I love this commercial. The song is catchy, the company is exciting and the product is new and innovative.
Yet, I’ve seen hundreds of commercials with catchy music and exciting new products. So why did I fall in love with this one? Why, out of the 5,000 brand messages I see daily, does this one stand out?
This commercial is so engaging because it’s local. In just thirty seconds Google Fiber pointed out all the things I love about living in Kansas City, the City of Fountains and home of jazz and barbeque. It’s exciting to see a commercial featuring Crown Center and Union Station, city landmarks just a few blocks from the Crossroads office. By including some local flavor in its brand messaging, Google Fiber celebrates shared experiences and creates brand ambassadors.
In fact, ever since its inception Google Fiber has focused on local and has inspired communities to come together. When Google Fiber was choosing its debut location, more than 1,100 cities applied and participated in clever stunts with hopes of catching Google’s attention. My hometown of Longmont, Colo., met in a high school parking lot and used people and cars to spell out “Longmont Hearts Google.” Nearby Topeka even changed its name to Google for a month.
Even though Kansas City has already been chosen as the debut location, the company’s brand messaging and initiatives still focus on being local. Google Fiber has started a competition between “fiberhoods” in the Kansas City area. These small groupings of residences with the most pre-registrations will be the first to get Google Fiber service and will be invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fiber facility. Furthering its mission to bring communities together, Google is hosting a series of Summer Movie Nights at local hotspots. Fiber owns its local message across all channels, something we as communication professionals can learn from.
In PR, we already know that personalizing our pitches gets the best results. We have learned from experience that cookie cutter communication just doesn’t work. If you want to get noticed you have to do your homework and learn about the individual reporters. We know these things already. Google Fiber has shown us that these lessons can and should be applied to the end readers as well. Reporters appreciate relevant material and so do their readers. Understanding the local culture will help set your brand apart and start meaningful conversations based on shared experiences.
