Three things I love about the Super Bowl, like many others: the game, the halftime performance, and the ads. This year, my excitement peaked with the halftime performance, followed by the game, and then the ads. If you follow me on Mastodon and BlueSky, you’ll see that about 90% of my posts focused on Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance, with 5% dedicated to the ads and the remaining 5% to the game. Congratulations, Eagles!

I was particularly interested in seeing how others received Google’s “Dream Job” commercial, which I absolutely loved. I’d rate it a “B+,” and I’ll explain why after sharing what others had to say. Here’s the commercial:

Yahoo Sports also gave the ad a “B” grade. Here’s what they had to say about it:

Google using straight-up emotional terrorism to sell phones now, showing a young girl embracing her father as both a child and as a college student. Wicked, but effective.

I get it, but the point is to be effective and it really is. NPR didn’t dish out a grade, but they did a much better job explaining the complexity Google accomplished with this ad.

Typically, an AI, which sounds like a real person coaching you through a hypothetical job interview, might give off serious vibes like HAL 9000 (the killer computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey). But Google’s ad features a father talking about his work experience to the Gemini Live AI chatbot — “I show up every day, no matter what” — while imagery reveals he’s talking about raising his daughter. It adds up to an emotive, touching spot that emphasizes how people can use technology to perform better, rather than depicting a giant corporation offering software that encourages you to depend on them more as every year passes — seeing AI less as a job killer and more like a job search enabler. Hmmm.

The New York Times had this to say about Google’s ad:

The national ad for Google’s Gemini personal assistant is likely to be the most slickly handsome production in the field. If the use of Capra-esque family moments to humanize an A.I.-generated voice that coaches a dad for a job interview completely creeps you out, however, feel free to move this to the bottom of the list.

Oddly enough, NYT’s writer wasn’t too fond for Google’s approach to humanize A.I., but they also named OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ad the best ad of the night. Which to some regard, I understand that OpenAI is the leading maker of all things AI. ChatGPT is the Google Search of AI.

Over on Threads, quite a few people had emotional reactions to Google’s ad. I think this is what Google was going for.

View on Threads

Chris Carley, despite being a Google Pixel customer, is consistently critical of Google. Therefore, his use of the phrase ‘did me dirty’ isn’t unexpected. I admire his dedication to critiquing Google products—a balance I try to maintain in my own feedback. See his post below.

View on Threads

The commercial was generally well-received, and I was impressed. It successfully captured a human and relatable tone, demonstrating Gemini’s practical applications on the Pixel. The subtle approach to Pixel promotion aligns with Android’s focus on user choice (within its own ecosystem). While the ad masterfully evoked human emotion, the sales message felt slightly less developed, which kept it from an ‘A’ grade. Strategically, Google may have prioritized associating human emotion with the brand over direct sales. Perhaps a relatable celebrity could have further amplified this emotional connection. Regardless, I found it highly enjoyable.

Now go rewatch Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance.