Our research revealed the need to shift how Gen Z perceives Google Search and encourage new behaviors. We aimed to bridge the gap between perception and reality, demonstrating how new ways to search within the Google app can be both tangible and meaningful in their daily lives.

To achieve this, we used a three-pronged approach:

• Putting the App in the Spotlight: We focused on showcasing the app's functionalities and user interface, making it familiar and accessible to new audiences.

• Demonstrating Key Features: Through clear examples and demonstrations, we revealed the app's practical benefits and applications to Gen Z’s daily lives and the things they cared about.

• Creating Authentic Partner Content: By working with both established and emerging creators, we made content that seamlessly integrated into their channels, resonated with our target audience in terms of engagement and commentary, and sparked Gen Z’s curiosity to search further.

To bring New Ways to Search to life, we invited Gen Z to “go on a search” with their favorite creators in two different ways:

•By teaming up with talented names across key affinities to showcase searching via photos and screenshots versus traditional text. By providing a strong framework for our creator partners’ work upfront and by editing in branded touches on the backend, we built a smooth collaborative process that resulted in highly-engaged (paid and organic) video storytelling.

•By humanizing our WNBA, NFL, and Barbie movie activations. Knowing Gen Z is all about connecting the person behind the content, we worked with rising comedian (and Barbie fan) Meg Stalter to use the Google app to help navigate the “Real World.” And for our sports partnerships, we brought athletes closer to their Gen Z fans by providing a behind-the-scenes look at their off-court/off-field interests through the lens of the app.

To unlock authentic engagement with Gen Z, we employed a data-driven strategy. We leveraged social listening tools to understand how users were organically discussing the Google app across platforms. We analyzed Google app user insights to figure out which features were being used most frequently, plus identified trending topics and cultural moments. Doing so, we narrowed down key Gen Z interest areas that aligned with use cases where the Google app could be helpful – thrifting, plant care, travel, and home cooking.

Gen Z is social media savvy and trust creators so we partnered with creators across relevant niches. These creators were chosen on their genuine personalities, unique content creation styles, and highly-engaged online communities. By understanding Gen Z's interests and the organic conversations happening on their platforms, we could collaborate with creators to seamlessly integrate the new Google app features into their content and encourage use of the app

To promote New Ways to Search with Gen Z, we deployed new ways to think about social media. We launched a multi-platform campaign across paid and organic, focusing on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. Throughout the flight, we tapped into key Gen Z-oriented cultural partnerships with the WNBA, Barbie Movie, and NFL to build talkability and drive social conversation. We experimented with media targeting, hitting Gen Z at-large alongside niche communities. We conducted daily community management sweeps to further interact with the creators' posts and their respective audiences – which drove even more engagement. And we also used social listening to find various organic mentions of the Google app that we could shower with brand love.

The impact of all these components was undeniable, with social media mentions around the Google app experiencing a remarkable 2x increase from pre-launch to post-launch – showcasing the campaign's resonance with our target audience.

Collaborating with over 40 creators, athletes and celebrities, the campaign captured the attention of Gen Z audiences across different cross-sections of life: from plant care and home decor to sports and street style. We succeeded in introducing a new generation to New Ways to Search on the Google app, and consequently surpassed our main campaign KPI by 33%.

We got audiences talking, too. Social mentions of the product experienced a remarkable +104% increase from pre-launch to post-launch, with overall brand mentions during this time also exceeding our benchmarks by 11%.