An emotional Google search engine advertisement has become a big hit
in India and Pakistan by surprisingly invoking a searing and traumatic
period in the shared history of the South Asian arch rivals. Google ad "Reunion" portrays two childhood friends, now elderly
men, who haven't seen each other since they were separated by the 1947
partition that created India and Pakistan from the old British empire.The three-minute film opens with an old man narrating his childhood
memories to his granddaughter. He mentions his childhood friend, who he
had to part ways with during partition. The granddaughter then takes to
Google and finds ways of reconnecting her grandfather with his childhood
friend. She manages to connect with the man’s grandson in Pakistan, and
invites him over to New Delhi to surprise her grandfather on his
birthday. Created by Ogilvy & Mather, the campaign consists of a three-minute
lead film, and four short films focused on product offerings. It might seem a risky strategy to co-opt partition for a feel-good search engine advertisement. Within a span of a little over 3 minutes, a beautiful story was
successfully narrated which is a clear sign to brands that they can also
do so much more on digital." In spite of being a tech brand, Google has been rolling out campaigns that give it a human face, across the globe.
