Google Showcases AI-Powered Small Businesses in Innovative Super Bowl Campaign

50 states, 50 stories: Highlighting small businesses at the big game

Established in 1836, the Gilford Village Store in Gilford, New Hampshire began as the town's primary trading post. Over the years, it has evolved through various iterations and ownerships while remaining a cornerstone of the close-knit New England community. Co-owners Craig and Kristen Jordan rely on Gemini in Sheets to manage and analyze things like menu prices to understand the impact on their bottom line. Ultimately, the idea was to tell stories about real people using Google Workspace with Gemini for the benefit of their businesses and communities. Those stories run the gamut. "If a cattle rancher in Nebraska and a boat maker from Maine are able to leverage AI for success, we think any business of any size certainly can," Harris says. "They're just brilliant," Keri says of the companies profiled. "Some of what they're using AI for is so simple but so smart -- 'help me write the grant proposal since that isn't my favorite part of my job or help me catch up on last week's emails.'" Jeff Curry, Director of Creative Studio for Google Cloud, says what makes this project so special is the sheer range of people, places and types of businesses from all over the U.S. using Gemini: "We really wanted each story to feel appropriate to its community and place." When Harris first had the idea for this project, he took a very apropos first step: "I went to Gemini and basically said, 'I have a really big idea and want to build a strategy doc' followed by a very detailed prompt." "Harris had the crazy idea," Keri laughs, referring to the job of sourcing and connecting with these customers. "Our creative and production team got to work bringing the idea to life. They started with thousands of Workspace customers and then we gave Gemini some criteria to help us narrow down the list," Harris says. They wanted to be sure they selected a wide array of businesses, from different locations and industries, as well as showcase the many ways they were using AI. With Gemini's help, they narrowed the list down to under 500 companies and then used AI Studio to build a tool that reviewed and summarized interview transcripts so selecting companies took less than 15 minutes instead of hours. After connecting with the final 50 customers, the team only had 10 weeks to film. "Obviously we couldn't have one production company, because we had 50 shoots in 50 states!" Harris explains. A crew of 50 -- split into five teams -- captured hundreds of hours of footage in all 50 states in just weeks. The team then uploaded interview transcripts to NotebookLM to find great quotes and voiceover lines for the ad spots, making the whole process efficient. Whether you live in O'ahu, Hawaii; Fort Worth, Texas; Oldwick, New Jersey or somewhere in between, you'll learn more about a local small business during this year's big game. Keri hopes the ads excite the featured companies, and inspire entrepreneurs everywhere: "Now that Gemini is included for all Workspace customers, we can't wait to see the next wave of stories!"

'Google Workspace with Gemini' getting 50 local small biz ads at Super Bowl 2025

For Super Bowl 2025, Google is taking a different approach to ads. Each of the 50 states will see a different Super Bowl commercial promoting a local small business or nonprofit that uses "Google Workspace with Gemini." Earlier this month, Google announced that the full Gemini experience is coming to Workspace business users. "Google Workspace with Gemini" is now getting some airtime during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl game. If you live in Texas, you'll see Bison Coolers, while residents of Oregon will be introduced to the team at Jacobsen's Salt Co. Each of these small businesses is driving the American economy -- and for this first-of-its-kind project, we're spotlighting their innovation, grit and hard work, as they find new and incredible ways to use AI to transform how they work and do more of what they love. In 30 seconds, Google says it wants to "show what's possible with AI in Workspace today, and how real businesses are using it." This includes: Write emails to clients in seconds, Get help writing web copy, Manage mountains of data, Manage your inbox and customer requests, Translate conversations lives, and Refine important email responses. You can watch all of them on this Google Workspace site, or goo.gle/50states50stories. They span various industries: Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing, Education, Food & Beverage, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Nonprofit, Professional Services, Retail & Consumer Goods, Sports & Recreation, Technology, and Travel & Hospitality. Google used AI Studio and NotebookLM throughout the production process. Thousands of Workspace customers were narrowed to under 500. After landing at the 50, Google had 10 weeks to do each of the shoots. Five teams of 10 or so "captured hundreds of hours of footage in all 50 states in just weeks."