the browser wars and google's chrome sword

The Browser Wars + Google’s Chrome Sword

Why is Google in the Game ??

(my speculations…)

Google wants us to spend more time online (preferably

in the browser)

The more time we spend online, the more opportunity Google has to serve us

with ads ($$$)

Offline desktop software (and, to a lesser extent, native

apps) is currently a large blind spot for Google

However, new technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, SVG, WebGL, and Native Client mean that this might not be

the case for much longer…

Advanced web technologies now realistically present the potential of carrying full desktop functionality over to the web. HTML5, for one,

is already doing this

But, though the technology exists (or might exist soon), users won’t use products that don’t exist, and developers won’t create products that don’t work on users’ browsers

Which brings us to…

W3C + WHATWG + Standards Process

Standards boards exist to encourage conformity across browsers so that the internet doesn’t become the internets

They have a reputation for being slow, political, and ineffectual

The most important thing to remember is:

The current state of the

internet is in constant flux and determined as a result of power

relationships between

USERS – DEVELOPERS – BROWSERS – STANDARDS

Each of these groups has power to

shape the web

So if Google wants to impact user behavior and get us to spend more time

online, it might be a good idea for them to establish a presence within one of

these power bases

USERS – DEVELOPERS – BROWSERS – STANDARDS

(Chrome as an agent of behavioral change)

The Purpose:

Chrome exists to push the web forward

(doesn’t sound too evil, does it?)

“As technologies like HTML5, CSS3, SVG and WebGL start to become more mainstream, not only will the web apps we already use become more useful, but we should also see developers building web apps that do things that previously could have only been done

by desktop applications”

– Simon Mackie, GigaOm

The more that is possible to do online, the more time people like you

and me will spend on the web

And the more likely we are to see Google-owned ad space!

But, because developers won’t make things that nobody will use, Chrome’s ability to push the market forward is

determined by its market share

So if Google wants to maximize its ability to control the future of the web, they should (1) build a browser people want to use and (2) market the

hell out of it

Purpose of advertising: Increase Chrome’s global share of total hours

spent browsing the web

HOW TO GET THERE

WHAT DO USERS CARE ABOUT ??

(**the following is informed by a quick’n’dirty survey I sent through Mechanical Turk, heaps of blog comments, and a handful of

qualitative interviews I conducted**)

Q: What are your main sources of frustration while browsing?

- Crashing/Freezing/Bugs - Too slow - Lack of functionality with some sites - Too cluttered with toolbars

Q: What do you like most about your browsing experience? - Speed - Learning things on the web - When it is effortless - Multiple tabs - Reliability / “When it works like it’s meant to” - Customizable

It seems that, for a lot of people, the web browser is a barrier to their

enjoyment of the web. Many think of the browser as a means to an end and just want something that won’t get in the

way of their web experience.

Browser qualities users value highly

- Reliability - Speed - Ease of use - Functionality - Features - Convenience

Of Chrome’s 3 S’s (Speed, Simplicity, and Security), it appears that speed has the most traction.

Security seems to be something users expect more than they desire, but valued insofar as it relates to reliability.

Simplicity is a tricky one because, though users value simplicity relating to design and ease of use, simplicity in functionality and features has a negative connotation.

(Other qualities I associate with Chrome such as “openness” barely registered outside the developer/tech geek community…)

Q: Why do you use the browser you currently use most frequently?

- Chrome users: speed, design, reliability

- Firefox users: trust, familiarity, performance, speed, features

- Explorer users: convenience, habit, no reason

- Safari users: convenience, compatibility

Q: What comes to mind when you think of [X] browser?

