Chrome is faster than the speed of sound

Google is quite good at marketing. It provides one of the most used advert platforms online, AdSense, and knows a thing or two about getting the word out about its own products. Since its launch in late 2008, the browser Chrome has been heavily advertised to anyone and everyone in traditional offline ways. Now Google is trying its hand at viral marketing – and it’s going well.

The two-minute clip shows Chrome taking on some of the fastest things found on the planet. These include sound, lightning and homemade potato guns.

To ensure the experiments as fair as possible each test is run simultaneously. For example when Chrome is going up against the potato gun the mouse is clicked at the same moment the trigger is pulled.

The potatoes are shot in front of the computer screen to give that “photo finish” effect.

‘No matter how fast you think you are, Chrome wins every time’ is the clear message Google wants people to pass onto their friends. But are these tests fair?

It’s clear in the experiment between Chrome and lightning that the mouse is clicked before the lightning is triggered, making the test void for a start.

But does the average internet user want their browser compared to something like sound, or a competing browser? I would value the latter much more, but find the former more entertaining.

I’m not alone. These experiments have been viewed over 34 million times since May when they were uploaded to Chrome’s official YouTube page.

To get 34 million views the video contains something special or interesting. YouTube gets 24 hours of video footage for every hour its servers are live; this means the vast majority of the videos uploaded will get seen by under 100 people while a handful are seen by millions.

When it comes to marketing a product like a web browser it’s more about getting people talking about the name than directly competing. These adverts clearly do that as thousands of comments have been left – and a large number of people have suggested future tests.

The video itself is instant viral material, which explains why so many people have viewed it. I don’t imagine Google did much to get the video seen either. It has thousands of subscribed viewers, so the minute it was uploaded it had an audience.

Google has shown great restraint by not making more experimental videos. It would be very easy to make one hundred random speed test clips but with online video it’s important to know when to stop.

Old Spice planned perfectly how far to take its viral adverts. It created twenty short clips, then a selection of follow up videos, and then stopped. This leaves the audience wanting more, creating a positive buzz.

If you continue to milk an idea for weeks, months or even years on end no one will give you a positive review. They might be talking about your product through its adverts, but subtlety is the key. So, Google: I tip my hat to your online knowledge and marketing wizardry.