Oscar Piastri is back in Google’s drivers seat for the third time.
Piastri knows that being willing to change things up can often lead to something better. He backed himself to make the switch to McLaren in 2022, and it paid off. That belief has driven his partnership with Google Pixel from day one, and in chapter three, independent creative agency Emotive shows what life looks like once you’ve made the switch.
Shot with production partner Somesuch, the work supports the launch of Google’s newest flagship smartphone – Pixel 11 Pro – and reunites director Isaac Lock with the team behind chapter one. The idea plays on a truth about Piastri. His schedule is packed. Every moment is accounted for. Every second is optimised. So Pixel 11 sweats the small stuff, leaving Piastri free to sweat the big stuff – like his intense training regime.
“We’re excited to showcase how helpful and powerful our latest suite of Pixel 11 devices can be for Australians when they have access to Gemini Intelligence right in the palm of their hand. It was a pleasure to continue our partnership with Oscar to bring this chapter of work to life,” said Emma Dodd, Google AUNZ head of devices and services marketing.
The hero film is the first of a number of social-first assets, with the rest rolling out across Google Pixel and the F1 driver’s social channels.
Each chapter has built on the last. Chapter one him make the switch to Pixel, playing on his famously understated personality to show that refusing to settle leads to something better. Chapter two handed the work to his fans, turning a social vote into the ‘Pastry PiasTee’, a t-shirt Oscar wore at the Canadian Grand Prix and now sold as official merchandise. Chapter three shows the payoff, bringing Google Pixel’s global platform, ‘Ask more of your phone’, to life in the world’s most glamorous racing postcode.
As with every chapter, the work was made for social first, designed to entertain like native content.
“After the success of the first two chapters, we wanted to take a look at Oscar’s world post switch. We also wanted to stay true to his deadpan comedic stylings, and make some well crafted content that works well in the feed,” said Rupert Taylor, senior creative director at Emotive.
“I always relish the challenge of creating a funny and engaging performance with someone who isn’t an actor, but Oscar makes it easy. He has a unique, deadpan tone and an unnerving unflappability that make him naturally funny when he’s just being himself,” added Isaac Lock, director at Somesuch.
Credits:
Client: Google Pixel
Creative Agency: Emotive
Production: Somesuch
Post Production: Emotive Productions & Arc
Sound: Electric Sheep Music
