The Super Bowl has always been a special moment for Google. From our first Super Bowl ad in 2010, “Parisian Love,” to our 2020 spot “Loretta,” we try to shine a light on the challenges we’re focused on solving with our technology and tell the stories of real people impacted by our products.
And today, we’re continuing this legacy with our latest Super Bowl ad, “Seen on Pixel,” which tells the story of Real Tone, Google’s years-long efforts to ensure all our camera and imaging products accurately represent all skin tones.
For too long, camera technology, including our own, has failed people of color by either making them look washed out or too unnaturally bright or dark. Because everyone deserves to be seen as they truly are, we are committed to addressing this gap. Internally, Googlers of color volunteered to test the camera on Pixel 6 before we launched it and provided input on what was working and what could be better. Externally, we partnered with image experts who spent months with our engineers, testing the camera and providing detailed and thoughtful feedback that helped improve our camera and editing products, including adding significantly more portraits of people of color in the image datasets that train our camera models. This collective teamwork allowed us to launch what we call Real Tone, with Pixel 6 as our first camera to feature these improvements.
Since the launch of Real Tone on Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro last October, we have seen the difference camera representation can make. “Seen on Pixel” brings to life what Real Tone represents. It is a montage of beautiful photography of individuals and families from all walks of life, all photographed on Pixel 6 by our director Joshua Kissi and contributing photographers Deun Ivory and Aundre Larrow. We partnered with award-winning artist Lizzo, who truly embodies the spirit of our campaign by always being her authentic self, unapologetically. Her powerful vocals as the soundtrack bring “Seen on Pixel” to life with a preview of her new song, “If You Love Me.”
Representation and equity in everything should always be the norm and the default. And until we reach it, our goal at Google will always be to make gains in the world every day through our products and storytelling.
