The other night I was watching Knocked Up, and in the movie there are a few references to "Googling" something. For example, in one scene the older daughter is riding in a car and casually says "I Googled murder," while in another scene Leslie Mann's character asks Paul Rudd to "Google" their daughter's symptoms to determine whether she has the chicken pox or a rash. I also recently saw The Bourne Ultimatum, and in one scene Jason Bourne uses Google to search for an agent's name, and later on there is a car chase where the guys in one car are using Google Maps on their dashboard navigation system.
If you haven't seen these movies, I'm sure you nonetheless can think of some examples of Google being the search engine of choice in a movie. While my first example could be chalked up to "Google" being used as a verb to signify searching for information on the web (like saying "Do you have a Kleenex?" when you just want a tissue, regardless of the brand), the Bourne Ultimatum actually shows characters specifically using Google products. Either way, Google is clearly the dominant search engine in movies today. How many films have you seen where a character is searching for something using Yahoo or MSN (I won't even bring up Ask)?
Google's domination got me wondering whether the screenwriters are just defaulting to Google or whether it's deliberate product placement. Whatever the reason, what's to stop Yahoo or MSN from increasing awareness and brand salience by "advertising" in movies? Is it possible for them to arrange some product placement? Why not have Kate Hudson perform a search on Yahoo in her next romantic comedy? Jason Lee can look for something on MSN in the upcoming (shudder) Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Or, they could go the "blatant movie tie-in" route a la AOL in You've Got Mail or Fed Ex in Castaway (hmmm, both Tom Hanks movies...might be a good idea to contact him, Yahoo and MSN).
Another thing Yahoo or MSN could do is tie into movie promotions. Remember that "Google Pontiac" commercial? What if a preview for a typical action-adventure movie urged viewers to "Go to Yahoo and search for [insert keyword here]," and when they do they're taken to a cool page (something along the lines of the Lost viral content). I think there are several possibilities and options for the #2 and 3 search engines to increase their visibility to the moviegoing audience.
What do you all think? Do you ever notice Google's repeated presence in films? Can Yahoo and MSN do something to change that, even a little?
By: Rebecca Kelley
Google Dominating Hollywood as Well as the Search Demographic
Search Engines
The author's views are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
The Simpsons seems to frequently use Ask.com as their engine of choice, though they usually just rip on it:
Milhouse: What should we ask Jeeves?
Bart: Ask him why he sucks.
And just the other day I saw a rerun where Lisa finds a note of Homer's (on a Flintstones fun map) that reads: "Dino ... short for dinosaur? Remember to Ask Jeeves."
In both cases, I died a little. Completely hysterical.
But, with regards to Google, I read somewhere they were trying to quash the use of Google as a verb, for fear that Google would become a generic term (like Kleenex now is. Everyone uses a "kleenex" when they have a cold, but only some of the time are they Kleenex brand tissues). In the same article, I think, the author noted that was kind of an idiotic move, because unlike Kleenex, Google is essentially free, and if the name becomes a verb, it's simply ingrained the term into your brain that much more. So you're more likely to use - gasp! - Google next time you do a search. At any rate, I'm guessing it's just going to become a part of speech, no matter how hard Google tries to fight it. Consequently, it will (and already has) become part of movies and television without Google's knowledge or consent - but certainly to their benefit.
Not sure if this is relevant, but after seeing mystery_guest mention the Simpsons/Ask tie in I remember ex boss Barry Diller always being introduced to us lowly ones as the 'Creator of the Simpsons' As you probably know, he also picked up Ask Jeeves a few years back as a little IAC aquisition.
Judging by the cheeky way they treat Fox, can't see the creators having qualms at taking a poke at Ask too..
I wonder when 'google it' will be added to the inflected forms at the Merriam Webster dictionary?
Your post highlights an excellent question - Is this deliberate Product placement, or is it subconscious use of google as a generic product?
But also hidden within the post is the reference to the child in Knocked up mentioning googling "murder" - I have been thinking about that particular question for a while - how many kids hear terms like "sex" "rape" "murder" etc and google for their answers? Google has replaced parents as a source of first enquiry - saving the parents a lot of embarrasing situations, but potentially putting kids at risk for coming across illicit content... (just food for thought).
As for the main idea behind the use of google in films, I dont think that G needs to product place themselves - I mean dont we all use the term "google it?" Thats been around for a couple of years - and as the movies are targetted towards a mass audience, it helps to put infront of them the most common search engine that they come across on a daily basis. Its similar to the use of "Panadol" in the UK to mean "Paracetamol".
I mean I remember when CSI use some other search engine ( the name escapes me for the moment...) I always think to myself "why dont they use google?"
