Recently I was watching a video with an interview of Matt Cutts in which he makes some interesting remarks on the direction of Google and Internet Marketing, which I happen to agree with. It was almost eerie as it sounded like a playback of recent conversations I have had with others.

Traditionally, public relations have always been a tool used by brands and big companies to enhance their image, increasing consumer awareness and sales. PR is still a big part of marketing and promotion for big companies like Coca Cola, Microsoft and Apple. As big as those names are, you would think that they have all the brand recognition they would ever want, right? Wrong! Why would they keep spending millions of dollars in PR to enhance a brand name, which is already at the top?

In recent writings, I have emphasized the importance of using efficient means of deploying precious marketing budget moneys during these tough economic times. Clearly, staying close to your customers, while always important, is even more so in such an environment. Internet Marketing again proves to be a valuable tool here.

How can we differentiate ourselves from the competition? Many companies are using the same methods and procedures to create results for their clients. I have been hearing al lot of this recently at events and conferences. It seems to be a huge concern for companies who feel they cannot sustain growth or who feel they have hit a ceiling in their markets.

Creating an online brand is no easy task. It requires a well-structured strategy and a good game plan. Since the competition is so great in the online marketplace, there’s a thin line between making and losing money. Therefore, any brand should carry certain characteristics.

When it comes down to it, I would rather have targeted traffic versus just traffic. Most logical people will. But what most web owners actually target is basic traffic. They do campaigns to increase traffic to their site, which in return wastes their time and money.

Microsoft has become what they feared most; the next IBM. With the latest release of their operating system, Vista, you have to wonder how they have lost their focus.

They have a lot of competition and any attempt to expand their brand into other industries seems to fail. Here are some quick examples.