Googley Lessons

It’s Gemini or Bust for Google

Aaron Goldman — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 22:42:57 +0000

Published this unscientific chart on LinkedIn with my prediction that this will be the last decade of growth for paid search advertising as agentic AI ads steal share of consumer queries and marketer budgets.

Whether this is net positive/neutral/negative for Google remains to be seen but it certainly has a leg up given its millions of advertisers that, in theory, it could simply port over to ads within Gemini.

The question is what lengths it will go to in protecting its core business of pure search ads. Of course the other question is how good/fast a job OpenAI does with rolling out ads on ChatGPT.

Ads on Google vs. ChatGPT

Aaron Goldman — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 22:43:00 +0000

Saw this graphic posted by Chaz Hutton on Bluesky about how commercial Google queries have become.

Worked with my colleague Kristin Sanford to respond back on Bluesky with this take on what may become of ChatGPT once it decides subscription revenue is not enough.

Revisiting Googley Lessons in a World of Agentic AI

Aaron Goldman — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 20:51:32 +0000

It’s been a minute (ok, 12 years) since I posted here but thought I’d share my recent LinkedIn article in which I revisited the 20 Googley Lessons from my book as a blueprint for marketers to thrive in a world of Gen AI and ChatGPT.

While I may not have predicted the term we’d use was “agentic AI” or “AI agents” my prognostication around “app-sisstants” and “search-and-act engines” was on point and the key principles for brands to deploy still hold up.

I won’t rehash them all on this blog but I will take this opportunity to encourage folks to re-read Chapter 21 and get Googley!

SIMply Search and Social

Aaron Goldman — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:31:26 +0000

Last week, I pulled out all the analogies in the book (hey, there’s another one!) to describe search and social marketing at the SIM Partners SIMposium at the (too legit) Wit Hotel in Chicago.

Below is my presentation and below that is my (too legit) rap…

Search and Social: Birds of a feather or different flock? SIMposium 2012

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Easy as 1, 2, 3 at I.R.C.E.

Aaron Goldman — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:12:02 +0000

Yesterday, I presented at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition with Sachin Gadhvi, director of search and mobile marketing at TicketsNow. The topic we addressed was “How to Turn Dynamic Inventory, Seasonality, and Promotions into an SEM Advantage” and the answer was easy… via automation. Although, as we discussed, you still need a healthy dose of human strategy and intervention because the machine needs to be properly calibrated to your business needs and goals. Methinks the rap I threw down at the end of the session could’ve used some intervention as well, particularly by way of offering any other closing line than “yeah-yeah-ee.” See below for deck and video.

How to Turn Dynamic Inventory into an SEM Advantage: TicketsNow and Kenshoo IRCE June 2012

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The gloves (and shirt!) come off at ad:tech

Aaron Goldman — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:24:46 +0000

Last week I took the stage at ad:tech San Francisco with my peeps Kevin Lange from SMG Search and Bryan Kelley from Ampush Media to discuss the similarities and differences between Google and Facebook (deck embedded below) and lo and behold a rap battle broke out.

Unlike the Search Insider Summit, where I got pounded by the SEO Rapper, I set up a battle I couldn’t lose. Yep, I battled myself! In character, though, as Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook and (after a near wardrobe malfunction at 1:25 in the video) Larry Page from Google. Round 2 featured Sergey Brin vs. Sheryl Sandberg aka me vs. me again.

Who won? All Voices called it a draw (man I can’t even beat myself!) so you be the judge…

Facebook vs. Google ad:tech SF 2012

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Google Gets Clever

Aaron Goldman — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:37:56 +0000

Three weeks ago Google bought Clever Sense, maker of the app-ssistant, Alfred.

Last week, I shared my take in MediaPost’s Search Insider: Will Clever Sense Help Google Become The Perfect Search Engine?

Sometime, we’ll get our answer.

Progress, not Perfection…

Aaron Goldman — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:54:44 +0000

2 days ago, at the Search Insider Summit, I tackled the heady topic of the perfect search engine and, after 45 minutes on stage with Alan Osetek, Jason Lehmbeck, and Vural Cifci, we made a good deal of progress but could not reach consensus on what would make the perfect search engine. At the end of the day, it appears one man’s perfection is another man’s defecation. Now we know what life is like for the engineers in Mountain View! Here’s the vid and, below that, the deck…

The Perfect Search Engine

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Thank Goodness so Many Things Rhyme with Facebook…

Aaron Goldman — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:21:06 +0000

Otherwise this Q&A would’ve gone D&O (down and out)…

Google’s Next Acquisition? Got My Antenna Up!

Aaron Goldman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:54:24 +0000

Q: Who Will Google Buy Next?
A: Tune in to my Search Insider column to find out.