I still see TV shows and films where characters use obscure operating systems, programmes and search engines. Sometimes, I think it's on purpose, so as not to be seen promoting any particular product or company. I think that Naomi Watts uses Yahoo! in "The Ring" to search; am I right? I do remember seeing Yahoo! used in a recent movie.
EDIT: For American users, replace "Panadol" with "Tylenol" and "Paracetamol" with "Acetaminophen":)
lol.. thanks- I knew tylenol figured in there somewhere, but not sure whether it was a replacement for asprin or paracetamol...
and I was too lazy to "google" it (pun intended ;-)
The whole 'google it' thing is just a testament to the branding power of Google. I wouldn't be surprised if they are one of the fastest to go from a noun to a verb.
It's very much along the lines of xerox, or kleenex for americans who use the terms to describe photocopiers and tissue.
And I am a bit relieved that my future son can teach himself about the 'birds and the bees' - I would thnink getting jr into a strip club at that young an age would be a difficult thing to do ;)
lol... yes, but inadvertedly getting junior TOO graphic pictures would be a problem?
(edit from Rebecca: yeah, that link was not cool)
Apologies if I offended - just wanted to demonstrate the risk of allowing kids to find their own answers... and that safe search can still chuck up horrifying results.
Screenwriters are normally very attuned to the use of trademarks in their work. There are a bunch of nuanced rules about it.
Thankfully, there are a bunch of screenwriters who are bloggers, so if you really want to know, just ask one of them:
John August: https://johnaugust.com
Alex Epstein: https://complicationsensue.blogspot.com
Artful Writer: https://artfulwriter.com
Great tip, Nathania! Thanks!
Note: I should've read the second half of MG's comment. Hers also has Simpson's references, so feel free to read it instead.
Don't branding people actively fight against their terms becoming generic ("Google", "Kleenex", "Coke", etc.)? I've heard Coke spends millions on getting people to say "cola" or "soda" instead of "Coke" in restaurants, because the generic usage harms their brand. Once "Google" begins to just mean search (no matter what engine people use), it actually harms Google's ability to differentiate.
Then again, I've never entirely understood branding people.
I was thinking the same thing as I was reading this article. Are we making the term generic just like Q-tips, Kleenex, or Xerox? And will this eventually hurt Google? I know for a fact people in my office will say, "I'm going to 'google it'" and they open IE and it goes straight to MSN. I believe this could have the same "Q-tip effect", if you will, and cause the term "Googling" to mean internet search.
Hopefully Google has not yet extended it's ever powerful reach into the product placement world. That is more disturbing than Britney Spear's parenting skills.
I do know many people who simply say that they will "Google" something as a slang term for...uh...well Googling something. It has become a crazy part of pop culture...so I have to wonder if it was pre thought out before they launced Google because you have to admit that Google is must more catchier than Yahoo! I remember the first time I heard the name Google and it stuck in my head just because it was unique...cartoons say Yahoo! you know?
I think we are getting both a lot of product placement and a lot of screenwriter's who simply use terms like "Google it" to make their scene's more accessible to the audience.
One example: The only 5 minutes, I swear, that I saw of the Inspector Gadget movie with Matthew Broderick involved a Yahoo! billboard falling onto someone - and when it fell, it went, "YahOOOooo!" in that cowboy song clip. That seemed a lot like product placement to me.
In the example cited above, Knocked Up, which I actually just watched three days ago myself, I also caught the few references to Google. However, I think in this case those scenes, from a writing standpoint, would just not be as funny if Debbie were to say, "Yahoo! it," obviously, or "search for it on an internet search engine." We all use "Google" as a verb - hell, I even do that in everyday conversation. It's quicker, easier, and it's just how people talk - so it meshes well in dialogue. No product placement necessary. I wouldn't be surprised, in fact, to learn that Google didn't actually have anything to do with it in this case.
I think The Bourne Ultimatum is perhaps a different story, since nobody casually mentions it in this way. Bourne actually sits down to use Google, we get the Google logo right there, and, jee whiz, he finds just what he was searching for on Page 1! Talk about high-quality results! Secret Agent information on Page 1 of search results. That's a beautiful thing. Same goes for Google maps - obvious product placement. No reason for the logo at all, in fact, other than to plug Google's brand.
An aside: I still use Yahoo! on a daily basis, just not for searching. I happen to think it's a pretty nice portal when looking for breaking news stories, a few helpful articles to kill the time, information on a movie and a lot more.
But when it comes to dirt on a secret government agent, Google is where it's at.
Yahoo! was used to do searches in the movie: National Treasure
That was not really good publicity though, was it?
ha!
