Google runs recruitment ads before Inception in theaters

Google, which has been in a tug of war with the government since the start of this year, placed a series of recruitment ads before the screening of the movie in over 200 theatres across the country.

“The people that like Inception has the potential to fit in the Google culture,” representatives for China said at the Google Dev Fest 2010 (Google Developer Day).

The move has people guessing that the online giant might be looking to boost its operations in China.

Philip Kuai, director of product and strategy at AdChina, said the target audience for the advertisements include the Chinese government, prospective employees, Google users and fans as well as advertisers.

"To link Google with the movie itself can be a buzz, indicating Google is trying hard to be hot again in China,” he said.

Bryce Whitwam, general manager of Wunderman China, said the idea on a media placement level is innovative, but argued that the campaign is fairly average from a creative point of view.

"I wonder how many people will be inspired to join Google after watching this advertisement," he said. “People go to movies to be entertained and advertisements need to work harder than they do on other channels.”

“In other words, can I create at Google China or am I just implementing stuff that’s created in California for China? The ‘what’s in it for me?’ needs to be answered,” he added.

Reports has shown that Google is also actively promoting its online advertising platform AdSense service in China. The company will hold roadshows in major cities, including Shanghai, Bejing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, to recruit agents.

After a long period of tug-of-war between Google and the Chinese government, Google has been aggressively refreshing its public image through a wide range of ad campaigns across various media platforms recently.

The company is also beefing up its operations in Shanghai by relocating John Liu, its Beijing-based vice president for China, to Shanghai.