Product Positioning Lesson Learned

by adam on April 27, 2009

Cuil: Positioned as Google Killer

Cuil is a stealth search engine startup which claims that it can index web pages significantly faster and cheaper than Google.

Outcome: Fail



Wolfram Alpha: Positioned as NOT Google, AKA “Computational Knowledge Engine”

Wolfram Alpha is building a computational knowledge engine for the web to be launched in May 2009. The product will contain data in various fields including physical sciences, technology, geography, weather, cooking, business, music, etc. Outcome: Success?



Blekko: NOT Positioned as Google Kille. Not sure what positioning is.

Blekko is a search company founded by Rich Skrenta and his core team from previous company Topix and Netscape’s Open Directory. Blekko was founded halfway through 2007 and has already earned itself an angel….

Outcome: TBD

Lesson Learned: Even if your ambition is to take on Google, don’t position yourself as a “Google Killer”

2 comments

Hi Adam,

Thanks for the mention of Blekko, but, just to be clear, we are careful to NOT position ourselves as a Google killer. In fact., that’s one of the things danny sullivan specifically noted (and liked) about us in his recent write up of search engine start-ups.

Mike

by Mike on April 27, 2009 at 7:56 pm. #

Cool, sorry i missed that. Post is now corrected.

by adam on April 27, 2009 at 8:19 pm. #

Leave your comment

Required.

Required. Not published.

If you have one.