Ads We Like: Google pimps Kevin McCallister’s Home Alone mansion with Assistant speaker
Google has revved up its ‘Make Google Do It’ campaign for Christmas with a 2018 update of the festive film Home Alone.
Home Alone gets a modern day makeover
The tech brand pulled off a coup in persuading actor Macaulay Culkin to reprise the role of Kevin McCallister for its latest ad, 28 years after he first played the plucky eight-year-old. It meticulously re-created his family's mansion, too, in order to entice audiences with a genuine hit of nostalgia.
In the modern retelling, we see Kevin enjoy a rather more peaceful Home Alone experience as he interacts with his Google Assistant smart speaker.
‘Home Alone Again with the Google Assistant’ pays homage to a number of iconic scenes from the movie: Kevin tells the hardware to add aftershave to his shopping list after running out and tells the pizza delivery guy to “Keep the change, you filthy animal” without having to move from the sofa.
Meanwhile, he is able to launch his ‘Operation Kevin’ routine of locking the doors and turning off the lights while eating his dinner of mac and cheese.
The video was made in partnership with agency Arts & Letters Creative Co and production house Arts & Sciences.
Flavia Simon, director of brand and growth for the Google Assistant, said: “2018 has been a year of 90s nostalgia, and we know that Home Alone is one of the most beloved films from the 90s — especially during the holidays.
"We also know that Kevin McCallister would have had a much easier time thwarting the Wet Bandits if he had the Google Assistant by his side. So we created this film to be a celebration of Home Alone and today's technology."
Culkin added: “[Google] did a very good job on the set decoration, the props, and all the shots were spot on. I am thinking and hoping that people will really dig it.”
Google is complementing the spot with a campaign on the Assistant itself. Owners can exchange in Home Alone dialogue with the intelligent speaker through a number of limited programmed responses; for example, the Assistant will scream “Kevin!” if the user asks “Hey Google, did I forget something?”
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