I just jumped onboard on the SEOmoz blog and I had just recently posted about this same movie on my own blog though my post was geared more towards the alarming trend of Hollywood trying to convince us that every beautiful woman's ideal man is a slovenly oaf whose boorish personality hides a heart of gold. The fact of the Google verb oozing into pop culture kind of passed me by at the time, but perhaps that's due to my sense of belief having to be wildly suspended just to watch the fictional world of the movie.
But I digress--Google is certainly headed towards the realm of marketing magic where the term is synonymous with product. If my Mom calls my Creative Zen an iPod one more time, she's getting a lump of coal for Christmas--or is it iFossil Fuel?
Product placement is nothing new, but I agree with those who say Google won't have to pay a cent to get in media--as the standard, it would be odd to see Yahoo get that same luxury. Hey, you never know though--I remember seeing plenty of cans of Shasta soda on 80's sitcoms and they don't even exist now. Or do they? Maybe I should Google it.
I think "google ____" or "I googled it" is just part of everyday vernacular. If MSN or Yahoo had a product that was "verb-alized" like google, and popular, you'd see it film and television (I remember seeing references to Yahoo's yodel when it was popular). Its just a new word that will eventually become old hat... like when your at a copy machine (no matter what brand) your Xeroxing.
Besides... googling is old skool... I believe "the Office" has used "wikipea'd it"
But I definately dont think its purposedly placed product placement. I watched Music and Lyrics (wife wanted to see it) and Hugh Grant's character Google'd Drew Barrymore's character and found out she was a good writer.
My favorite subtle product placement was a reaccuring one on the old ER... every once in awhile you'd see some orderly moving or carrying a black and white cow printed box (Gateway) :) And my favorite not-so-subtle is Wayne's World.
In the parallel universe where Yahoo has the largest market share, I can see "to Yahoo," "I Yahooed it", etc, being used. "I Lived it" (as in "live animals," not "live and let live") or "Go MSN it" don't flow so well. However, you often hear people say "I talked to her on MSN," meaning that they were using MSN Messenger. It's tough to say what has or had a chance of entering the lexicon as a generic word... but since Yahoo already had a meaning of its own, its chances were already a little stunted!
Didn't Jeff Goldblum save the world with a Mac Powerbook in Independence Day? Man, that was a horrible movie--
If Google really stands true to their philosophy of Do No Evil I would hope they tread carefully.
I'm not entirely a fan of the way some people are treated as 'celebrity' in the US. It confuses children to choose a poor role model, and there are plenty of parents who choose to let that continue.
Though I'd love to see a Google hat on Lewis Hamilton next time he wins ;)
Edit: Nice use of the 'Google Pontiac' example ;)
I remember seeing really heavy Yahoo product placement in the Apprentice series on NBC - and I'm pretty sure MTV's Real World cast was also forced to use Yahoo in their den. But it was obvious placement, much more so that the movies you mention.
Then there's "You've got mail" which was an hour-and-a-half long AOL commercial. Maybe Yahoo should produce "Flickrless in Seattle"
HA! After reading this article, the first thing I thought of was "You've Got Mail".
Seems lately that every other Tom Hanks movie is a commercial (think Castaway, The Terminal and of course You've Got Mail). So, I predict that we'll see Tom in his next feature film costarring Jeeves and a plot of how Ask.com will help save humanity and/or your soul.
I also noticed the Google Maps thing in Bourne Ultimatum. Kind of like we were the only people to notice QueenElizabeth.NET last week.
But as an NCAA Hoops junkie, I have to say that those "Google Pontiac and see for yourself" ads were about the most annoying series ever. I wanted to shout at the TV (and did on several occasions) -- WHY NOT JUST VISIT PONTIAC.COM --
a) if any competitors were advertising on "pontiac" in AdWords, there's a chance you'd lose the lead.
b) it struck me immediately as a flagging brand trying to prop itself up by associating with a burgeoning brand. in this way it made Pontiac seem even WEAKER in my mind.
Edit: for those who are NOT NCAA Hoops junkies, the reason this fact is relevant is because Pontiac is one of the NCAA Tournament's chief sponsors and apparently doesn't have the marketing budget to create more than one ad which is shown 6 bazillion times in March alone.
I have actually seen a movie where they used Yahoo! search. However, it was an incredibly poor movie and resulted in (can you tell they're geeks) people jumping on the sofa shouting "omgz! he's using Yahoo! now, what a n00b!". Haha :) Sinister if you think Google is placing products intentionally :)
I'm not sure the, "Go to Yahoo and search for [insert keyword here],", works so well anymore. Take, for example, a local fast food burger place in my city. They were running a promotion and had, go to wwwDOTsuchandsuchDOTcom and enter this number on the cup, and my friend and I (both IT geeks) pondered how many people would actually do this. Was our biased skewed because of our constant internet use, I'm not sure, admitedly, I did not do a poll at the restaurant or get any actual feedback or research on this. However, if you ask a person and they say, "Yes, I'd do that", would they really think twice before recycling the cup?
