Objectives

Every holiday season since 2010, Google turned our questions into a time for reflection, owning the year-end moment more than any other brand with ‘Year in Search.’ 

Google’s goal was to drive mass awareness for their highly anticipated brand creative. They specifically wanted to tap “Search MCs”, in the form of an in-show integrations, well known for cultural commentary. The ask included having a late-night host talk about this past year and introduced Google’s brand creative, elevating it and giving it a moment to shine. It was important for the integration to feel authentic and let the host provide commentary on what was relatable to them, including choosing topics they are known for, what they are passionate about and what they are most drawn to. It was also important for the late-night segment to feel like an organic part of the show and less like an overt brand integration. 

Strategy and Execution

Google trusted The Daily Show with Trevor Noah to integrate their campaign messaging in a meaningful and impactful way that organically made sense for the program and audience. We worked closely with the show team on in-show messaging and the multiplatform team to map out the most effective distribution strategy to reach fans on all screens. With The Daily Show’s 42 million+ social followers, we knew leveraging the enormous fanbase across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat was the best way to reach an engaged and loyal audience, and drive views for the show segment and Google’s “Year in Search” video. 

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah has become one of the most vital voices in late night, speaking with urgency and passion on topics that matter. The show dedicated an entire segment to looking back at 2021, including reflecting on what this year meant to us… what people spent 2021 talking about…thinking about… and searching. The integration was earnest and impactful, and infused with the humor fans love and expect from Trevor. At the end, Trevor encouraged viewers to tune-in to Google’s ‘Year in Search’ creative, which was rooted in Google’s trends data. Google’s two-minute spot first premiered in commercial time adjacent to the in-show segment on Comedy Central linear. We then stitched the in-show segment and Google’s ‘Year in Search’ brand creative together and distributed the video (totaling over six-minutes) as editorial content across The Daily Show’s social platforms. 

Results

In addition to massive linear reach, the program performed exceptionally well on The Daily Show’s social platforms. In under three weeks, the campaign garnered nearly 17M+ impressions, 7.9M+ video views, and 90.5K+ engagements. 

A brand lift study revealed: 

• 4.2PT LIFT IN PERCEPTION - Those exposed to Google’s sponsored content on TDS Facebook were 19% more likely to feel positively about Google than those not exposed. 
• 9.6PT LIFT IN PURCHASE CONSIDERATION - Those exposed to Google’s sponsored content on LSSC Facebook were 45% more likely to consider purchasing Google products than those not exposed. 

Fans of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah connected with Google’s 2021 Year in Search campaign. The comments and reactions to the posts elicited a clear emotional response: 

• ‘This actually made my heart full! Thanks, Trevor, last year was unbelievable, but we sailed through.’ 
• ‘I’m feeling so happy to know you in the last two months of 2021 Trevor. Your works give me laughter and relief, and most importantly, a feeling of being understood and not alone. Hope 2022 brings everyone love and joy’ 
• ‘Is anyone else crying over the Google 2021 campaign?’ 
• ‘That was beautiful’ 

Media