- Chrome: Google, speed, new, up-and coming, unsure, sleek - Firefox: best, fast, reliable, quality, popular, feature-rich* - Explorer: slow, crap, last resort, old, on its way out, familiar, viruses, “annoying thing I use to download other browsers” - Safari: Apple, (jungle), secondary, inadequate, standard, stylish

(*NB: a disproportionately high number of Firefox users responded to my survey, so the results are skewed by that as well as by the survey method… a broader and more representative sample set would clearly be more ideal)

Observations:

- Safari and Chrome are heavily associated with their parent companies

- Explorer and Safari seem to be strong in convenience and compatibility (there may be some fruitful strategic space for Chrome in here, especially considering Google’s robust web-based product ecosystem)

- Chrome and Firefox overlap a lot perceptually - both achieving recognition for speed, performance, reliability, and features (with chrome stronger on speed and Firefox more closely associated with features and reliability)

Observations (cont’d):

- Explorer continues to suffer from a large amount of negativity, despite the fact that it has started competing again with IE9. It will take a long time for IE to overcome its outdated, glitchy image considering that the idea is deeply ingrained. Also, the fact that many people have no choice but to use IE6 at work does not help Explorer’s cause. The idea that Chrome was ‘built from the ground up’ might be fertile ground for luring IE users

Observations (cont’d):

- People are still a bit unsure about Chrome due to its newness (so the ‘built from the ground up’ idea might not resonate well with all target audiences)

- Despite heavy emphasis on openness from Firefox (especially) and Chrome, the quality barely registered as something users care about or associate with any browser (at least outside of the developer community)

SWITCHING

It’s not enough to build messaging around what users value. To get people to change their behavior and adopt Chrome as their primary browser, Google must understand why people switch from and stick with

their current browsers

Why do people switch?

a spark may lead to a trial, which may lead to an adoption

SPARK TRIAL ADOPTION

Types of Sparks

- Curiosity (may be caused by word of mouth,

recommendations, advertising, etc.)

- Frustration with immediate browsing experience (e.g. browser crashes, user visits a site that wont work with his or her current browser)*

- Use of new device (e.g. a work computer, a friend’s tablet) that has a different browser installed

(sparks range in nature from voluntary to involuntary)

*A Note on Frustration (from previous slide):

I found it interesting that a few people cited “standards compliance” as a source of frustration. This indicates to me that when a user navigates to a site built on advanced web technology, they blame their browser if the site does not display properly. If this is the case, Chrome should keep pushing advanced web technologies that make cool sites like Tinkercad or OK Go’s “All is Not Lost” Chrome Experiment possible – especially since Explorer currently does not support WebGL. The cooler the website/app, the stronger the spark

How is Chrome doing with trial?

SPARK TRIAL

Not too bad…

- 60% of people surveyed have tried

Chrome at some point in the past - 30% of people surveyed have tried a

new browser within the past month - 50% of people surveyed have tried a

new browser in the last six months

(after that, there is a bit of a lag, with 30% having not tried a browser for 2+ years)

Most frequently cited reasons for trial: - Positive WoM/recommended by friend

- Normal browser wasn’t working well (mainly IE-specific)

- Heard it was faster

- Pre-installed on another device I used/came with another program

- Curiosity

- To use an app or extension

But, of the people who had tried Chrome, only 30% reported currently using it as their primary browser…

TRIAL ADOPTION

…which is strange because the people who tried Chrome seemed to like it

(all impressions of Chrome from the group who had tried but not adopted Chrome were positive - ranging from “great” to “fast” to “on its way up” - or neutral - ranging

from “Google” to “backup browser”)

So what is going on?

Barriers to switching exist that prevent users from switching even though they have a positive experience with a new browser Barriers to switching include:

- Habit

- Add-ons and Extensions*

- Comfort with current browser / no pressing reason to switch (each of these is closely related to convenience)

*85% of Firefox users have installed add-ons

In this case, the trick is to repeat the SPARK TRIAL process as much as

possible*

(the more the behavior is repeated, the less convenient using another browser becomes, the more likely using Chrome is

to become habit)

(REPEATED) TRIAL ADOPTION

*The first trial is the hardest to achieve. Once the browser is installed on someone’s computer, there is less resistance moving from SPARK TRIAL

Implications:

