This data-driven approach to storytelling has long been the basis for Google’s Year in Search campaign, but in 2018 we looked to harness this framework to tell stories throughout the year. The intention was to build brand love through storytelling that connects Google to culture and humanity in emotionally-resonant ways.

The series as a whole embodies a wide range of emotions and tones, allowing us to spotlight everything from the trending dances of prom season and the undeniable relevance of Lizzo (International Women’s Day 2019) to teachers’ commitment to learning (World Teachers Day 2018) and all those who show up to help in times of crisis (National First Responders Day). Each film leverages a mix of pop culture highlights, user-generated content, and major media moments.

Data forms the backbone of our creative solution, informing both the moments that merit discussion, and the specific queries framing those moments. For example, we found that searches for “gender equality” skyrocketed in recent years, which became the premise of our first film honoring International Women’s Day. The film reveals how searches for gender equality are trending at all-time highs in countries like India, Australia, South Africa, America, and China. We also show how the world is questioning the numbers, asking things like “what percentage of [important job] are women,” and reveal how questions like “what is metoo” are skyrocketing across languages and locales.

Similarly, for the annual Year in Search film, we revealed how in 2018, the world searched for topics related to “good” more than ever before. We honored our childhood heroes (teachers) by showing the throughline between their search for personal knowledge and their power to inspire the next generation. And we paid tribute to first responders by showing how users search to help and show gratitude. Each film heroes data via the iconic Google Search bar, while each specific query complements the footage and drives the narrative forward.

Google processes over 1 trillion Search queries every year. Embedded within this massive corpus of data are compelling insights that reflect this moment in time in a very specific way.

Our data interpretation unearths insights that form the backbone of Trends-based stories. For example, we found that searches for “gender equality” skyrocketed over the past few years. This became the premise of our first film, honoring International Women’s Day. Similarly, we saw a major increase in Search interest for dance moves in the months before American prom season, leading us to make a film celebrating this important rite of passage.

From the hero insight to the top-searched queries that support it, data manifests in multiple ways throughout each film. Every piece of content, every media moment, and every personality featured in our films is selected because they are trending in Search.

These films are designed to naturally target the specific audience celebrated in each moment. For example, our Teachers film is meant to both honor teachers and show the ways they continue to search for knowledge. And our Black Girl Magic film celebrates amazing women of color who inspire generations, lead their industry, and deeply influence culture.

Moments in Search enhanced the consumer experience by providing an engaging window into the collective zeitgeist of the world’s searches, showing how these searches reveal compelling insights about the themes and topics shaping global culture. The series has been viewed over 225M times across YouTube, online media, and social channels. Year in Search 2018 alone was viewed over 113M times — 5.7X more than the previous year’s film — becoming the most viewed brand film in Google’s history by almost 3X. Collectively, the films were translated into over 45 languages, reaching viewers in more than 140 countries.