Is it sad I’m going to go on the tube just to get one of these?

Heading out of London on the A4 yesterday, I spotted a billboard advertising Google Chrome (near Baron’s Court/West Kensington) – thought it was an odd way to advertise a browser… doesn’t say much about the effectiveness of Google Ads, if this is how they are spending their cash.

Looks like it is UK wide. It’s in the central Scotland edition as well.

The animated LCD billboards in the Tube were also playing a Chrome advert this morning.

Google had this billboard for Google Apps up at King’s Cross 6 weeks ago. http://twitpic.com/o0hs8 Appears that even Google need to advertise outside the Internet.

And as for Chrome not crashing… I have moved from Firefox to Chrome about two weeks ago on the grounds that it would be faster. It is marginally but it is also more prone to flipping out on a site.

Chrome still crashes plenty
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2400/screenshots/chrome-nocrashes.png

there’s even one billboard in my small town in kent. I did read it today… and I was thinking about tabs. I work in digital design/advertising and you would be surprised how many people still haven’t discovered tabs. Yes I am talking to you bloody designers )

Anyway you web freaks keep forgetting that there’s a real world out there and these ads are good reach out for those who think that Yahoo! is the entire web. As long as someone doesn’t send them this and they fall asleep again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC-2VGBHFQI

The market leader in online ads uses billboards to promote their software product.
FAIL

LOL that’s an Opera log crash, hahaha idiot

“That’s just fine and dandy, although it’s fair to say that a lot of people still don’t know what a browser actually is.”

Bingo. That encompasses most Metro readers.

“noat” – typo?

Reading is fundamental. You might want to give it a try next time.

A smart marketing campaign includes marketing in many venues. You don’t see Apple marketing itself only through it’s products – that’d be stupid. Google is trying to reach the masses, including grandma and grandpa who have no idea what a search engine is.

Also made it to Newcastle.

Good on Google!!!

Firefox have responded by promisng to read a book on the train home instead

That’s when you use Chrome’s “browser crash… go boom” reporting feature.

http://twitpic.com/tecz1

…chrome is crisp but won’t be letting go of my faithful firefox. Well, at least i can keep both

Who in their right mind wants a browser from a company that thinks privacy is for wrong-doers…

I think this is a class move from Google.

They have advertised beyond the web and done it in a fantastic fashion. I picked up a copy of the metro because of this advert, it’s very effective.

I think a few of you need to get out into the real world and not just play in front of the screen eh

Well actually even if it is a legit crash then it’s on Chromium, the dev channel. The idea of that is to find bugs and such that make Chromium crash before they release the next beta and then Chrome itself.

Do we need this level of Google support on a major Technology website. Even covering their Advertisement Poster in a Metro.

Indeeed …

C:\Progam Files (x86)\Opera\crash\ …

People who aren’t doing anything wrong?

I’m not sure about Chrome.. It crashed on me 5 times. I can’t even open it… haha

I think it is great Google is propping up the newspaper industry with a bit of advertising here and there – shows that it does work after all.

Still cannot believe the no crash thing though. Chrome does this a lot to me – technically not a crash but still annoying: http://twitpic.com/thg39

I use chrome 90% of the time but my instincts are that they should have held off on this until they had solved a couple of reliability issues.

I think Google is doing the right thing, but they need to have more to show for. Right now, Chrome is pretty plain and likewise, the Chrome OS as well. They need to polish it some more so that it looks and functions a bit better. They need the perfectionist attitude that Apples brings to all of their products. Here’s an article that reflects these same feelings:

http://www.allchromenews.com/2009/11/27/first-impressions-of-google-chrome-os-could-use-a-bit-of-the-apple-taste/

On the same lines i saw an advert on the side of a bus for Youtube last night

Gotcha!

Save everyone some time http://thebln.com/blog

Even Yahoo! UK page is advertising Chrome, which I find kind of funny – Yahoo advertising Google.

@Sarah: In that case, I’m assuming you don’t mind letting me put a video camera in your bedroom?

As you said, if you haven’t done anything wrong, why does it matter?

From what I’ve seen on my websites (2m pageviews/month) Chrome is eating away at the IE market share not Firefox’s. I think this campaign might speed that trend up!

lol idiot

LOL!
@Richard, I also use Firefox and one of the reasons im not switching to Chrome is that I just dont trust Google like everyone else seems to do.
That, and good old Adblock (and no the Chrome extension Adsweep does something TOTALLY different!)

