Google engages Sharon Strzelecki to help show how Aussie businesses can grow through new AI-powered ad tools in new campaign via Emotive
Google has turned to Aussie icon Sharon Strzelecki to help show how a suite of newly launched AI-powered tools can help Australian businesses find new customers and grow in a new campaign creatively conceived and produced by Emotive.
Sharon, played by comedian and actress Magda Szubanski, fronts the new campaign which shows her using a range of ad tools to find customers for her ‘Bowled & Beautiful’ hairdressing business.
It comes as challenging economic conditions make doing business and finding new customers more difficult for many businesses. New research from Google and Kantar has found that almost two thirds (61 percent) of Australian small and medium businesses (SMBs) saw acquiring new customers as their ‘number one’ challenge.
To help businesses address this challenge and get more from their marketing spend, Google has newly launched a range of AI-powered tools in Australia, including:
- • A smarter AI powered sign-up process that automatically pulls text and images from your website saving you time and getting you started faster.
- • Performance Max – a simpler AI-powered campaign type, is now the default campaign for new advertisers. Performance Max has been found to deliver 27 percent more conversions at a similar average cost per acquisition than a standard Google Ads Search campaign.
- • Free Tools including Product Studio and Asset Generation that help you quickly and easily create ads for you to use in your campaigns using Generative AI. Plus you get to keep the assets generated.
Sharon Strzelecki fronts the new campaign that showcases the tools, and how easy it is for businesses to set up and use them to find new customers. So easy it seems, even an accident prone indoor leg-spinner and small business owner from Fountain Lakes can do it.
Says Szubanski: “Shaz is a very special character and I wanted to ensure that her evolution into a business owner was true to her spirit as an everyday Aussie who is giving it her best crack. Working with Emotive and Google across long form content ensured that we could tell an authentic story. The fact that Shaz is helping her fellow entre-prenuers … well I think that’s exactly the type of person she is!”
The campaign sees a mini mockumentary film and 60s, 30s, 15s ads complemented by in-depth ‘how to’ video where Sharon walks us through the steps of setting up Google Ads. There’s even a cameo from ex-Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist.
Research from Kantar showed that among marketers who’ve adopted AI tools in their campaign management, 82 percent say it’s improved marketing performance and efficiency.
Says Mark Wheeler, director of ads marketing at Google Australia: “We know that SMB owners are among the most time-poor people on the planet, and in today’s economic climate they also need their marketing to deliver more with less. That’s why we’re so excited about the integration of Google AI into our Ads solutions – it’s delivering better performance and making it easier to manage. At Google we’re committed to putting this powerful technology in the hands of all Australian businesses, regardless of their size or budget.”
Blurring the lines between fiction and reality further, Sharon also makes an appearance on David Koch’s “Kochie’s Business Builders” program on Channel 7 and has launched her very own Bowled & Beautiful website.
David Koch of Kochie Business Builders: “Being successful with digital advertising is a must for SMBs. And marketing is always the no.1 challenge SMBs talk to me about. So it’s fantastic to see Google Ads harnessing AI and continually improving, plus, launching the message to the masses with Sharon in such an engaging way has been a real blast.”
Says Zane Pearson, director at Emotive Production: “It’s been a thrill working with a comedic genius like Magda. When we set-out creating the ad, we knew it was critical that building an authentic world for Sharon would mean that the audience would engage deeply with the story we were presenting. Plus, since we knew this would be a YouTube led campaign, we weren’t timeboxed to a classic ‘15 or ‘30 second Ad. This meant we had the creative licence to tell the story in the most engaging way and not squeeze it into a specific time frame.”
The campaign is rolling out across digital ATL, social and select media integrations from 1 July.
Google AU: Mark Wheeler, Duncan McGrath, Martin Dowling, Dana Markovic
Emotive Creative & Production: Ben Keep, Ben Sampson, Hayley Ritz-Pelling, Jess Ameduri, Michael Dawson, Michael Hogg, Monika Vidovic, Rebecca Love-Williams, Rory Pearson, Sam Gadsden, Simon Joyce, Sophia Delimihalis, Tyler Ronaldson, Zane Pearson
Research & Insights: Pollinate & Kantar
16 Comments
Could they have possibly picked a more out of date character? Most of the kiddies on here would have never even heard of Kath & Kim. Or television, for that matter.
you absolute muppet, good luck finding a kiddie on here that doesn’t know Kath and Kim
Think about the average SME owner ya muppet. Actually a very good fit for an older audience that would know who she is. Your comment once again is proof why young creatives shouldn’t be on every job. Gut feel is you’re only about 2 years out of award school.
who hurt you?
This campaign isn’t aimed at kiddies, it’s aimed at small business owners most of which would know ‘Kath & Kim’, so jog on muppet.
I wish this industry would hurry up and destroy itself
lol
Well, you’ve certainly got the people at Emotive all emotional by critiquing their work. You’re spot on, though.
six logos in the first twelve frames and this is still forgettable
Emotive’s one tricky pony still works. Find me a piece of work where they haven’t used a celebrity.
Ouch! Why such a hater?
Cringe
Group already?
Do some agencies have the same briefing system?
Which TV personality, footy player, cricketer, ex-Olympian, one of The Matildas,
or a contestant from a reality cooking show can we use?
If the budget doesn’t allow for any of the above then find someone who was on Dancing With The Stars that fell over and everyone remembers the incident, not the person’s name, just the fall – get that person.
Idea? Great writing? Forget that, we’ll just lean on the person in the ad to get us through.
I thought it was an Uber ad
Rather than critique the creative flavour, hear the information. That’s infotainment.