It’s been a while since my last posting and a lot has happened in the marketing world. I figured that with the recent spate of interesting developments, the timing would be right to post my next blog update. Here are some of the newsworthy developments in the blogosphere and my personal views on them…

Google and China – Starting off with the news that’s been dominating all the RSS feeds and blog posts…Will they or won’t they? Will Google finally take a stand and walk out of a booming market or will they bow down to the higher powers. While Google in the past had agreed to censor search results in accordance with government policies in China, it is no longer willing to do so. Miffed at the reports about hacking of personal email accounts of human rights activist, Google threatened to take its business out of the China market. However, as I write, the analysts are still speculating on what will be the outcome of this tug-of-war. While on one end, Google is talking about the right to free information and privacy laws, on the other end China is questioning the double standards by Google. Several cyber-security experts claim that “e-mail hacker had obtained the e-mail information by accessing Google’s own internal intercept system - a program designed to enable Google to collect user information in response to US government demands.” While I firmly believe in freedom of speech and information, I also wish that all the facts come out in the open before we make any judgments on this issue.. More details on this here. Also read Google’s official statement here

Pepsi and Superbowl – As we all get ready for the superbowl on Feb 7th, the part which interests me the most are its commercials. The ads make more sense to me than the actual sport, especially given its impact on the marketing world and also our pop culture. Starting from the Apple ad way back in 1984 to Doritos ad created by its fans in 2007, they are often the most talked about even years after the game. This year it will be no different! Given the recession last year and the companies that came out of it…there is a whole lot of curiosity on the ads that will be on. People are speculating about a gay dating site to web-hosting service to a well-loved animal protection group. One key player that has opted to stay out of the superbowl race this year is Pepsi..surprising but true! While analysts think it might be a recessionary cutback, the marketing folks at Pepsi say it’s not a budgetary move rather a strategic move.. Instead of usual Superbowl ad this year, they are investing close to $20M to believe it or not…a community! While analysts are claiming this to be a bold move, I personally think this is a sign of things to come. While it pays to have a boom-splash once in a while, but when it comes to reaching out to consumers and creating a dialogue with them, communities are the way to go. Read this article for more details

Look forward to your comments, views, suggestions and feedback.