Leo Burnett - Cultural Fuel

It’s been fairly painful to watch Google’s efforts to launch Street View in Germany over the last few years. In fact, I posted about it over 3 years ago or so. The fairly strict and bizarre privacy laws in Germany have prevented a speedy introduction of the service here and produced Kafkaesque results. In fact whole consumer advocacy groups spoke of “intense breach of people’s privacy” or “big brother.”

While it is historically understandable that privacy is a hot issue in Germany, the whole thing is also quite hypocritical. Even Germany’s conservative privacy laws cannot stop the digital juggernaut that is changing our very definition of what privacy means, neither in the legal arena nor the public discussion. Digital technologies creep in everywhere, even into the technology used by the Government itself. The brunt of those changes are not even discussed or made an issue. However, Google as “big brother” was a welcome target and it pushed all the right buttons with advocacy groups who are fighting for a reason to exist and therefore spawned a discussion that seemed on to go forever. Perfect Privacy Feeding Frenzy.

As a result, it was all the more surprising that finally the service was indeed launched with the option for specific houses being blurred out. What’s really interesting though PR wise is the fact that the service didn’t launch in large German city that is pro-technology, such as maybe Düsseldorf.  No, only one small town called Oberstaufen in ultra-conservative Bavaria is currently switched on in Street View.

A great Tourism stunt for the small village for sure as they got national airtime with this, but also a smart move by Google. If Lederhosen-wearing and cattle-driving and Alpenhorn-toting conservative Bavarians love Street View, the whole privacy thing can’t be so bad. Maybe this was the strategy. It remains to be seen if this works out. It may also backfire. Lederhosen-wearing, cattle-driving and Alpenhorn-toting conservative Bavarians do not share much commonality with Suit-wearing, Audi-driving and Moleskin-toting  politically-correct urbanites.

Photo credits welt.de

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In an attempt to find yet another way to create buzz, the band “Editors” present themselves and their new album in the context of Google Street View. Of course, it is not a real hack but more an overlay (or mash-up) of their own content in the context of their website. Still, even it is a novelty one-off, it is a great idea to use technology like this, and it is well executed. User can use well-known google maps and street view navigation to listen to the album’s songs and see the band members hiding in the streets of London.

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Fun non-sequitur movie about two animated characters capturing the world for Google Streetview. It’s amazing how well it streetview lends itself to stop motion animation. In Germany, we are still waiting for Google to finally overcome privacy advocacy groups.

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