By Bill Bernardoni

When I think about Google, I don’t think about social media, instead I think about the most powerful search engine ever created. But there was a time when it looked like Google would find another part of the digital landscape to completely dominate because early on, Orkut was the dominate platform, but that didn’t last.

This blog will outline how Orkut, Google’s first social media platform, launched in 2004, was way ahead of its time. We will explore both how and why it failed, and what we can take away from their success and failure.

The Rise of an Early Social Media Titan

Today, the titans of social media are Meta (Facebook & Instagram), TikTok (pending a ban within the United States), and X (formerly known as Twitter). But back in my high school days in my hometown of Ottawa, Illinois, the first social media titan, was Orkut.

Named for its creator, Google employee Orkut Büyükkökten, was an exclusive invitation only social media platform. Orkut quickly saw a huge amount of success. They established over 1.5 million communities within the first year after launch. Most of Orkut’s success came in Brazil, which is where 90% of the traffic came from with over 30 million users.

What drove that early success for Orkut? The same thing that drove the early success for Facebook. The fact that it was exclusive. Early on that exclusivity drove people to want to be involved in one way or another. The same thing happened with Facebook, which a lot of people won’t remember the days when Facebook was invite only. I remember specific conversations with friends who were lucky enough to get one of those rare invitations and we all wanted in, even though none of us really understood what Facebook was or what it was for. That same exact thing happened with Orkut all over the world, but especially in Brazil.

Why Brazil?

So, why was Brazil so in love with the Google Orkut platform? There are a few reasons why they were able to have such success in the country:

1. The Reputation of Google: The positive reputation that Google had helped Orkut immediately gain a foothold in Brazil from day one.
2. The Perfect Cultural Match: The Brazilian culture and a more mobile mindset of the Brazilian consumer made Orkut an almost immediate hit in Brazil.
3. Limited Advertising Options: Outdoor advertising in Brazil has long since been banned, so marketers immediately turned to digital advertising on Orkut to reach people. Also, in part because of the limited advertising options, Orkut was a place for Brazilian consumers to go to get reviews of brands that they were interested in trying out.

Why in the End They Failed

Despite their early success, in the end Orkut was an overwhelming failure. Here are three reasons why:

1. Functionality Issues: The Orkut platform functioned poorly from the very beginning and even as technology developed over the years, Orkut didn’t do anything to improve their platform. “The demise of Orkut seemed to deal with functionality problems with the website, including blockages, limiting the number of friends, and difficulties in loading and sharing photos” (Mahoney & Tang, 2016, p. 192).
2. Poor Platform Evolution: Unlike other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter), Orkut failed to evolve, and they failed to listen to their core audience, which led them to look elsewhere for what they were looking for.
3. Lack of Strategic Investment from Google: You cannot expect to have a successful platform unless you actually invest the time and resources into making it an actual success. Google seemed to rely on their reputation, but your reputation can only take you so far.

What’s The Big Takeaway?

Orkut was an immediate success, but because they failed to develop and evolve and actually listen to the concerns of their users, they lost those users to Facebook and other social media platforms. That is why they failed and why Orkut is no more.

For those of us in marketing, the lesson is really quite simple:

1. Listen to your users.
2. Be innovative constantly.
3. Never assume that your good reputation guarantees you anything tomorrow.

Google had the right idea at the right time with Orkut, but it still failed. Let that be a lesson for everyone.

Let me know what you think about the story of Orkut. Is there anything else Google have done to make Orkut a success? Leave your comments below and let me know what you think.