The new Google India video ad focuses on the India-Pakistan partition, tugging at the human emotions of the once-forgotten bond between the two countries, which are now at loggerheads over Kashmir.
The ad "Google Search: Reunion" has gone viral since release and has been watched over 2,902,290 times (at the time of writing), since it was first posted on YouTube's Google India channel.
The three-and-a-half minute ad has been created by Oglivy for Google and delves into human bonds and is placed in the context of the Partition of India in 1947, which led to the creation of Pakistan.
The ad narrates the story of an old man Baldev separated from his childhood friend Yusuf at the time of Partition. Baldev is show reminiscing his childhood days and sharing the tales with grand daughter Suman, who is visiting Delhi from Mumbai. Inspired by the tale of friendship, Suman sets off on a secret mission to find her grandfather's long lost friend who runs a sweet shop in Lahore and reunite the two. Google Search is Suman's ally in this search and helps her seek out Yusuf and reunite the two friends.
"Google Search helps you find whatever you're looking for. We've brought this idea to life in a short video showing how human passion and hope can overcome time and borders. In this story, a woman in India reunites her grandfather with his childhood friend (who is now in Pakistan) following six decades of separation since the partition of India-with a little help from Google. We hope this is a reflection of the many stories of reunion," says Google.
The "Reunion" ad from Google is part of a series of ads which will attempt to showcase the myriad aspects of Google Search.
"India has well over 150 million Internet users, and most of them use Google in various formats, be it from desktops, or mobile devices. We wanted to strike up a conversation to showcase the different uses of Google, and at the same time, tell magical stories that show why our users love the product. One of our core philosophies is that our users are smart and intelligent. Hence, the attempt was to have a conversation and tell users that they can do a lot more, and a lot quicker, by showcasing some of the innovations that allow the product to be used in different ways," says Sandeep Menon, Director (Marketing), Google India.
Check out the tear-jerking video ad below.
