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Thanks to Google, I will be working late tonight — probably very late. A little less than a week ago, Google updated Google Trends with the beta launch of Google Insights for Search and I have been captivated just about ever since. Google Insights is basically a mash-up of a) worldwide Google web searches, b) indexed over time, c) by region (country or state), d) with relevant search terms and rising searches noted. Search analytics has intrinsic value in illustrating information about the way that people think about brands and issues. Its unaided, unfiltered and sometimes unconscious. By indexing and charting multiple searches, adding the dimensions of time and region and other key search terms, Google provides invaluable insight into the events and ideas that are driving brand perceptions. For example, the graph below shows that over much of the last 30 days, Barack Obama’s online buzz was about double that of McCain — much of it driven by his Middle East tour and Berlin speech. That is until McCain began to engage on the Internet — especially on YouTube and his bucketing of Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.  Digging a little deeper (in only a few minutes), you will see that the most common searches for Obama are not positive — they include: Jesse Jackson, the New Yorker and Ludacris. Top McCain searches are again, not necessarily about his economic or foreign policy experience, but are: Paris Hilton Video, Paris Hilton Ad and Paris Hilton McCain. As far as the McCain campaign is concerned, Mission Accomplished. Whether you’re a CEO or just a passionate advocate for an issue or brand — I encourage you to spend some time on the site. It truly does help you get inside the mind of your customer or stakeholder. Another few terms we played with this afternoon were Olympians “Michael Phelps” and “Amanda Beard.” Turns out that much of Phelps’ search is coming from Nebraska (home of the Olympic trials), Maryland (where he’s from) and Michigan (where he went to school) — and is focused on “swimming” and “Olympics.” On the other hand, Amanda Beard’s searches are emanating from Arizona (where she went to college) and have to do with things other than swimming, ie. “PETA,” “pics” and “photos.” Thanks Google, I think.
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