2013: Make It Happen!

Google Chrome’s inspiring video from last year still rings very true. Make it happen!

Google Chrome’s Sweet “Jess Time” Spot

I usually love Google’s videos, but I wasn’t a fan of Google Chrome’s lame Mark Potter commercial.  Judging from the fact that I got clobbered in the comments section, a lot of people did like it though. Luckily, Google is back on their game with this one. “Jess Time” tells the story of a daughter (Jess) and her father (Elliott). We learn that the mother in the family has recently died. Losing a parent seems like an incredibly tough matter…something I don’t want to think about. Even harder would be losing a parent soon before moving to college, a huge transition time. Through various Google Chrome applications, Jess and Elliott help each other adjust to life’s changes. Sweet, genuine, and just nice. The song is “Broken Chair” by Chris and Thomas. And Jess is played by Celeste Arias.

An Announcement From Commercial Society

Well, I’m moving to New York City today. I figured it was about time to take this copywriting thing to the next step, and going to NYC is the next logical step. If you want to get into advertising, that’s where you go. I’m planning on taking an advertising class, hopefully finding a job, and I would really like to stay there for the long haul. That all really depends on how I do with money (New York isn’t a cheap place to live…), but I’ll be there for at least 3 months. So yeah, make it happen.

As for this blog, it will continue. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to post, since the stakes for everything are going to be raised. But don’t worry, I’ll still inform you about the good, bad, interesting, and ugly of the commercial world. In conclusion, I’ll see you around shortly. And now, some relevant music.

Google’s Mark Potter Needs To Let Go And Move On

I like most of Google’s commercials. They’re always sentimental, but they do a great job of showing the sometimes overlooked roles that Google plays in modern life. But this one for Google Chrome is just awkward and creepy. Some might think Mark Potter’s attempt to win back his old girlfriend is sweet, but it fails on a number of levels for me. It comes across as too private…dredging through personal events in their relationship. Why did he document so much of their relationship anyway? At the same time, broadcasting his desperate message to the whole world looks as lame as a Jumbotron marriage proposal. So…how about that coffee? Not this time, Google. And in case you were wondering, the song is “Porch Song” by The Meemies.

6/25 update: Heh, here’s Jen’s spoof response created by UCBComedy. Good stuff.

Super Bowl Retrospecticus: Google’s “Parisian Love”

The Super Bowl is one of the few televised events that cuts across demographic boundaries. Unlike other sporting events whose television ratings largely depend on star/market power, the Super Bowl always gets a huge audience regardless of the teams involved. So it’s not a surprise that it’s the biggest (and most expensive) night of the year for advertising. With that in mind, I introduce the Super Bowl Retrospecticus, where I discuss notable commercials of Super Bowls past. I’m limiting this only to ads I actually remember.

Google was long known as a company who did not advertise. In 2010, they aired their first national commercial, “Parisian Love”, during Super Bowl XLIV.

“Parisian Love” was actually created months before the Super Bowl as part of Google’s “Search Stories”. These involved the intriguing, yet extremely simple concept that people search for things of current relevance to them, and when put together in linear fashion, the search terms tell a story. In the case of “Parisian Love”, it was the tale of a romance starting in Paris. The unseen guy is charming…he misspells Louvre, wants to find out about truffles and Truffaut, and searches for advice to cope with a long-distance relationship. Soft and inviting music plays throughout. We discover that the couple ends up getting married and the final search “how to assemble a crib” puts a heartwarming end to the story (with a baby’s giggle). Elegant, romantic, and beautiful, it was a hit which ranked #4 in ADBOWL 2010.

The success of “Parisian Love” led to Google stepping up its advertising. And Google has done a great job. There was a similarly heartwarming Search Story called “Graduation”. Last year’s “Dear Sophie” was a huge online hit for Google Chrome. The Muppets did a Google+ commercial, and who doesn’t love the Muppets? And I just saw the seriously inspiring “Make It Happen” spot. This is just a small sampling of Google’s awesome commercials/videos, and I’m looking forward to what they’ll have for the Super Bowl.

Google Tells A Story

Google. It practically runs the world, so there’s really no need for an introduction. Among all the great things Google does, storytelling isn’t one that most people think of. But they excel at it. There was the adorable and incredibly romantic “Parisian Love” spot that aired during Super Bowl XLIV. The heartwarming “Dear Sophie” video for Google Chrome was a viral hit earlier this year. And now, Google Chrome has a new commercial about the rise of Frank Restaurant in Austin, Texas.

It really adds a layer of legitimacy to this ad when you realize these are real people and a real restaurant (which I’m sure will see a big bump in business). Will it convince people to change to Google Chrome? Not necessarily. I feel like people used web browsers based on familiarity, and they’ll use whatever they know. But Google Chrome’s market share is growing. And as someone who also appreciates advertising for the artistic aspects, Google is top-notch, as always.

An Intervention By Google

Almost everyone I can think of has Gmail. But Hotmail and Yahoo Mail still have more users, so I must not know a representative population. My mom still has her original AOL email account, and according to Google, she needs an intervention.

Funny. On a semi-related note, Google+ has been around for a month now. And it seems like the buzz has died down. I wonder if it’ll come back when + is open to everyone. I think Google+ will be successful in it’s own way (a more tech-savvy Facebook) but it won’t come close to replacing Facebook.