[...] Via Techcrunch、BlogoScoped、thenextweb [...]

It will be seen by a lot more than a million people – copies of the Metro get left on public transport by commuters to be read by others.

The question is, will they take any notice…

Chrome crashes far more then firefox. Its faster, especially with google stuff.. but its still just a GODAMN browser.

I don’t like the fact that internet = browser. It’s clearly more then that and people should know.

the METRO is a crappy freesheet that messes up the Tube ill be suprised if 1 in 10,000 people who look at a copy actualy tries chrome

I think Chrome is perfect in exactly this regard, it is highly polished.

From the way it handles “simple” things like closing tabs

http://www.theinvisibl.com/news/2009/12/08/a-piece-with-a-lot-of-screenshots-about-the-close-tab-behaviour-in-google-chrome/

to how they’ve implemented extensions (auto-updating, no need to close and reopen browser), to the clean interface without a bunch of unused dead space, to the browser itself being auto-updating.

they have put a ton of thought into usability.

Just ‘cuz it’s saved in the Opera folder doesn’t mean it’s Opera causing the crash. As it happens, Inspector is a standalone program *made* by Opera that analyses crashes of other programs.

http://www.opera.com/support/kb/view/432/

So much for not reading, hmm?

@Sarah – People who aren’t doing anything wrong?

Lots of people died in two worlds wars for freedom – why would you give up this right so easy to a faceless corporation – 1984

[...] is starting to push Chrome in a big way now, not just in the U.S., but also abroad. The Chrome beta is now available on Macs and it is now offers a growing array of extensions. There [...]

That’s not Chrome anyway, it’s Chromium, the developer build … it’s bound to crash!

#FAIL

How exactly is Chrome used to create Spotify playlists?

1.3 millions readers.

How many of those are going to pay attention to the advertising and use it?

I saw Ask.com advertised on Google Maps this morning.

Just what I was thinking!

This morning I was reading all the speculation on a Google phone.
The station was full of the Metro papers advertising the browser.
The Video display on Westminster bridge was proclaiming the merits of Chrome.
The passing buses were covered in full-size ads for You Tube.

All your bases are indeed belong to us.

[...] has a writeup of how many people Chrome may reach via a cover wrap of the Metro and Journalism.co.uk has a picture which is worth a snigger – Chrome advertised right outside [...]

Install Chrome and say goodbye to all your privacy. Nice one Google. There is no such thing as “free”. Firefox want you to download their browser because they make money from the search bar, what’s Google in it for? To get a better glimpse of where their users go to, what they spend money on, what ads they click on, etc.

Why would you want to put a video camera in my bedroom? Fucking pervert!

Yeah, who would of thought an Internet browser would of made their deaths be in vane!

/s [idiot]

[...] Google just advertised Chrome to a million people in the UK quite interesting that they’re spending money on this Name: Required [...]

I saw it today in the Metro paper, in Manchester. It was pretty wierd finding it at first, because they’re aiming at people that don’t use computers, mainly older people.. fail marketing by Google.

[...] Google Chrome seems to be increasing its advertising efforts with a wraparound ad in London’s METRO. They have also launched a site where you are able to send Chrome as a Christmas gift to your [...]

“Firefox want you to download their browser because they make money from the search bar” you’d rather their costs were met from good wishes alone?

[...] GoogleのChromeはいよいよ本格的に広がりを見せつつあり、米国のみならず世界にも普及しつつある。Mac用にもベータ版が登場しており、また拡張機能も各種用意されつつある。なるほどプレゼントとして一考の余地があるかもしれない。 [...]

“Can’t even open it”

If your machine is that screwed up by the amount of porn-related malware, then its not Chrome’s fault is it?

Anyone who doesn’t do things wrong online, plus, you think Microsoft, Yahoo, Ask or any other search engine don’t track your data? The fact the Google is transparent and upfront about telling you about your data retention doesn’t mean the others are not tracking your data.

haha, was thinking the same thing!

[...] has a writeup of how many people Chrome may reach via a cover wrap of the Metro and Journalism.co.uk has a picture which is worth a snigger – Chrome advertised right outside [...]

[...] the Connotate approach to Google’s use of a paper wrap around to the free commuter newspaper, Metro. Google was pitching its Chrome “consumer” Web [...]

Good advertising.

[...] has a writeup of how many people Chrome may reach via a cover wrap of the Metro and Journalism.co.uk has a picture which is worth a snigger – Chrome advertised right outside Ruper [...]

