ADdicted: Cute and Effective

As a consumer, I enjoy watching cute ads just like everybody else.

But as a marketer, I understand that cute alone doesn't sell products and services.

"Cute" isn't the same as "effective".

Google's "Mr. Fuzzy's Big Adventure" is an undeniably cute ad.

But it's not just cute. It also effectively shows how Google Gemini can be used by everyday people in everyday scenarios.

In this case, that's a parent forgetting a child's favourite toy on an airplane and then creatively using Gemini to avoid an otherwise inevitable meltdown.

It needs to be said that the creative idea behind this ad isn't particularly innovative; you only need to Google "stuffed animal left take photos hotel" to discover pages (and pages, and pages) of real-life stories almost identical to what's depicted in this ad.

But that's the difference between "invention" and "innovation": invention is something entirely new, innovation is taking a known idea and evolving it in some way to make it better.

In this case, the idea of a "travelling stuffy" is familiar.

But being able to generate your own photos and videos to explain the absence of a stuffed animal without relying on the kindness and creativity of hospitality personnel?

That's the innovative twist that showcases the capabilities of Google Gemini.

And that's what would make any parents who have ever dreaded finding themselves in such a situation think, "Hmm... maybe I should check out this Gemini thing. Just in case."

The advertising landscape is littered with babies, puppies, and other cute things.

But when it comes to advertising, "cute" is rarely enough.

Combine "cute" with a relatable story that illustrates the benefits of your product or service, though, and you can get something very effective... and very powerful.

Just like this ad.

P.S. I love this ad, both as a parent and a marketer. But it's not my all-time favourite Google ad. That honour belongs to this ad, which PERFECTLY showcased all the important ways Google could assist you in finding what you were looking for... at a time when "Google" wasn't the obvious answer to the question "How would I learn more about that?" If you have 52 seconds to watch it, I can almost guarantee you won't be sorry.