Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

YAY! Google Maps to the flustered husband rescue at the local gas pump, so goes blogosphere wisdom! BUT, what about Google Local Ads to EVERYONE’S rescue for navigating to local restaurants, shops, bars…after filling up at the 3500 soon to be Google Maps enhanced gas stations?

AND, how about all those money-saving local coupons long promised by Google as a win-win for merchants AND consumers.

At Google.com, Consumers can search for, print and redeem coupons for free, bringing tangible value to merchants, who can use coupons to find new customers who are very likley to make purchases, and for customers, who can find more competitive offers for the products and services that they buy.

There WILL be coupons in the new, Gilbarco Veeder-Root gasoline pumps with mini Internet-enabled kiosks set to roll out, but they will apparently not be of the Googley kind.

Host gas retailers will share in coupon hard revenues generated from local merchant listings, while Google shares in the soft satisfaction of knowing that the “Googley way of getting directions” will be but a gas pump away.

Why is $200 billion plus market cap Google giving away its local maps naked, without the highly touted, and monetizable, Google Local Ads NOR the Google coupons that are deemed to be as sought after as local search results themselves?

Because while Washington fears an Internet controlled by Google, Mountain View does NOT rule any manner of offline media.

The new Google Maps enhanced gas pump integrates into an existing third-party advertising platform and distribution network that is going strong, without Google’s magical AdWords.

How Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s existing gas pump local promotional advertising network works:

A suite of tools for gas station operators to quickly deploy ads and coupons to a single location or an entire network of gas stations; and to capture and report critical data in real-time. Scheduled promotions can automatically display and rotate at any number of pumps or stations.

Sounds very Googley, so who needs Google, after all! At the end of the day, Google Maps may be cool, but GOOG needs to fuel up on Google Ads!

WHAT ELSE IS UP IN LOCAL SEARCH? Learn all about it at the upcoming Kelsey Conference on Interactive Local Media in Los Angeles, where I have the pleasure of speaking on the closing “Big Thinker” panel!

SEE YOU THERE? CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

PLUS: Judy’s Book: What’s On Sale? WE ARE! Ten Reasons Why and MerchantCircle CEO Aims To Disrupt Local Advertising $39 billion Spend: INTERVIEW

AND: YES! Facebook IS Scarier Than Google! and Google Sends Microsoft $10 million Press Release: Bye, Bye Windows Mobile!