The Google ad features a searcher — what you see is the pointer, words being typed into the search field, and the first three or four results. The searcher is sitting at a desktop, and “surfing” as we used to say. That’s fun, useful, and I always learn something new when I do exactly that. We used to call this behavior of finding related information “serendipitous discovery,” and it can be a very cool way to spend time.

kgb, however, provides an immediate answer to a specific question, in minutes, when you need it. You don’t have to be at a desktop, you can be anywhere your mobile phone works, and a human agent answers your question accurately, quickly, and with panache.

So it isn’t one or the other. It’s different.

Thomas Falconer
kgb

The WSJ describes the ad like this: “The nixed commercial features two wives calling in KGB agents because their golfer husbands get their heads stuck where the sun doesn’t shine, after debating the merits of global warming. ‘Next time your husbands don’t have a clue make sure they text KGB,’ says one of the agents to the wives.”

“We made it because we thought it was unique and funny, not offensive,” said Bruce Stewart, chief executive mobile and digital at KGB.

Check out the full article.

We launched the kgb text service a little over a year ago. At the time, we figured that the service would appeal only to heavy texters, tweens to teens.

We found though, that we had much broader appeal. Young adults are using kgb to find restaurants, get train schedules, and settle bar bets. Parents, especially moms of tweens and teens are using the service as a better way to get information, to get answers to their questions.

So our ad campaign has evolved along with this wider adoption of the service. So while we have ads like this:

we also have ads like this:

So, it makes perfect sense for kgb to advertise during one of the most watched TV programs of the year, when almost 100 million people will be watching. From the beginning, our ads have been edgy, provocative, funny. And the ad we choose to air during the Super Bowl will continue that tradition. We are, though, very excited about playing in the super bowl field after launching only a year ago.

Thomas Falconer
Director, Social Media
kgb