Balloons and Internet for all, coming at you from Oceania

Google is set to launch one of its biggest and craziest (in a good way!) innovations yet - Project Loon. This initiative was started from right here in our own back yard as well! The project's purpose is to create widespread and low cost internet access for all areas of the globe in order to further increase the spread of knowledge and the speed with which the diffusion of information occurs. The project involves large weather balloon like devices that will circumnavigate the globe at very high altitudes to create a constant flow of Wi-Fi access. The project was tested right across the Tasman in central New Zealand and is proving to be on track for future success. Check out the video below for more information.

I had the distinct honour of being able to meet the Google Head of Marketing for Australia and New Zealand, Lucinda Barlow, while during her visit to The Women's College within the University of Sydney in early August. Lucinda shared with me the importance of these big ideas and how marketers and project managers keep them alive and create opportunities for everyone through strategic planning, promotion, and testing of course. She further emphasised how crucial it is to have big ideas of your own and be known for 'out of the box' thinking within your personal brand in order to be more well recognised and sought after to start implementing your life changing ideas. 'The bigger the idea the better' is what she was basically saying, and companies and teams like Google can always provide inspiration for setting those big ideas into motion.

Another important aspect of this project is the fact that marketers are in charge of making sure each of their projects align with the company's overall Value Proposition; something we talk about very intricately throughout our Internal Marketing and Innovative Marketing Strategy courses here in the Master of Marketing Program. For example, Project Loon very clearly fulfils their overall proposition, which states, "Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful." This is further supported by the video above. Creating a cohesive brand, while inventing new projects, and innovating or disrupting the way the world functions is all part of being a successful marketer.

What idea will you come up with next? And how do you plan on implementing it or setting it into motion?

Christine Drpich
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School