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The Orabrush story: How a Utah man used YouTube to build a multi-million dollar business
November 15, 2011
From time to time, we
post
about how entrepreneurs have used Google tools to build successful businesses—both on and offline. In this post, you’ll read the story of how a Utah entrepreneur used YouTube to build a market for his tongue cleaner product, the Orabrush. Starting this month, CVS/pharmacy will begin carrying the product in stores across the United States. - Ed.
When Dr. Bob Wagstaff invented the Orabrush tongue cleaner, he tried all the traditional business strategies to sell his product. He invested $40,000 into a TV infomercial, approached retail shops to carry the Orabrush in stores and offered to sell his patent to other oral hygiene companies. None of it worked. The infomercial yielded only 100 orders, and people walked past the product in stores without a second glance.
As a final attempt to get his business off the ground, Dr. Wagstaff took the advice of Jeffrey Harmon, a local college student, and started marketing the tongue cleaners on YouTube. With a $500 budget, they produced and posted their
first video
introducing the Orabrush and offering the product for purchase online.
The quirky, commercial-style video explained that 90 percent of bad breath comes from bacteria on the tongue—hence the solution, the Orabrush tongue cleaner. Shot in a makeshift studio in the neighborhood pool hall (listen closely and you can hear the balls cracking in the background), the video went viral, rocketing to 16 million views.
Building a brand on YouTube
After the explosive reaction to their first video, Harmon took on the role as Chief Marketing Officer and began creating regular webisodes, introducing new characters like
Morgan, the dirty tongue
. Harmon then used YouTube
video ads
to reach more people and grow their fan base. The “
Cure Bad Breath
” videos built a loyal following, and their YouTube channel grew to nearly 40 million views.
After two years, Orabrush had sold more than a million tongue cleaners to people in 40+ countries. The Orabrush brand became so popular that local pharmacy store managers began contacting Orabrush directly, citing requests from customers who had heard about the brand online. This fall,
Walmart
began carrying the Orabrush tongue cleaners in its 3,500+ stores across the United States. And this week, CVS/pharmacy has added the Orabrush tongue cleaner to more than 7,000 stores across the country. That’s a lot of tongue cleaners!
These days Orabrush is taking a new approach to drive even more sales in stores. One of the first businesses to use YouTube
TrueView video ads
, Orabrush has created tailored endings to their videos that direct the viewer to the closest CVS/pharmacy carrying the Orabrush.
Elbow grease and a clever mascot
While Orabrush may have taken an unorthodox approach, their success came from old-fashioned elbow grease, perseverance and a bit of ingenuity.
“YouTube has helped normal people like Dr. Bob and a couple of college kids to take an idea, put it in front of people and get an honest response,” Harmon, now chief marketing officer at Orabrush, told us. “We can now play on the same terms as huge companies—and be successful.”
Hear more about Orabrush’s journey to success in this video:
Posted by Lane Shackleton, Product Manager, YouTube
Greater choice for wireless access point owners
November 14, 2011
From tagging a post with your location, to checking in to a restaurant, to simply finding out where you are, location-based services have become some of the most popular features of today’s Internet. One of the key ways technology companies are able to determine a location for these services is through a location database, which matches publicly broadcast information about local wireless networks with their approximate geographic location. By looking for wireless access points that are close to a user’s phone, location providers can return the approximate location you need. In addition, this method is a good alternative to other approaches, like GPS, because it’s faster, it works indoors, and it’s more battery-efficient.
The wireless access point information we use in our location database, the Google Location Server, doesn’t identify people. But as
first mentioned in September
, we can do more to address privacy concerns.
We’re introducing a method that lets you opt out of having your wireless access point included in the Google Location Server. To opt out, visit your access point’s settings and change the wireless network name (or SSID) so that it ends with “_nomap”. For example, if your SSID is
“Network”,
you‘d need to change it to
“Network_nomap”.
To get started, visit
this Help Center article
to learn more about the process and to find links with specific instructions on how to change an access point’s SSID for various wireless access point manufacturers.
As we explored different approaches for opting-out access points from the Google Location Server, we found that a method based on wireless network names provides the right balance of simplicity as well as protection against abuse. Specifically, this approach helps protect against others opting out your access point without your permission.
