“Because our brains are so pre-wired that when we see a search bar and that style of execution—I mean, even their newest AI campaign is using it—it instantly reads as ‘Google,’” Sang, co-founder and co-CCO at indie agency Quality Meats, told ADWEEK. “So when I see it’s some other logo-y thing that isn’t Google, my brain begins to scramble trying to understand how and why it’s different—it feels like people might walk away thinking it was a Google spot, or just a clear ripoff of it.”
For its part, “Parisian Love” was an instant hit with consumers. It aired during Super Bowl 44, and in 2020 snagged a place on the USA Today Ad Meter’s best commercials of the past 25 years.
A creative experiment
In brainstorming the idea for “Parisian Dream,” Perplexity’s team thought about using a side-by-side comparison of Google’s search results in 2010 and 2024, which would’ve been “snarky and even more on-brand,” Shevelenko said. “That would’ve shown how much worse their search has gotten, where you can’t get good answers and it’s all cluttered with spam, SEO and ads.”
Instead, the brand leaned into the 2010 spot that Shevelenko called “beautiful and powerful,” while acknowledging that Perplexity is “very early in our history of marketing and creative production—it’s an experiment and we’re learning as we’re going.”
The Silicon Valley startup, with heavy-hitting investors that include Jeff Bezos, has been grabbing headlines lately for its unicorn status ($1 billion valuation), its upcoming ad business launch in fourth quarter and its revenue sharing programs with publishers like Time, Fortune and others.
After a rough start and claims of plagiarism, Perplexity hired ScalePost to shepherd its publisher deals, with about 75 now signed on, Shevelenko said.
Perplexity’s first commercial, which premiered during the NBA Finals in June, made a splash as a convincing movie trailer for a fake film called “The Know-It Alls.”
The ad, from indie agency Sandwich, sparked interest from film producers and Hollywood studios who want to turn it into a real action thriller. Shevelenko said those talks are ongoing.