Google Australia turns the heads of TikTok lovers in new Gen Z creator campaign via Emotive

Google has employed the social expertise of independent agency Emotive to create its first native TikTok campaign in Australia, designed to get Gen Z excited about Google’s own search app.

The campaign amplifies the Google app’s ability to play a more fundamental role in Gen Z’s lives, by tapping into a huge driver of their behaviour, their quest for independence.

Independence comes with many exciting first times, that are sometimes tempered with a feeling of trepidation. In this campaign Gen Z’s favourite creators prove that new experiences need not be as intimidating , when you use the Google app to take them on and ace them.

Some of Australia’s leading creators were tasked with leveraging their own first times to inspire content off the back of this single idea. The final roster of 10 creators included musician and podcaster Avneesha Delulu, magician Ash Magic, foodie Michael Finch, comedian Mille Ford and conservationist Robert Irwin.

The Google app allows users to go beyond the traditional text based search queries, giving users more ways to search using their phones camera and microphone. Armed with the app, the creators were able to tackle life’s tricky firsts even when they didn’t have the knowledge or experience to describe what they were looking for. Avneesha created her first song in Hindi (a language she doesn’t speak), Robert Irwin crafted the perfect mocktail (when he’s never made one), Bridey Drake navigated a day in Japan (a place she’d never been to) and comedian Luke Donkin finally learnt how to use the equipment at the gym.

The content has already reached 13.3M people on TikTok and driven $1.5M in earned media value. Crucially the results indicate the paid campaign drove measurable impact against key KPIs – with statistically significant lifts in brand metrics observed when Influencer and brand creative ran concurrently in market.

Says Laura Pope, head of consumer marketing, apps and platforms AUNZ, Google: “The Google app brings users the best of Google Search through multi-modal functionality; like, searching what you see through Google Lens, instantly translating text from another language, or using ‘Hum to Search’ to find that song you can’t remember the name of. To engage Gen Z, we wanted to do more than simply tell them about the app’s exciting features and capabilities. Instead we looked to immerse them in its experience. We wanted them to see it and feel it, through authentic stories from people they trust.”

Says Rhian Mason, head of social, talent, and partnerships, Emotive: “We have found that generating and amplifying real-world value can be far more effective than traditional advertising when it comes to reaching Gen Z audiences. By creating a singular idea that could be applied authentically to a wide range of creators, the campaign benefited from a cumulative effect.

“Furthermore, by working closely with creators during the briefing and production process we ensured that the value and usefulness of the Google app was quite literally integrated into the entertainment in a relatable way. This resulted in an impressive number of shares, saves, and rewatches on TikTok, and demonstrated how the campaign was far from being seen as an ad, rather a valuable resource for Gen Z in navigating first-time experiences.”

Client: Google Australia
Creative & Production: Emotive
Influencer management: Born Bred
Media: Media Futures Group