A minute and a half of sheer Google-ness
The one-minute-28-second ad, titled “Here to help” (that’s the extended version – there is a shorter one too), is a collection of a number of small videos highlighting all the services the brand offers. The ad begins with a simple Google search for “Flights to Orlando” then moves to Google Translator which translates the word “help” in different languages. The spot then highlights Google Photos and how one can select and share images with friends and family after which the Google Assistant gets in the spotlight. The ad then moves to show school kids using Google Cardboard, how one can undo sending emails on Gmail. It then gets back to the usuals, with Google Lens, weather information, schedule organization, and how-to videos on YouTube. After highlighting how Google helps its users in daily life, the spot goes on to show how the brand has been helpful in adverse situations like wildfires. It then again moves back to show the other ways in which we use Google – from showing us our parking spot, adding things to the shopping list, Google Maps along with other features and services. All of this is followed by the Google Assistant logo and the question popping up, “How can I help?” followed by a number of situations where the brand can help us (speak another language, split the bill, undo sending an email and so on). It ends with a text on the screen, “with a little help from” followed by the company’s logo reading Google.
Reminding us that Google is a part of our lives
When a brand advertises, it usually focuses on a single product or service. This seems like the most sensible option as it helps the viewer concentrate on that product and that product only. But with its latest ad, “Here to help”, Google has opted for a very different approach – it has taken many of its services and features and has tried to highlight them all in a single one-minute-30-second ad. And guess what? It miraculously works! The ad is a collection of small videos that feature how the brand has been involved in our daily lives. The best thing about it is that it reminds us of all the small instances and situations in which we take help from Google without even realizing that we are doing so. From using Google to search for the answer to every tiny question to looking at traffic status, weather status, watching videos on YouTube along with endless other tasks, it just explains our everyday dependence on the company. And does so in a very light-hearted manner. We really liked how each of the instance or situation that they highlighted in the spot was followed by a small video clip which stresses on how easy and joyful life becomes after using a Google service. The ad invokes the feeling of happiness and relates it to how we so often depend on Google for it. These videos are all positive, which the viewer directly relates to the brand. It might have given each service a few seconds, but we really like how the overall theme always remained Google. The colors, the logo, the little details like the search boxes, the different layouts, all took us directly to Google and nowhere else.
Google, with “Here to help” has very cleverly allotted its services a few seconds each in the ad, which makes sure that you understand and relate to how that particular service by the company helps you in your daily life without overdoing it. It has given each service just the right time which makes the viewer understand its importance but also makes sure that she/he does not get bombarded with information about that single service – it is about what the service does rather than what it is, which is clever. The ad might be a little longer as per the mainstream ad norms (there will be shorter versions) but we love the fact that the brand was able to squeeze in the information about so many of its service in just a minute and a half. One of the main reasons why we think the ad really works is because it is very relatable. There is no denying the fact that we all use Google and many of its services every day and depend heavily on it. So, when the ad brings the situations to the foreground, you just look at them and it hits you that the brand plays a big role in making your life easier. The ad just reinforces how much we rely on the brand in the nicest way possible. The ad uses “Help” by The Beatles as its background music which we think is the perfect song for it. It not only goes extremely well with the basic idea of the ad but also adds a lot of fun and lifts the overall mood of the ad. Just like the song, which speaks of a very serious matter (aging and depression) and yet manages to do so in an upbeat manner. We also love the way how The Beatles’ Help album makes an appearance in the ad – it is identified by Google Lens and then a singer is shown singing the song on YouTube in a how to play guitar video.
Need help? Just Google!
Over the years, Google has become an integral part of our online lives and in its latest ad, the company has managed to remind us of just that. The ad contains so many slices from our lives that it is super relatable, amplifying the impact Google has on our existence. The best part of it is the tone and indeed the very name of the ad: happy to help. Yes, Google is helping us in our lives but it is not doing so as (well seemingly) a favor or a special task – it is doing so happily. Google in a very subtle, happy, humble way, reminded us of how difficult our lives would become if the brand ceased to exist tomorrow. With “Here to help”, Google has reminded us how we definitely do need help. Of the Google kind. https://youtu.be/UfVpoI5ksag
