As many of you have probably noticed, Google took another unique approach to its homepage logo today.  In the past, we’ve seen logo celebrations ranging from children’s artwork to Dr. Seuss scenes.  Today, however, marked a new level of interest and engagement for users of the google.com search page.  Instead of a traditional celebratory static gif, today’s searchers have been greeted with a fully interactive and completely enjoyable version of everyone’s true favorite video game – Pac-Man.  The simple game has been posted to recognize Pac-Man’s 30th birthday.

So why would Google make the effort to implement such a different concept on perhaps the most recognizable page on the web today?  It may seem like just a quirky addition that some developer at Google threw together in 12 minutes (in reality it probably took him or her 7), but this “cute” little game has had a big impact for Google in a very short time.  By providing users with an engagement aspect besides search, they are providing a utility that extends beyond the page’s normal offerings.  In this case, that utility is entertainment.

Sure, giving users like me this utility may have taken 10 or 15 minutes out of my potential productivity this morning (sorry boss), but I can tell you the first thing I did when I was done was talk to others about it.  I wasn’t alone, apparently, as “Google Pacman” has been a trending topic on Twitter all day.  It’s a snapshot case of the effectiveness of providing utility through engagement, which is a struggle we face as social marketers on a daily basis.  Unless your intention for visiting Google was searching for classic video games with little yellow characters the game may not seem relevant to you.  I don’t remember what I needed to search on upon my Google arrival, but I can assure you it didn’t have to do with Pac-Man.  Yet, here I am writing a blog post with Google’s name plastered all over it because of the simple fact that I was entertained for a few minutes this morning.

As advertisers, are we thinking too little about the utility we are providing to potential customers?  I’d love to hear your thoughts… in about 5 or 10 minutes.  As soon as you are done playing Pac-Man.

Tags: Google, Google Pacman, Pacman, utility