This example applies to your theorum, would people actually act on it? I think product placement is the much stronger marketing choice, you see Google in the movie, and you have Google on your mind.
...And I was already thinking of the Fed Ex Castaway tie in, already in your first paragraph, before I got to third para; which illustrates the power of the tie in.
Brand power has alot of currency.
Google, googling etc have become a lingo for netizens !!!
While I haven't seen "Knocked Up" or "The Bourne Ultimatum" (yet!), and wouldn't be caught dead watching "You've Got Mail", I do recall the use of AOL in the "Austin Powers" movies. Austin communicates with Basil at HQ using AOL when he's in the future (present day). Okay, maybe I'm an Austin Powers geek...
There was a really strong promotion campaign between The Bourne Ultimatum and Google here in the UK. They had a whole campaign where you could google around searching for clues etc.
Nice point though, particularly for Yahoo - I think this'd be a very good idea.
Remember the AOL inspired movie "You've Got Mail"?
When Hollywood comes out with Star Trek X - The Google for Spock, that's when we'll know Page and Brin's world domination will be complete.
The Movie transformers uses Yahoo, and there's a pretty big Ebay placement on it...
When Megatron pins the main character aganst a car and says "ARE YOU ladiesman217!!??" he's talking about his ebay user name which is shown earlier on while he's trying to sell that pair of antique glasses.
Someone in California already took that eBay user name... would be cool to have, but that's just because I'm a big Dork.
In any case I like it when they search somethinng in movies and the search engine has a generic name. They all have a pretty clumsy interface with like font set at 45 so everyone can see clearly.
ok back to work... ;)
I have seen three shows in the past week that has made reference to Google... the new show "Life", The Unit and Shark.
Hey for that matter even Jeeves shows Google in their ads.... wrong move in my mind.
Yep Mystery Guest is right, Google were getting a bit worried about the use of Google as a common verb as it weakens their trademark case substantially.
They wrote a post about it on the official blog to help clear up the usage ;)
https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/do-you-google.html
I can see them doing product placement movies at some point though if they don't already do it. Yahoo! made a strategic link with Nokia a few years back which has given their brand good visibility on the adverts we see here (you see the user browsing Yahoo! on their mobile).
A couple of years ago I remember Google doing these verbal/verbish ads on network television in the states - a couple of big shows like CSI used 'google it' in their scripts, very specifically, a good while before it had been carried to the mainstream - there was something stupid like three big shows doing the same thing over a two month period.
It was planned, and it was paid for. Google decided a long time ago to try and get ppl to adopt its brand as a verb (as someone astutely pointed out above, there is very little risk in this due to the nature of the 'product' in question)
They, somehow, succeeded - but it wasn't natural whatsoever, it was planned and executed, at first with network television. I don't doubt for a second that recent hollywood references are paid for.
Does anyone have kids & if so, do their kids watch "Sprouts"? Why do many shows have "google-berries"? I just assumed that google's product placement was ubiquitous and either had the financing to quash a "yahoo X" or "live Y" vocabulary, or was so instilled in peoples brains in the way that some will refer to all soda as "coke." How many of us have overheard a conversation where one person tells another "just google Z"? Regardless, should anyone be surprised if they're in the movies / kids TV / [enter media here] because of product placement?
The show Treasure Hunters strongly incorporated Ask.com right into the show itself.
That's the first thing that came to my mind when I read Rebecca's post, the ask treasurehunt tie-in. That's actually the best placement tie-in I've seen. It made a ton of sense for the show (they were using Ask to look for their clues) and it showed them successfully finding things. Too bad for Ask the show wasn't more popular, but I think that's the gold standard for this sort of placement.
I think the use of Google in Knocked Up couldn't be product placement because it doesn't particularly put them in a good light, as rishil mentioned above: the little girl researching murder and Leslie Mann's somewhat dislikable character using it to diagnose her daughter. Neither one is a particularly great idea and that's why Apatow's movies are so great. They're incredibly realistic and the pervasive mentioning of Google was meant to bring that realism to the film: whether highlighting Google as a great engine or just antagonizing our society. Yahoo and MSN definitely should seek out product placement. That is a great idea.
Yeah, I have to agree. Saying Google something instead of search is just commonplace now. I can't stand it myself but what can I do. Everyone I work with uses it and I think it is here to stay.
