Google Chrome's Lifeline: TV Ads - Based on ajaxcms

Google has aired its first TV advertisement across a number of US networks in a bid to promote the uptake of Chrome, its web browser. Chrome was launched last September in a direct attempt to persuade users to ditch Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Google has wisely avoided traditional marketing routes in the past, but now appears desperate to promote Chrome. Despite an initial burst of publicity, Chrome has failed to land a killer blow on rival browsers such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla's Firefox. Figures from Net Applications show that while Microsoft's Internet Explorer commands 66 per cent of users, Chrome has just 1.4 per cent of internet users. Mozilla's Firefox is in second place with 22 per cent of web users and Apple's Safari is third with eight per cent. The clip, which was originally put together by Google's Japanese team for YouTube, has proved so effective that the company explained on its official blog that it had been re-edited for television. "We developed a series of Google TV ads with the hope that this effort will increase awareness about our browser and also help us better understand how TV complements other online media," said Mike Steib, director of Google TV Ads. In Google's TV ad system allows Google to act as a broker selling adverts on US TV networks. Booking TV ads through this route is seen by some as an attempt by the company to promote the service - which since its launch two years ago has enjoyed limited success.