Not just the UK by the way. Metro Netherlands had it this morning as well.

[...] has a writeup of how many people Chrome may reach via a cover wrap of the Metro and Journalism.co.uk has a picture which is worth a snigger – Chrome advertised right outside Ruper [...]

[...] apie Google Chrome reklamas pakelėse bei nemokamoje metro spaudoje Jungtinėje Karalystėje. Pasak TechCrunch, reklama dienraštyje Metro Google bando pasiekti 15-44 metų amžiaus dirbančius miestiečius. [...]

well, what can i say

[...] has a writeup of how many people Chrome may reach via a cover wrap of the Metro and Journalism.co.uk has a picture which is worth a snigger – Chrome advertised right outside [...]

[...] is really serious about using offline media to push its Web browser. After running ads for Google Chrome in the UK, it has today started a similar campaign in The Netherlands, too. Like in the UK, [...]

[...] is starting to push Chrome in a big way now, not just in the U.S., but also abroad. The Chrome beta is now available on Macs and it is now offers a growing array of extensions. There [...]

[...] is really serious about using offline media to push its Web browser. After running ads for Google Chrome in the UK, it has today started a similar campaign in The Netherlands, too. Like in the UK, [...]

[...] (GOOG) is really serious about using offline media to push its Web browser. After running ads for Google Chrome in the UK, it has today started a similar campaign in The Netherlands, too. Like in the UK, [...]

[...] 9:00 am on December 17, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply Después de los anuncios en el Reino Unido en la publicación Metro, esta vez ha sido en Holanda, donde Google ha decidido continuar la [...]

Not many people even know what a browser is, let alone there are different types of browsers. Or versions.

Personally I am a big Firefox fan and wouldn’t touch IE with a bargepole. As for Chrome – well I haven’t really got a problem with Firefox and love the add ons so am sticking with what I know.

[...] yesterday, a bunch of ads for it were spotted in newspapers in the Netherlands. They’re doing the same thing in the UK as well. Google famously doesn’t advertise on its homepage, but it does promotions [...]

[...] why Google has been talking up page speed as a ranking factor recently? Techcrunch has a writeup of how many people Chrome may reach via a cover wrap of the Metro and Journalism.co.uk has a picture which is worth a snigger – Chrome advertised right outside Ruper [...]

Hello all,

Just thought I would pipe up (if it has not already been said) but this is also advertised on the London Underground via posters so it is seen by many, many more than 1M people in the UK.

[...] But it’s a completely different story to build a marketing campaign around the false claim of “Zero crashes”, which is precisely what Google has recently done across in its latest Chrome campaign. [...]

You’d be surprised how even unconsciously people will pick up on it coupled with the fact that GOOGLE is a company that is popular with most internet (at least) users.

The man on the street doesn’t usually understand the effectiveness of such media Ad blitzes as conducted by Google via ‘the Metro’. You may choose not to use it but I can bet you that by virtue of that campaign, more than half a million people who would normally associate ‘Chrome’ with car fittings will be able to tell you that it has something to do with Google. That at the moment is all that they are aiming for – AWARENESS.

You’d be surprised how even unconsciously people will pick up on it coupled with the fact that GOOGLE is a company that is popular with most internet (at least) users.

The man on the street doesn’t usually understand the effectiveness of such media Ad blitzes as conducted by Google via ‘the Metro’. You may choose not to use it but I can bet you that by virtue of that campaign and very conservatively estimated, more than half a million people who would normally associate ‘Chrome’ with car fittings will be able to tell you that it has something to do with Google.

That at the moment is all that they are aiming for – AWARENESS. Aimed especially at the one track mind (for example AOL, Y! Yahoo users).

There are still people and companies using IE 6, this shows how hard you have to work to get someone to switch browsers.

I really don’t think Google’s press ads cut the mustard to be honest. Not that that’s a bad thing cos personally Ive got a enough Google stuff in my life and don’t want anymore.

[...] Google Chrome (the future of everything) Posted on August 26, 2010 by powderach So today I started to look into Chrome extensions. Firstly, lets just say there are a lot of them. 761 in fact (and this number will probably have increased by the time I publish this post.) Especially after today when the social media world has been buzzing about the fact that Google advertised Chrome to a million people in the UK via this mornings Metro. [...]

[...] media spend has primarily majored on outdoor posters with the occasional promotion in newspapers, for an example see this article.  This marketing expense is unlikely to decrease as Google continues to face up to [...]