Why would Google, a company full of smart people able to invent almost anything, pay $1.1 B to acquire Waze? They already have a great Maps product that's the default choice for most people. The answer: Waze has figured out how to add a social layer to maps that dramatically enhances the way-finding experience. It will make Google Maps social.
Which got us at LBT thinking. Shouldn't every brand think about how to add a social layer to everything it can? In a world of connected devices, and the impending wave of the "internet of things", adding a way for friends and like-minded strangers to share the experience will make the brand stickier, and the utility even more useful.