{"id":9636,"date":"2011-04-02T07:47:57","date_gmt":"2011-04-02T11:47:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/?p=9636"},"modified":"2011-04-02T08:11:17","modified_gmt":"2011-04-02T12:11:17","slug":"april-1st-is-not-the-day-to-introduce-a-google-maps-based-product","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/02\/april-1st-is-not-the-day-to-introduce-a-google-maps-based-product\/","title":{"rendered":"April 1st is NOT the Day to Introduce a Google Maps Based Product"},"content":{"rendered":"

I received the following snippet from Google Alert yesterday and I was forced to do a double take<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
NordicTrack Introduces Fitness Equipment Merged With\u00a0Google Maps<\/strong><\/a><\/em>
\n
\n7:06 pm today NordicTrack introduces iFit Live powered by\u00a0Google Maps<\/strong>, the first product that merges fitness equipment and\u00a0Google Maps<\/strong> technology. If you’ve always wanted to run the marathon route through New York’s Central Park, hike along the Great\u00a0…<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/td>\n		<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Here are my thoughts that developed as I read the blurb:
\n–Hmm Google’s April Fool’s jokes<\/a> seem to now be including other companies…
\n–Well no, it looks real…would someone actually pitch an exercise machine based on the inclusion of Google Maps?
\n–Appears so, but the tagline? Powered by Google… Powered by Google my ass… seems to me any exercise machine is definitely not powered by Google
\n–Ok, I know I say and breath “all local all the time” but this seems to be taking the idea to the illogical extreme. Would someone really buy an exercise machine based on the pitch of running a marathon in Central Park in their living room while viewing ads for sneakers?
\n–Has Google filled every concievable screen space in our lives that they the only expansion option left is the screen real estate on exercise equipment?<\/p>\n

and finally
\n–from a marketing perspective, April 1st is NOT the Day to Introduce a Google Maps Based Product partnership although I am not sure that this product would thrive on an April 2nd intro either.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I received the following snippet from Google Alert yesterday and I was forced to do a double take   NordicTrack Introduces Fitness Equipment Merged With\u00a0Google Maps 7:06 pm today NordicTrack introduces iFit Live powered by\u00a0Google Maps, the first product that merges fitness equipment and\u00a0Google Maps technology. If you’ve always wanted to run the marathon route …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-google-maps-google-local"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t