“What is that?” says a boy at the beginning of Droga5’s new spot introducing Google’s smartphone, Pixel. The ubiquitous Google search bar fills the center of the screen as two boys stare down at something … presumably some strange species of insect, plant or fungi. “Man, I don’t know,” says the other boy, and then offers the only possible way out of this conundrum: “ask Google.”
From there the spot takes off in many different directions, exploring how people have turned to the search engine for a variety of needs over the years. Over the course of the ad, the search bar gradually morphs into the shape of the Pixel, concluding with the tagline, “Life by you. Phone by Google.”
“It has enabled people to get answers to any question, converse with faraway friends and find their way to remote locations—or just their way home,” a Droga5 spokesperson told Adweek. “It’s been the focal point of many great adventures, as well as daily life. And now, the company that organized the world’s information is turning its attention to the most important device in your life: your phone. For the first time ever, all the power and possibilities of Google are now in the palm of your hand.”
That about sums up approach of the spot. There’s little in the way of showing what exactly sets the Pixel apart, what features make it different or make it superior to the competition, perhaps things that will be addressed in subsequent efforts. Instead it relies on hyping the company itself and the idea of bringing its unique features to the smartphone market. Don’t you trust Google? Millions of people do.
The global campaign launched with the broadcast spot yesterday and will roll out throughout the markets where the Pixel will initially be available: the United States, Canada, U.K., Australia, Germany and India.