ThirdWay Most Effective Ad of the Super Bowl: Google Parisian Love
Monday, February 8th, 2010Brand: Google
Execution: TV Spot - Super Bowl
Target: Search users
Rating: *****
Reviewer: David Vinjamuri
Description:
This spot, reportedly a last minute buy for Google tells a love story using only the Google search engine. The search queries show how boy takes a trip, meets girl, gets girl, gets married and has babies.
What Works:
Established agencies have had a difficult few years in the Super Bowl. In the last two years, the winners of user created ad contests (for Doritos and the NFL) have been among the best entries on the Super Bowl. This year, the most effective ad in our judgment comes from a surprising place - the in-house creative team at Google.
We love this ad because it is simple, because the execution is tied directly to the brand (unlike other memorable spots, this one you can’t remember without knowing it was for Google), because it tells a story, and because it is a powerful reminder of how Google has changed our lives. It is a classic “brand as hero” execution. Given the production values and extravagance of some of the other spots in the game (more on this from us soon), it is shocking that the spot that does the best job of building the brand was undoubtedly the cheapest to produce.
Finally, we appreciate that Google brought this to the Super Bowl after it had been battle-tested on YouTube, showing popularity and staying power. It’s another unusual move for advertising on the big game.
What Doesn’t:
The query at the end “how to assemble a crib” with the baby gurgle was a bit over the top. The tagline “search on” doesn’t seem especially memorable.
Branding Bottom Line:
The marketers at Cars.com should take a close look at this spot after their big game fiasco.