- Current marketing activity seems to be working to induce trial

- Chrome should keep pushing Chrome Experiments and advanced web technologies to increase frequency of sparks

- Chrome should advertise that it is at the forefront of web technology – that it allows users to achieve more with their web experience – so that current users feel good about Chrome and potential users think of Chrome when their normal browser isn’t working well

Implications (cont’d):

- Chrome should sponsor more initiatives, like Chrome for a Cause, which might make users more familiar with and habitualized to the browser

- Chrome communications should emphasize features that mitigate barriers to switching (for example, ease of importing bookmarks to Chrome from other browsers)

- Chrome should build up its own barriers to switching with extensions, apps, and seamless integration with other Google services like Gmail, Maps and Search

Implications (cont’d):

- Chrome might want to target the TRIAL ADOPTION conversion more with its creative messaging, possibly by incorporating themes such as convenience, familiarity, and reassurance

STRATEGIC KERNELS

POTENTIAL CREATIVE TERRITORIES: #1

It’s about the web not the browser.

Stemming from the idea that users can see the browser as a barrier to their web experience – this could build off pre-existing Chrome strengths such as ease of use, speed, and simplicity in design. It also speaks to user desires for a reliable, effortless browsing experience. Nothing comes between you and what you’re there for …something along these lines.


Convenience/Comfort/Seamless Ecosystem

Users reported convenience, compatibility, and familiarity as important factors in choosing a browser. Some also reported Chrome as feeling “too new,” which made them “unsure” about the browser.

To play to the former and combat the latter, Chrome could leverage Google’s robust, web-based product ecosystem…

…especially considering that Google products we all use regularly, like Maps and search, work better with Chrome.

Messaging along these lines would also help retain current Google Chrome users, as comfort, compatibility, and familiarity are important barriers to switching.


Pushing the web forward.

Chrome is already developing a reputation – which it should actively support - for being at the forefront of web technology. This is great for Chrome because it feeds into the idea that you can do anything you want to on the web with Chrome (a slight variation on Potential Creative Territory #1) - with advanced web technologies, the browser is not only not a barrier to your web experience, it actively enhances it.

This idea would also resonate well with the tech press and developer communities (who influence the right side of the tech adoption curve); and would smack of authenticity because it is true.

Pushing the web forward should encourage even more trial as people become curious and want to see what Chrome can do that other browsers can’t. Further, current Chrome users would feel tech-savvy and progressive – reinforcing their desire to stick with the browser.

User-centric variants on the theme could be something like “do more with Chrome”


Speed.

It’s working. I wouldn’t abandon it. Users care about speed and strongly associate it with Chrome. Maybe focus the message more to current IE and Safari users, if possible, as speed doesn’t seem to be a huge source of tension for Firefox users at the moment. (I also wouldn’t abandon the “the web is what you make” of it campaign - some of those ads give me goose bumps! And they working on many of the dimensions I’ve identified)

SUMMARY

- Chrome is an agent of behavioral change. It exists to get users to spend more time online by expanding the capabilities of the web

- Chrome’s ability to push the market forward is determined by its market share. The reason for advertising, then, is to increase Chrome’s share of total hours spent browsing the web

- Users value Reliability, Speed, Ease of use, Functionality, Features, and Convenience in browsers

- Chrome is best known for speed, design, and being new; perceptually, has a lot in common with Firefox

SUMMARY (cont’d)

- Switching happens from SPARK TRIAL ADOPTION. Chrome seems to be doing well from SPARK to TRIAL, and should also focus effort bridging TRIAL and ADOPTION

- Potential creative territories include a focus on the web experience over the browser experience, convenience and familiarity with the Google ecosystem, and pushing the web forward

PARTING THOUGHTS

It’s an exciting time to be working

with the internet – thanks to passionate web developers and companies like Google pushing the web forward with exciting new technologies, it feels like we’re on the cusp of a revolution in our conception

of what’s possible on the internet

Thank you.

the browser wars and google's chrome sword

Technology