Google is effectively reshaping its own search products. This may hurt brands, but the self-disruption is a strategic necessity.
Google’s Ai Overviews and Ai Mode are examples of ‘self-cannibalisation’, where the company undermines its own products. However, marketers shouldn’t always see this as negative. That’s the conclusion of Kevin Indig in his article Standby As Google Cannibalizes Itself (While Also Devouring All Of Us) on Search Engine Journal.
The author argues that through features like Ai Overviews and Ai Mode, Google is effectively reshaping its own search products in a way that takes traffic from traditional results. This may hurt publishers and brands, of course. However, for the company, this self-disruption is a strategic necessity. Indig looks at parallels with brand pivots at companies like Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and Instagram, and applies the lessons to the Ai era. He outlines that self-cannibalisation can mean a complete replacement or targeted shifts, and he offers a strategy for marketers who may be confronted with a similar situation. It’s worth a read.