Finally, because other location providers will also be able to observe these opt-outs, we hope that over time the “_nomap” string will be adopted universally. This would help benefit all users by providing everyone with a unified opt-out process regardless of location provider.
Update
Nov 21
: Edited punctuation to clarify the "_nomap" tag.
Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel
(Cross posted on the
European Public Policy Blog
)
Ten algorithm changes on Inside Search
November 14, 2011
We make roughly 500 changes to our search algorithm in a typical year. Our goal is to make search run so smoothly, you don't even notice the changes. That said, we like giving you insights into what we're doing behind the search results you see each day. Today on Inside Search, we've posted a recap of some of the algorithmic changes we’ve made over just the past couple weeks. These changes improve everything from translation, to snippets to autocomplete. For the complete list including descriptions of the changes, check out the post on the
Inside Search blog
.
Posted by Matt Cutts, Distinguished Engineer
Bringing the very best of what we do to the veteran community
November 11, 2011
We believe that technology can be a force for good; one that builds and binds community. As a Googler, my proudest moments are when we take that technology and put it in the hands of people who can use it to communicate, collaborate, build and explore.
Today, on Veterans Day, I am proud to share a few Google tools and platforms for the military veteran community. They can be accessed on our website,
Google for Veterans and Families
, which was created by veterans and their family and friends, who work at Google. This single interface brings together Google products and platforms for servicemembers and their families. We believe it will be useful to all veterans, whether still in the service, transitioning out, or on a new path in their civilian lives. Here are some examples of what you’ll find on the site:
VetConnect
- This tool helps servicemembers connect, communicate and share their experiences with others who have served using the Google+ platform.
Google Veterans Channel
- A YouTube channel for discussion about military service for veterans, their families and the public. Veterans can share their experiences with each other as well as with civilians to help shed light on the importance and complexity of service. If you have not served, this is a great place to offer your thanks by uploading a tribute video.
Resume Builder powered by Google Docs
- We found that Docs can be a particularly helpful tool to transitioning servicemembers seeking employment. Resume Builder generates an auto-formatted resume that can be easily edited, saved and downloaded to share with potential employers.
Tour Builder powered by Google Earth
(coming soon). A new way to tell your military story. Today, you can view some sample “tours”— 3D maps of veterans’ service histories, complete with photos and videos. Stay tuned for more details and updates on the
Google Lat Long Blog
.
It’s been a proud month for those of us here at Google who are veterans or family of veterans.
In October, 100 Googlers visited the
Soldier and Family Assistance Center
at West Point to conduct resume writing workshops for members of the Warrior Transition Unit. And, just two weeks ago, we traveled to
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
to teach wounded, ill and injured servicemembers how to use Google tools to stay in touch with their loved ones while in recovery.
Finally, this week, we
introduced
the
Veterans Job Bank
in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Veterans Job Bank is a customized job search engine in the
National Resource Directory
(NRD), which is powered by
Google Custom Search
technology and crawls the web for
JobPosting markup
from
Schema.org
to identify veteran-committed job openings.
Even playing a small part to serve those who have served has been an honor.
Posted by Carrie Laureno, Audience Evangelist and Founder, Google Veterans Network
Raising awareness for breast cancer through the Pink Pin Initiative in NYC and beyond
November 10, 2011
Every October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when organizations and individuals around the world come together to raise awareness to support the fight against breast cancer.
This year, Google joined in and
partnered
with Susan G. Komen for the Cure on the
Pink Pin Initiative
, which challenged local businesses in New York City to rally their customers, friends and families around breast cancer awareness. Using Google’s products, including Maps, YouTube, Picasa and Google+, we made it easy for local businesses and New York residents to show their support for the cause. On an interactive website,
pinkpin.com
, people could register their businesses on the Pink Pin Map, share their experiences by uploading their own videos and photo stories, as well as donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
More than 300 businesses signed up to participate in the first 24 hours, and we saw an outpouring of public support from both businesses and individuals, demonstrating how small, random acts of participation can translate to larger scale impact. In fact, some businesses took it upon themselves to take Pink Pin a step further. One New York business offered $100 of free services for every $100 donated. A Brooklyn restaurant hosted a one-day “Dine-out” for Pink Pin, where a percentage of their earnings for that day went to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Pink Pin was a tremendous demonstration of what people will do if you give them the tools to use technology for good. We’re thrilled that Pink Pin has been so positively received by New Yorkers and hope to continue and expand our efforts next year.
