In a crowded smartphone market with a wave of new AI-powered devices, Pixel stood out as the first to offer a fully integrated experience with Gemini. With the introduction of Gemini Live, real-time conversational AI built right into Pixel, there was a chance to set the Pixel even further apart from its competitors.
The problem: We’ve been trained to talk to machines all wrong. Until Gemini Live, voice AI meant arguing with auto-attendants on the phone, or asking Siri to set a timer. No wonder people couldn’t imagine the nuanced, layered, un-Google-able questions that Gemini Live can handle. We wanted to show people that this AI was DIFFERENT. Without that spark, the most advanced AI experience on the market risked going unused.
We set out on a mission to turn Gemini Live into more than a feature. It needed to be a conversation. One that would not only get people talking to Gemini, but also talking about Pixel. That meant demystifying the tech, showing real-life uses, and making it feel approachable enough for anyone to jump in
Strategic insight
In today’s hyper-connected world, the fear of looking uninformed can stop people from asking questions or joining conversations. That hesitation leads to missed opportunities to learn and connect.
We knew real engagement comes from authenticity. Instead of creating hypothetical use cases, we tapped into real, highly relatable moments where people were truly stuck. Viral moments from popular creators where they were too embarrassed to ask, looking for validation, or just wanting a clearer answer. By grounding our approach in these real-life scenarios, we created content that resonated deeply and invited our audience to join the conversation.
Our solution:
We positioned Gemini Live as the ultimate conversational partner: the one you can bring your most embarrassing questions to, the one that’s always up for a deep dive, the one that follows you down every research rabbit hole that sparks your interest. By making it feel personal, curious, and game for anything, we turned AI into something people couldn’t wait to talk to… and talk about.
Our strategy focused on these key elements:
I) TAPPING INTO THE CULTURAL ZEITGEIST
We helped inspire the ATL spot and led the charge on seven social spots with paid amplification across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where Gemini Live joined the internet’s favorite debates. From timeless debates like whether or not to use an Oxford Comma (https://bit.ly/4qNc9Zd) to trending obsessions like ice baths, Gemini Live proved it could join in on any conversation.
II) PARTNERING WITH CONVERSATION LEADERS FOR VIRAL CREATOR-LED CONTENT
We teamed up with overnight social sensations like:
These partnerships demonstrated Gemini Live’s utility in helping the creators address their well-known dilemmas, in a highly entertaining and relevant context.
III) SPREADING THE WORD ON THE STREET
In partnership with the masters of conversation, Overheard, we hit the street. We asked real people in New York (https://bit.ly/4q8Vo9V) and Los Angeles (https://bit.ly/4q2S6VL) to air out their pre-Thanksgiving anxieties and family debates. Gemini Live jumped in on the spot to roleplay conversations and deliver the perfect comeback, proving its real-world utility in a way that was both funny and relatable.
IV) TRANSLATING UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCES WITH GLOBAL SUPERSTARS
We created social-first content with recognizable talent including as Keke Palmer (http://bit.ly/4a4oDoe), the WNBA’s A’ja Wilson (https://bit.ly/3Maaq18) asking their most curious questions, from “are oranges called orange because of the color orange, or is orange called orange because of oranges?” to helping A’ja discover the basketball equivalent of an EGOT.
In less than two months, we created and published 98 assets that garnered over 335M impressions and were viewed over 15.4M times on social (23x benchmark). During the campaign live time, Gemini Live achieved a 4.4% relative increase in unaided awareness and 2.2% increase in unaided awareness for Pixel, proving we helped turn a complex technology into a recognized and understood tool.
This campaign helped drive a 98% positivity score in social sentiment across 29 posts on influencer and O&O channels. Helping increase awareness and word of mouth for Gemini Live by humanizing the experience of using the product on a mobile device through relatable and humorous content. Our partnerships between both Overheard and influencers generated 266M impressions and 1.2M weighted engagements.
As a team, we ignited curiosity, sparking a 50% increase in search interest for Gemini Live during the campaign and a 25% increase in Google Pixel.
