During the 92nd Academy Awards last week, Google ran a social media campaign geared towards movie buffs. “Find Your Scene” showed how Google Maps can pinpoint (and provide directions to) famous movie locations, such as the Rocky Steps, Doc Brown’s house from Back to the Future, and the beach from Goonies. The 60-second spot featured user-generated content of fans and famous YouTubers visiting film spots. In just over a week, the video had over 11 million views on YouTube. 

While you plan your next movie-based road trip, here are a few takeaways:

Alternative uses 〽️
This campaign isn’t pushing a new feature of Google Maps, but simply showcasing – in a delightfully human way – how people are using the service in an unexpected way. Google is hardly the first brand to experience this: Play-Doh, the moldable clay that’s just as fun for adults as it is for kids, was originally created to be a wallpaper cleaner! Here’s your challenge for today: do you know how your customers are really using your products? How might these unexpected use cases inspire you? 

Local love📍
Want a truly global trend? Cinematic overtourism. From Iceland to Croatia and from Austria to New Mexico, selfie stick-toting fans are overwhelming famous movie spots. A set of stairs in Brooklyn featured in the Joker movie has become an Insta-hot spot, causing a backlash from some local residents. In response, Burger King cleverly offered free Whopper burgers to Bronx residents, saying “we know clowns can be annoying” (!!). So yes, by all means help people celebrate IRL. But make sure to ask yourself: how will our IRL campaign positively impact the people who live in this location?

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