Google and the Chinese government are at loggerheads…again. The crisis has been precipitated by the Chinese government hacking into the Gmail accounts of human rights activists.

Google’s democratic brand values are strongly aligned to human rights, supported by its ‘don’t be evil’ code of conduct.

Google has a dilemma with China in delivering its mission to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” as China requires censorship which is at odds with this mission. So Google has compromised with a view to influencing a change in the Chinese government’s attitude.

The way Google is responding to the Chinese governmental action is congruent with their brand values. They are living the Google brand – and so this action builds the perception of Google as an authentic company. This kind of conflict is a real test for any brand and maybe is best reflected in some comments by Ralph Larsen, former chief of J&J:

The core values embodied in our credo might be a competitive advantage, but that is not why we have them. We have them because they define for us what we stand for, and we hold them even if they became a competitive disadvantage.

If anything, this response shows that Google is true to their principles and is willing to risk massive market share to stay in line with their principles.  John Kennedy, a Silcon Valley reporter states that Google is No. 2 in the market and making gains on the incumbent:

Google has made impressive gains in China since July last, when it was at 30pc compared to Baidu’s 68pc,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. “Our analysis suggests that given Google’s recent strong performance, market share is certainly not the reason behind its threat to leave China at this time.

Google’s response to the Chinese government’s control over human rights campaigners isn’t actually activist in itself but true to the Google brand. The impact has yet to be seen, but this could well turn out to be an example of where a company has more sociopolitical influence than government, especially as Google ranks widely as the world’s most influential brand.

Their response is considered and leaves the door open for the Chinese government whilst flagging that they’re not going to allow their own values to be subverted.