This time, to address the “skepticism and fear” surrounding AI, Google chose to elevate human stories with its Workspace Super Bowl campaign, Beber said.
“There’s a gap in knowing how AI can help people achieve their ambitions,” he continued. “This is not about Workspace or AI, it’s about the small businesses that are the engine of the economy.”
Google points to data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showing that 99.9% of U.S. businesses–—over 33 million—are small businesses. Meanwhile, 40% of small businesses are using generative AI tools, nearly double the level from last year.
“Very rarely do small businesses get a chance to be on the biggest national stage. This is largely about their innovation and grit, and a small part is AI,” Beber added.
Google’s “50 States, 50 Stories” is not AI-generated, but the brand relied on a combination of AI and human craft to develop the ads. It used Gemini tools to narrow down thousands of existing Workspace customers and find potential candidates to feature in the campaign.
From there, Google’s team interviewed nearly 100 business owners—many of whom “were skeptical it was really Google reaching out to tell their story”—about their everyday challenges, Beber said.
The 50 ads were shot over a period of 10 weeks. Daniel Mercadante directed the first four spots through production company Park Pictures and provided creative direction on the remaining films. Cntrl Studio handled production and post-production.
“Everyone in the ads is a real business, and it’s in their voice,” Beber said.
The 50 customer stories can also be viewed on a Workspace website. After the Super Bowl, Google will repurpose the spots to run across digital media.
For the rest of this year, Google Workspace will expand its marketing focus from small business owners to telling 100 stories about large enterprises. Its effort will also go global, with campaigns planned next for Brazil and Japan.
Also during the Super Bowl, Google will air a national ad for its Pixel devices, as it did last year.
