Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's AsiaD conference in Hong Kong, Bradley Horowitz (pictured), VP of product management for Google+, said that the company had received enquiries from 100,000 brands, including Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks and BMW, which want to be involved in Google+ to engage with the users. As a result, Google is now preparing to launch a ‘brands’ page’, and ‘enterprise support' for the platform.
Horowitz added that relationships, sharing and identity are an important part of the web. For example, Google recently announced the ability to +1 items on a web page and share that content with the people you choose in Google+ - whether it’s to the public or a select circle of friends.
A further enhancement, launched on 20 September, is the multi-person video that brings people together onscreen. He noted that some companies have used the feature to hold concerts, and pointed cases where doctors gave consultation for operations.
Statistics have shown that people are more likely to notice the search results if they are recommended by the circle of friends. “We can provide even more relevant and useful search results if we know who you are connected to, and what your interests are,” he said.
Regarding online gaming, Horowitz said that they are taking a conservative approach to avoid alienating those users who dislike online games.
Horowitz described Google+ as a long-term project to reinvent the cohesive experience for Google users, and said it would have an impact on how people interact across all of Google. "It’s still early days but our goal is transform the overall Google experience," he said.
