In a nutshell:

–          After a long wait, Google have now launched branded pages

–          They are similar to Facebook pages

–          There are restrictions around circles to protect individuals’ privacy (eg. a brand can’t add you to a circle unless you’ve added it first)

–          Direct Connect integration with Google search: You can automatically add Google+ pages to your circles from Google Search. Just add + in front of the page you’re searching for

Full story: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/google-launches-pages-opens-floodgates-for-brands-and-everything-else/