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As a follow-up to its first paid marketing campaign early this summer, tech startup Perplexity is taking a swipe at an industry behemoth with a near shot-for-shot remake of a classic Google Super Bowl ad.
The generative artificial intelligence company has reimagined “Parisian Love,” which Google aired during the 2010 Big Game. The spot quickly became a fan favorite for the charming tale that unfolded in 60 seconds in a search bar, a storytelling style that was unprecedented at the time.
Perplexity’s work, created in-house and called “Parisian Dream,” hews closely to “Parisian Love” while aiming to highlight its own capabilities and subtly jab at the “degraded quality” of Google’s search, according to Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer.
“We recently rediscovered ‘Parisian Love,’ and it triggered the natural question, ‘how would Perplexity handle this?’” Shevelenko told ADWEEK. “When you ask a question in natural language, you get an answer back in natural language, which takes another step in the user journey and doesn’t just point them in the direction with links—it’s a big paradigm shift.”
Stirring the pot
Attempting to start a public beef with a competitor is a well-worn tactic in advertising—see the ongoing battles between Big Dairy and plant-based players—with Perplexity purposely stirring the pot, in David versus Goliath fashion, as it looks to establish its nascent brand.
Parody and homage are also common in the commercial space, with brands sometimes remaking their rivals’ ads to show off their cheekiness and expertise. Samsung’s recent takedown of Apple’s controversial “Crush” commercial touches on both trends simultaneously.
Though it closely mirrors “Parisian Love,” Perplexity’s ad “needs to stand on its own legs,” Shevelenko said, while intending to generate buzz and build awareness.
And if Google takes the bait, all the better, though Shevelenko doesn’t expect to hear any protest from the tech giant because it would only serve to “amplify our marketing message.”
The spot, running nearly 90 seconds, comes from Perplexity’s recent hire, in-house creative producer Jeremiah Warren, who turned it around from concept to finished ad in about two weeks.