UPDATE, Rumors were spot on: Google’s Super Bowl Ad appeared during the 3rd quarter. -
Google could be airing an ad during the Super Bowl. John Battelle, founder of Federated Media Publishing has dug deep to solve this mystery. Here are two clues:
1. Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s tweet:
Can’t wait to watch the Superbowl tomorrow. Be sure to watch the ads in the 3rd quarter (someone said “Hell has indeed frozen over.”). I wonder which company is he helping to promote?
2. Google’s reply to John’s investigative email:
“Watch the Super Bowl!” Surely, you and I can sense some sort of mysterious behavior going on.
Google’s Parisian Love
Why would Google take this step?
Assuming that the rumor is true, I would say this step is a logical one. The ad reminds current users why they chose to use Google and to tell others (Yahoo or non-internet savvy people) how powerful Google is; it has an answer to almost anything!
Branding wise, the ad cements Google as the world’s best search engine. This is especially important with its recent NexusOne launch. I’m guessing people could be confused (from a non-geek perspective) what direction Google is taking. This commercial reminds people that Google is still very much in the search business. It’s still all part of the Google revenue equation.
Or could this be just for fun? The Super Bowl spot might cost a bomb to others, but it is peanuts to Google, taking reference to its $6.5 billion profit last year.
