remember that while we’re excited about new technology and new marketing opportunities, it’s critical we temper that enthusiasm and keep everything in perspective. Just because our small tight knit community is excited about something doesn’t mean the rest of the marketing community is. How we communicate information is critical. How often do we hear, “it’s all in the delivery?” We need to balance our desire to share the “new” with the real world impact of the “new.”
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
