The Ask

Google partnered with Study Hall to launch a campaign connecting Google Search and AI Mode with the world of Stranger Things. The challenge was to demonstrate new product capabilities while translating them into the tone, mythology, and cultural gravity of the series.

In partnership with Study Hall and Google Brand Studio, we helped define how these two worlds could connect in a way that felt seamless, intuitive, and emotionally resonant.

The Answer

We approached the campaign as a problem of world-building and translation.

Working closely with Study Hall, we helped shape the core idea:
Search as a portal into Stranger Things.

This created a system where product and story could behave as one. Interactions inside Search became narrative devices. UI elements mirrored the logic of the show. The familiar arrow became a gateway. Searching became a descent into the Upside Down.

We contributed across concepting and creative direction, helping develop connective ideas that bridged product features with storytelling. Concepts like Watch Party and expressive AI behaviors were shaped through this lens, ensuring each execution felt both unmistakably Google and true to the Stranger Things universe.

Throughout, we worked alongside Study Hall and Google teams to refine tone, pacing, and clarity, balancing product communication with atmosphere and emotion.

The Result

The campaign launched across broadcast, digital, and social, including a hero spot during a major holiday NFL game with an estimated audience of ~65 million viewers, followed by tens of millions more across YouTube and social.

By reframing Search as a narrative portal, the work elevated product storytelling into something more immersive and culturally resonant.

The result was a scalable system for how product and culture can intersect. Clear, expressive, and built to scale.