Actually, to recognise and try to control the number two or three market position is a perfectly rational business decision. Clearly their target here is not Google, but Yahoo. Analogous situations might be Sainsbury and Asda scrapping it out between each other rather than directly targeting Tesco, or Abbey and Nationwide battling one another instead of taking on HBOS or Barclays.
However, there are two inherant dangers. Firstly, if you focus on your closest competitors too much, the biggest competitor can steal a march on you. Secondly, by admitting your size or market power you may become less appealing to consumers and, therefore, shareholders and might be subject to a takeover bid.
Milling about elsewhere in cyberspace, Multimap, who are my maps website of choice, have just decided to turn themselves into a Google Maps clone. Do they really think that’s going to convert anyone?
1. graybo
Actually, to recognise and try to control the number two or three market position is a perfectly rational business decision. Clearly their target here is not Google, but Yahoo. Analogous situations might be Sainsbury and Asda scrapping it out between each other rather than directly targeting Tesco, or Abbey and Nationwide battling one another instead of taking on HBOS or Barclays.
However, there are two inherant dangers. Firstly, if you focus on your closest competitors too much, the biggest competitor can steal a march on you. Secondly, by admitting your size or market power you may become less appealing to consumers and, therefore, shareholders and might be subject to a takeover bid.
2. Adrian
Sure, I agree totally.
But their whole campaign is around “Well everyone uses Google why”, which gets most people to think …
Well they do they job.
I’m not sure this campaign will work, not that going after number 2 spot is a bad strategy, just how they are doing it I think is poor.
3. The B
Milling about elsewhere in cyberspace, Multimap, who are my maps website of choice, have just decided to turn themselves into a Google Maps clone. Do they really think that’s going to convert anyone?