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Check Out How Google Plans To Market Its Voice Application

Google Voice
<a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/25/google-voice-phone-booth/">Mashable</a>

Google's failure to capitalize on social media has been well documented. So while most companies try and parlay social media into a viral marketing campaign that generates buzz for their newest products, Google looked elsewhere to promote its launch of Google Voice. It looked fifty years into the past.

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While we were busy reviewing the product, yesterday Mashable reported that Google is putting 1950s-style phone booths in high-traffic areas to publicize its new product:

As part of its campaign to raise awareness for Google Voice, the company is getting creative. Sometime soon (likely before the end of the year), you’ll start seeing red Google Voice phone booths in public venues, primarily at airports and college campuses.

The phone booths aren’t just for show though; they actually make phone calls. While the phone booths have very classic-looking phones in them, they are powered by Internet connections, not by land lines. The company has not not yet disclosed where exactly these calling stations will be located.

We had a chance to test the phone booth out, and while it can be a bit confusing to operate (Google didn’t have time to update the instructions that appear in the phone booth) and there seems to be a bit of a lag for the dial tone, it does make a decent phone call. Calls from the booth, even international ones, are free of charge.

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And the free phone call isn't the only 21st-century feature on these relics. The old-fashioned booth is equipped with a solar panel on top allowing it to run exclusively on renewable energy.

All in all, It is a pretty cool idea. The bright red phone booths are going to be impossible to miss, and it's not like anyone's going to complain about a free phone call. Plus even though college students and travelers aren't the consumers most likely to use the actual booths, those do seem like the right demographics to target for the product itself. And that's the most important thing.

Bottom Line: There are certainly innovative ways to market your new product without desperately trying to create the next viral video. In fact, rather than always focusing on what's next, you may want to take a clue from the past.

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On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

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