As a long-time follower and admirer of technology, I have seen my fair share of innovative advertising campaigns that push the boundaries of creativity. However, I must admit, the recent Google ad during the Olympics left me scratching my head.
Google withdrew an advertisement showcasing its Gemini AI tool from NBC’s Olympic broadcasts, a move that was criticized for being insensitive and out of touch with the current context.
In the 1-minute commercial titled “Dear Sydney,” a father assists his adoring daughter in composing a letter to her hero, Olympic track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The dad narrates that his little girl might be the top fan of Sydney worldwide. (It’s confirmed they are real individuals.) In an unexpected twist, he enlists Google’s Gemini AI to assist his daughter in writing a letter expressing admiration for Sydney and mentioning her ambition to surpass Sydney’s current world record one day. (She doesn’t apologize for her confidence.)
Upon the debut of Google’s advertisement across NBCU networks last week, instant criticism ensued. The focus of this criticism centered around the idea of using artificial intelligence to create an emotional message dedicated to a personal idol. Linda Holmes, a novelist and host of Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, expressed her disapproval in a July 27 post on Threads, stating, “In most cases, it’s not impressive; rather, it’s disappointing to learn that an AI wrote the heartfelt message – ‘She didn’t even have to write anything herself!’ It’s not appealing to receive an automatically generated fan letter.”
In a statement given to Ad Age, Google explained that although the advertisement performed well prior to its broadcast, they’ve chosen to remove it from their Olympics rotation due to feedback received. You can still view the “Dear Sydney” ad on Google’s YouTube channel (link provided). Earlier, Google had defended this ad, which was produced by their in-house creative team, stating that while AI can aid human creativity, it cannot replace it entirely. The ad aimed to tell a genuine story about Team USA, featuring a real track enthusiast and her father. It serves as an example of how the Gemini app might inspire someone looking for ideas when writing, providing a starting point or initial draft.
The controversy surrounding “Dear Sydney” arises following Apple’s advertisement titled “Crush!”, which promotes the new, slim iPad Pro. This ad, often seen as a symbol of Apple’s marketing prowess, sparked criticism similar to what was experienced earlier, due to its depiction of cultural artifacts being crushed in a hydraulic press. Apple acknowledged their mistake by apologizing for the ad, stating they missed the mark. Their apology came after renowned figures like Hugh Grant and others from Hollywood criticized the ad, accusing Big Tech of destroying human culture symbolically. The controversial advertisement is still accessible online but was never broadcast on television.
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2024-08-02 18:46