A recent member of the Yahoo! Young PR Pros group posted a question, asking when Google is going to open up its Gmail.
If by some chance in He_ _ that you don’t know yet, the way to get a Gmail e-mail account is by invitation only.
Well, why should Google open up its Gmail service to just anyone?
It’s not that there are any special requirements to have one. Yahoo!, Hotmail, and others offer one without an invitation.
But, by making its by invitation only, I think Googe has added a bit of panache to having a Gmail account. It’s cool. It’s a club. It’s almost exclusive.
Invitation-only has raised the perceived value of having a Gmail account, compared to the others, regardless of what you think of the services and features.
Machine Design Editor Ron Kohl made a similar comment about the downfall of Cadillac because of how it has been marketed. Making it more available has lowered Cadillac’s perception that it’s truly a luxary brand. There’s no prestige any more to owning a Cadillac.
So, if just everyone can get a Gmail account, wouldn’t that diminish the status of having one?
My $0.02 to Google: Keep it by invitation-only.
– Mike
