Disadvantage to Google's brand awareneness

http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39161395,00.htm

Google spells out its verb case scenario

Internet search giant Google has said it intends to crack down on the use of its brand name as a generic verb, saying phrases such as 'to google' somebody or something are potentially damaging to its brand.

But it's unlikely the search giant will prove successful in its attempts and is only setting itself up for a fall, according to experts.

A spokeswoman for Google said: "We think it's important to make the distinction between using the word Google to describe using Google to search the internet and using the word Google to generally describe searching the internet. It has some serious trademark issues."

Google's efforts most likely won't stop people from using Google as a verb, but I find it interesting how the company doesn't want to be associated with a verb that is closely related to web searching. If Google plans on spending some of its $10 Billion war chest efficiently, they're going to have to take on other projects that are unrelated to web searching. Digging in and just entrenching itself in the search engine game, as just a branded house, would make it a little more difficult for the company to diversify into other industries and solutions, especially if it were completely unrelated such as energy. The converse of that strategy would be then to promote the new brands using existing brand equity or to create new brands and spend heavily in promoting them.

-Hasan Syed