Google Likes “The Internship” Even If Others Don't

Google product placement in "The Internship" made the tech titan OK the film, but critics aren't as pleased

Google co-stars with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in the new film, "The Internship," where its product placement was given the OK by Google execs.

The movie is a comedy about two forty-something, tech-inept salesmen who go through Google's internship program in hopes of a landing a job there.

The film depicts Google as an idyllic workplace filled with games, cycling and free gourmet food -- and Google founder Sergey Brin makes a cameo.

"I think the reason why we got involved in that is that computer science has a marketing problem," Google co-founder Larry Page said at a Google conference last month. "We're the nerdy curmudgeons."
 
The filmmakers approached Google about the film and apparently Google saw it as a positive way to expose the public to its culture and attract more young people into computers and technology.
 
Although no money was exchanged, Google did have a say in how it or its products were portrayed, including nixing a scene where a Google driverless car crashes on campus. The film highlights Gmail, YouTube, Nexus tablets and other Google products. Google execs also saw a final cut of the film and didn't request changes, despite the film not quite mirroring Google reality.
 
Still, others are wondering why Google approved such an "awful" and not funny film. We believe it's because Google couldn't resist a free two-hour commercial that gave the tech company a say in how it was a portrayed.

 

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