Google is said to have one of the most valuable brands in the world, leading annual reports with the likes of Wal*Mart, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and others. The brand is pervasive, and represents much more than its initial search roots. Recently, the company opened up a retail store on its campus that features the Google logo (and its many sub-brands, like YouTube, Android and Blogger) on scads of merchandise. Now, if you want to wear Google apparel like the company's employees, without having to pass a rigorous set of interviews, you can just walk in and gain official geek cred.The company has quietly had an online store for years. It's where I purchased a black Google beanbag (like the real ones on campus) and the Google onesies Matthew and Sarah sported when they were only a few months old. Now, the online experience has made it to the physical world, on the Google campus itself.
In the 2000 Charleston Road building, commonly referred to as "2000 Alza" thanks to Alza Pharmaceuticals (purchased by Johnson and Johnson) previously occupying the space, on the ground floor, you can now purchase Google shirts, pens, flying discs, mugs, fleece jackets, and much more. Just like the Apple campus can let you pledge allegiance to Cupertino at their main campus with Apple wear, Google now lets you do the same.
The 2000 Alza building is already among the most interesting on campus, so far as I am concerned. It houses the Buzz team and other consumer-facing products. But while the lobby used to be a quiet place where engineers could have one on one discussions, I found the lobby swarming with gadget seekers today, and a line with dozens of customers looking to sport the Google logo.
I took a quick intro video of what's offered, embedded below.
If you think I left empty handed, of course you would be wrong. With Fall here, and Winter on its way, Matthew and Sarah now have a YouTube and Google jacket respectively, which they took to the park this evening. So if you are near Google campus, or just want to fill your home with Google outside your computer, you now have a place to go.
One more thing - still no Google watches, so I continue to wear my Apple watches every day, adequately spreading my allegiances. I even asked at the front counter, but they simply don't have them.