Google leveraged creators to market its AI tool during a Halloween experience.
AI is a great tool for living and creating, but many people are mistrustful of the technology. Google Bard wanted to change the conversation from one of mistrust to one of joyful collaboration and create visibility for its chatbot in the face of a dominant competitor.
ChatGPT's average share of voice in Southeast Asia is 98 percent, compared to 2 percent for Google Bard.
With ongoing conversations about how chatbots may put creatives out of their jobs, Google wanted to show that chatbots could inspire and strengthen creativity. So, rather than avoiding the difficult conversation, Google Bard boldly entered Vietnam by targeting the biggest critics of AI: creative people.
Google, and agency partner Jack Morton, focused its launch efforts on winning over content creators by teaching them how to leverage AI for creativity and promoting powerful starter prompts that could boost their ability to create and trend. Through a group of only 170 content creators, Bard's campaign took over Vietnam.
Google's creative strategy positioned Bard as a collaborative tool for Vietnamese content creators, emphasizing its potential to enhance creativity. Its media strategy focused on engaging content creators directly, leveraging their influence to amplify Bard's value proposition.
Google fueled organic word-of-mouth and mass adoption by creating a platform for creators to experiment and share their experiences. This approach resonated with the target audience by making Bard accessible and relatable, ultimately driving significant user growth and brand lift.
To showcase Bard's capabilities, Google hosted a gamified Halloween event. The immersive, experiential nature of the Halloween event was instrumental in driving user engagement and brand perception. By transforming product demos into interactive experiences, Google fostered direct connections with content creators. The event served as a catalyst for organic word-of-mouth marketing, as attendees shared their experiences on social media. The entire campaign budget of $130,000 was allocated to the event itself, as the focus was on creating a tangible, memorable experience that would drive organic growth.
The campaign leveraged experiential marketing as the core channel, creating an exclusive, FOMO-inducing experience for content creators. This high-impact, immersive approach contrasted sharply with the industry's often digital-centric nature, making it memorable and shareable. While digital technology was used for post-event amplification, the core experience was offline, emphasizing human connection and interaction. The event's format was specifically tailored to the target audience of content creators, offering a hands-on opportunity to experience Bard's capabilities. This strategic alignment of channel and target audience maximized the campaign's impact.
Prior to the campaign, Google Bard faced a challenging landscape in Vietnam, dominated by a strong competitor, ChatGPT. Bard was virtually unknown to the target audience of content creators. The AI chatbot category was rapidly evolving, with user expectations for innovative and engaging experiences on the rise. The Vietnamese market, while showing increasing interest in AI, was still relatively untapped for Bard. This presented both a significant opportunity to capture market share and a formidable challenge to overcome existing perceptions.
The campaign exceeded its objectives, driving a 100 percent increase in Bard usage within a single day and generating 18.2 million views and 1.3 million engagements across 700-plus social posts. Brand lift reached an all-time high, and Vietnam accounted for 50 percent of Southeast Asia's conversations during the launch period. Notably, Vietnam also boasted the highest creator followership in Southeast Asia, reaching 65 million. This success solidified Bard's position as a preferred AI tool among Vietnamese content creators, demonstrating the power of experiential marketing in driving rapid adoption and positive brand perception.
The campaign significantly disrupted the AI chatbot market in Vietnam, elevating Bard from obscurity to a preferred tool among content creators. The innovative, experiential format challenged industry norms, capturing attention and driving widespread engagement. Consumers responded enthusiastically, with the campaign generating significant buzz and social media conversation. This collective impact positioned Bard as a strong contender in the competitive AI landscape.
