I was having coffee with a Product Management friend in Bangalore who told me that he was getting calls from recruiters for joining AOL (TWX). I smiled as his response to the recruiter's request flashed in my head. Yet, I waited to hear my friend out.
AOL why not IOL? Was the question of my buddy. IOL meaning India Online. If AOL is a consumer Internet brand how would a consumer in India identify with America Online? I nodded wisely.
During my work related stints in Europe and other parts of the world I have wondered how Europeans or other consumers related with America Online. "Oh I live in France but I am on America Online." Dumb! Dumber, considering the unfriendly vibes I get when my French friends talk about Americans in general or vice versa ;). Interestingly Google and Yahoo! don't have these problems. Whether you go to Italy or India, a Yahoo! or Google user is not forced to believe that she is an American!
Continued...What's in a Global Software Technology Brand?
