EXPLORING COMPETITIVE GAPS TO CREATE A “TURKISH” LOCAL SEARCH ENGINE

Year 2017, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 185 - 193, 30.06.2017

Taskin Dirsehan , Meltem Ulutan Alperen Karabacak

https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2017.474

Abstract

Purpose- In today’s
world, organizations, brands and even countries compete in an information-rich
global market in which the main competitive factor is technology. One of the
business models that came with the development of technology is an Internet
portal including several features such as search engines. Within this context,
the present study aims to explore the gaps that can create competitive
advantages for a new local search engine in Turkey that will be established in
the global marketplace and to determine how to position a local search engine
brand in today’s information market.

Methodology-
To carry out this study, 20 people who use both Google and Yandex were
interviewed in accordance with the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique
(ZMET) steps. 20 collages were prepared for each participant based on the
pictures collected by them to represent the brands’ image in their minds; these
collages were interpreted by the researchers using the universal metaphors
proposed by Professor Zaltman. 

Findings- The collages
and the interviews were discussed in line with the following metaphors: container,
resource, control, balance and connection. The research findings help us to
understand the images about Google and Yandex embedded in users’ minds.
According to the participants, Google has a good and simple design, so the user
does not have to spend time learning about the portal to use it. Another
important point is international recognition. People trust Internet portals
that are internationally accepted as valid. The ability to translate to
different languages may help an Internet portal be considered more
international and gain a larger market share worldwide. In addition, it is
important to provide a lot of resources, for doing so helps searches be more
credible. A good and successful Internet portal should focus on privacy. Users
want to feel safe, especially on the Internet, so a good protection system
would gain users’ trust.

Conclusion- The original
contribution of this research is that people who use these search engines not
only see them as search engines but also perceive them as an intelligent
friend, a tempting home or even a universe full of information. According to
the research findings, Turkey would be able to create a competitive advantage
by investing in a local Internet portal rather than focusing only on search
engines. 

Keywords

Information technology, search engines, brand image measurement, qualitative research

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