Google’s new father-son ad will make you cringe

A journey from incredibly touching ad to horribly tone-deaf

Take 1: Lover

On Nov 19, 2009, Google posted an ad to Youtube titled Parisian Love. It encapsulated all the emotional highs and lows of living with Google Search. It is one of tech’s best ads ever made.

The beauty of this ad was that it was not presumptuous. It painted a picture of a person looking for love. All the self-doubt and excitement of finally meeting their partner coming to a crescendo with the adorable finale.

Take 2: Widower

Ten years later, in 2020, Google tried to recreate this same feeling with ‘Loretta’, even using the leitmotif from the original. The ad tugged on the same heartstrings while highlighting Google’s new Google Assistant suggesting memories.