For nearly a year, Google’s landing page for Chromebooks has remained the same. Don’t get me wrong, it has served the platform quite well, been nice to look at, and relatively informative during that time. It has just become a tad stale and honestly in need of a new coat of paint. As it turns out, Google’s new Chromebook-focused marketing isn’t just happening on YouTube: it has also carried over to their primary Chromebook landing page.
We talked in a prior post about Google’s marketing around Chromebooks over the past couple years. They’ve done a good job at getting the main points across to potential users, but they’ve never quite had the marketing campaign needed to grab the attention of consumers looking to buy their next laptop. With this latest campaign launching on YouTube this week, the entire Switch to Chromebook theme looks to be taking over all of Google’s efforts to push the platform in front of more users.
Nowhere is this influence more prominent than Google’s primary Chromebook landing page. I would assume this page was swapped out the same time the new YouTube spots showed up, but we aren’t quite certain. I just know that I booted up a freshly powerwashed Chromebook today and this beautiful new landing page was presented to me with the Switch to Chromebook marketing lingo all over it.
This isn’t just a new paint job, though. The new site is full of new tricks, visuals, and tools as well. While there is a whole section dedicated to explaining the basic premise of a Chromebook, there’s also an entirely new shop experience with a full Chromebook selector built right in. The older how-to videos are still listed, but there’s also an entire Q&A (more like a FAQ) page, a guide to walk users through switching from Windows or Mac to Chrome OS, and a page called “Get Matched” that lets potential users answer some questions about what they are looking for and then suggests Chromebooks based on the responses.
The branding is cohesive, the experience feels fresh, and the entire message of the benefit of Chrome OS is never lost in the shuffle. The tools given to users are actually beneficial and the message of the site is clear: Google thinks it is finally time to start persuading people to make a Chromebook their next computer.
Perhaps that is the thing that has changed the most, here. Previous marketing and website campaigns focused on the features of Chromebooks, but never really made the point clear that a Chromebook could be your next computing device. With the new Switch to Chromebook campaign, however, Google seems to finally have enough confidence in not just the OS, but also in their hardware partners to begin making the bold statement that users should consider switching.
We’ve been saying it for years, but with the hardware on offer at the prices we’re currently seeing, the pitch to switch has never been an easier one to make. As a matter of fact, I’ve advised more personal Chromebook purchases in the last six months than in any other time period prior. People are looking at, interested in, and buying Chromebooks more now than they ever have. Google knows this and seems to finally be ready to take on the consumer segment of the user base. With clean, smart and clearly defined advertising like we’re starting to see lately, I think they are ready to do just that. Go take a look and play around with the new Chromebook site and see what I mean. Google isn’t playing around.
