Best Google TV Adverts
Get Back to What You Love – 2021
One of the very best pandemic TV adverts, this Google commercial perfectly captured everyone’s longing to “get back to normal” after the Covid-19 lockdowns and social distancing restrictions.
Of course, Google is simply a standard part of everyday life for pretty much everyone these days. Whether it’s searching for the answer to a question, going online shopping or looking up directions, Google is the way we get around. This poignant advert perfectly demonstrated just how important the digital platform has become to all of our lives.
Lost in the Countryside – 2020
Jack Whitehall’s Google Pixel TV ad effectively shows off the many benefits of the phone’s inbuilt Google Assistant, as the comedian (accompanied by actor and rapper Michael Dapaah) navigate their way back home after being dropped in the countryside.
The pair use the voice assistant to find directions, their location, nearby shops and send each other photos. Eventually the pair find sanctuary at a country pub, with Google saving the day. While we might not all get stranded in the gentle English countryside, the ad is a good reminder of all the many ways we’re completely, terrifyingly dependent on technology to get anywhere.
Search On – 2021
The ‘Search On’ TV ad for Google, voiced by Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, was released in 2021. The ad shows everyday scenes of diversity in society – from Muslims praying to Ceilidh dancing and Indian weddings.
The advert is really effective at showing how universal Google is, and features a particularly diverse cast including people of different ages, races, ethnicities, abilities and more. The ad is all about the importance of asking questions to learn more about the world we live in, and shows how Google has become the first port of call for most of us seeking answers.
Life By You, Phone By Google – 2016
This 2016 TV ad for Google Pixel phones is in a similar vein to 2021’s Search On, playing up the true universality of the Google platform. The advert opens with a pair of kids looking down into camera, seemingly staring at an unknown object. “What is that?” one asks, before his friend responds “Man, I don’t know, ask Google.”
The advert is all about how Google’s search services have become indispensable and a vital part of the everyday experience, and as it moves on we see a range of people’s experiences around the world partially obscured with a white bar, much like the Google search bar. By the end of the advert the white box eventually represents the new Google phone – the new way to capture life’s moments and search on the go. What makes it any better than another smartphone with the search engine installed? I don’t know, ask Google.
Octopus Story – 2021
Released during the pandemic, this is one of the more heartwarming Google TV ads. It’s all about how parents used Google’s search features to bring learning to life during lockdown (and generally just keep their kids from climbing the walls out of boredom).
It stars showing a young boy attending Zoom classes and being bored cooped up at home. Soon his dad puts Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher on, and ignites his son’s passion for marine life. Google helps him answer questions about octopi, book tickets to the aquarium, order an octopus costume, and figure where to go on a day out. It’s a really positive advert that does a great job of demonstrating all the many arms of Google…
Which Google TV adverts stick out in your mind? Let us know your favourites in the comments below!