'As far as the Bourne placements I would have to believe they are deliberate and paid for by Google. I believe there was a bit of controversy in Google a while back regarding a Bourne Sponsored Listing that Google displayed without marking it as sponsored so I am sure there was some quid pro quo if not outright payment to have specific products featured in a movie of that magnitude.
Its product placement. I've seen Ask.com being used in a recent movie (forget which one).
Btw, anyone see the new Ask.com ad ("Can your search engine do this?")? I think its pretty good - the benefits are in_your_face. Way better than those stoopid algo ads.
Ask has been making some great commercials lately.
This is my favorite. I love the way they pan around to follow the mouse - the first search even closely follows the 'golden triangle' well. The comparison engine screenshot and the tagline - Instant Getification ....
<Guinness guy voice>
Brilliant!
</Guinness guy voice>
I can't believe they haven't yet. They should deffinetly hold their position and compete. I don't see why they would just be sitting on the sidelines or I should say in the theater watching Google getting all the attention. It shouldn't be that hard to take back some of the attention from Google.
I've been noticing a lot of references to Google in the movies and TV shows. So Google is doing something right.
Come on Yahoo, catch up. ;)
Good post Rebecca. :)
Oh, I just wanted to add. The last comment I posted was my 100th!!! Do I get a prize? Where's my cake?
Hehe. :)
I have noticed at least in my area lately I have seen several Ask.com commercials during peak hours. I then wondered for a moment why don't I ever see a Google commericial and that answer is simply that they dont need them. Windows is to OS as Google is to search. I think that is why we are seeing more of a Google presense everywhere.
i can't think of any movies off the top of my head, but i'm sure there are more.
i've always thought that there should be a comedy about SEOs though. like office space but SEO related. i can imagine a ton of great internet geek jokes and of course, many google references.
If Kate Hudson looked for something on Yahoo, she probably wouldn't find what she was looking for. I think that'd be your first problem. Movies need to be somewhat believable don't they? That is, unless she gets fed up and searches for google within the yahoo serps and then searches via google. Yahoo is robust.
Similar scenarios have been visible since the drawn of movies.... eg, big tobacco, electronics, clothing, etc....
Really nothing new but another product for the mainstream to feast upon and hollywood to retain subsidy profit :)
I honestly think it is all about money when you start seeing products used in movies (though stars mentioning 'googling something' is just good branding)
Dell used own the product placement game (especially in movies like Swordfish where they actually customized laptops to look sexier). Now more and more companies like HP are following suit and utilizing star power..
Hmm, time to go watch swordfish, I forget how glamourous programming can be made to look.
In the TV show Veronica Mars, Veronica occasionally made reference to 'Google' in her dialogue, but whenever she was using a computer you'd only ever see a non-branded search engine.
I also see a lot of Mac usage in movies as the computer of choice, but I've picked-up on a few PC specific terms when referring to something on their Mac which is probably only noticeable if you're a geek.
If you're going to mention or use a particular technology, make sure you're consistent... although I suppose anyone in the health and medical industries probably cringe at all the misused terminology used in the medical dramas on TV... and the same with the legal and cop shows.
Apple is the king of product placement. If you went by what you saw on TV and movies you would have to assume that 95% of the US population uses Apple desktops and laptops.
You mean to say they dont? lol... I always thought there were more Apple users in the US proportionally to UK...
in many cases, i think a screenwriter would be inclined to use whatever brand association sounds most natural - "google it" is ubiquitous and easily understood shorthand for "perform a search". "i yahoo'd it" doesn't work, simply because their brand identity is distributed over a wider range of products in conjunction with their portal. and "i live-d it", or "i asked it" just sounds like you have really bad grammar.
i agree that tech companies can do well to establish a strong position in hollywood brand marketing. consider apple, who is *dominating* this area when it comes to desktops, laptops, etc. next time you're watching a movie or a show on cable, count how many times you see the apple logo staring back at you when a character is in front of a computer. it makes their products seem a lot more ubiquitous than they really are when you look at the market share numbers, and they're usually being used by sexy people doing interesting things, etc - overall, just really good branding.
A screenwriter might be inclined to use Pepsi if they favor it over Coke, but they can't use it in their screenplay. Especially aspiring screenwriters attempting to break into Hollywood.
In filmmaking, you generally have to have permission to use a brand.
Really? I wonder if they got that permission?
very enlightening, thanks.
I think that sustains only if the Brand name isnt in vernacular use - "coke" and "google/ing/ed" may be excepted as they have been accepted as part of normal speach and accorded the status of pronoun and verb...