Googlers also celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness month in 23 of our offices around the globe. In addition to health talks encouraging Googlers to learn more about breast cancer prevention, we heard a panel of survivors speak in Mountain View, held walk/runs in California, New York and Washington, and participated in flash mobs to raise awareness in Dublin and London. On Wednesday, October 19, we celebrated a global “Wear Pink, Think Pink Day.” We also encouraged donations (and gift matching!) to organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. You can see a photo album of all our activities below:
Posted by Noel Paasch, Pink Pin team
Supporting entrepreneurs around the world with Startup Weekend
November 10, 2011
We recognize the transformative power of startups and the entrepreneurs behind them that have the passion and courage to pursue a dream; the impact they can make on society can be significant. Google was once a startup in a garage, and
Google Ventures
is a testament to our ongoing commitment to entrepreneurialism. As we head into
Global Entrepreneurship Week
, it’s clear that having a robust community of entrepreneurs, mentors and educational resources can be a key ingredient in a startup’s success, and we’re excited to be part of that.
Today, we’re announcing a partnership with
Startup Weekend
—a global organization committed to promoting real entrepreneurship in local communities. In more than 200 cities and across six continents, Startup Weekend holds 54-hour startup creation events, bringing together entrepreneurs from engineering, product, design, marketing and business backgrounds. Participants gather on Friday, and by Sunday afternoon, they launch a product.
This partnership will help Startup Weekend expand to dozens of additional cities around the world and launch new vertical competitions focused on specific themes such as education, health or gaming.
In addition, we’ll be working to bring in Google’s developer community in the form of
Google Technology User Groups
as an additional resource to Startup Weekend participants. Started in early 2008, there are now more than 280 GTUGs in 86 countries that bring tech enthusiasts together via hundreds of events each month. GTUG members will receive discounted registration for Startup Weekend events and will help run pre-weekend local bootcamps on Google’s developer platforms and tools (e.g., App Engine, Android, Chrome).
We’ll start rolling out our product training and community events at Startup Weekends in the coming weeks and months. To learn more or find the next event happening in your city, visit
startupweekend.org/google
. Hope to see you at a weekend event soon!
Posted by Mary Himinkool, Head of Global Entrepreneurship Outreach
Google Photography Prize: Looking for the photography stars of the future
November 10, 2011
Google+ is only a few months old, but the photography community is already thriving on it. Take a look at the profiles of
Scott Jarvie
,
Thomas Hawk
,
Colby Brown
or
Claire Grigaut
to see just a few of the inspiring photographers on Google+. More than 3.4 billion photos have been uploaded to the platform in the first 100 days.
We’re really excited about this, and think great art deserves great exposure. So we’re teaming up with
Saatchi Gallery
, London for the
Google Photography Prize
, a chance for students around the world to showcase their photos on Google+ and have their work exhibited at a major art institution.
The contest is open to students around the world (some exceptions apply, see
google.com/photographyprize
for more details). From far-away places to up-close faces, there are 10 different
categories
to spark your imagination. And there are some great prizes to be won: 10 finalists chosen by a jury of renowned photographers will show their work at Saatchi Gallery, London for two months in 2012 alongside Out of Focus, a major photography exhibition, and win a trip to London to attend the exhibition opening event with a friend. One winner will go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to an amazing destination with a professional photography coach.
It’s easy to enter: After you pick a category, upload your photos to Google+ and share them with the world as a public post, then visit the submission form on
google.com/photographyprize
by January 31, 2012 to enter.
Saatchi Gallery, London will share updates on their
Google+ page
for the contest, so add it to your circles if you want to see the great work that’s being submitted.
We can’t wait to see your photos!
Update
Nov 14:
We've had a few questions and comments about who can enter. The contest is open to all students in higher education, including but not limited to those studying photography. Please have a look at the eligibility criteria on the
contest website
.
Posted by Obi Felten, Director of Consumer Marketing, Google EMEA
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