Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot. Based on the large language model (LLM) of the same name, it was launched in 2023 (as Bard) and reintroduced as Gemini in February 2024. Our main goal was to establish Google's leadership in AI and get people excited about the Gemini era. We aimed to create a story that would encourage people to try Gemini, showcasing the different ways they can use it, from the standalone tool to its integrations across other Google products. For the spot, we wanted a track that would help "reintroduce" users to Gemini (formerly known as Bard).
The strategy was to create an iconic, memorable story that introduces Gemini to the world in a way that's simple and encourages trial, showcasing the variety of ways users can utilize Gemini, including the standalone tool and other cross-product integrations.
We crafted an iconic narrative using Jay-Z's iconic "Public Service Announcement (Interlude)" from his Black Album. The spot encouraged users to explore Gemini, showcasing its versatility from the standalone tool to its cross-product integrations. The spot Premiered on YouTube and featured keynote highlights of Gemini's new products and functionalities. We also took the original US spot global, creating localized assets for Germany, UK, France, and Japan.
The "Welcome to the Gemini Era" video performed exceptionally well after launch, generating nearly a quarter of a billion views across platforms. What's really impressive is that on TikTok (where it received 92m views alone), it significantly outperformed all of Google's ad videos from the past year in acquiring new followers, even surpassing one of our other top-performing pieces of content by 5,000 followers.
