Spoof Ad Ideas - Darby

We all know that Google is an American corporation that specializes in internet-related services. But at this point in time, it is much more than that. It is an integral part of our language as the most used search engine, acting as a gateway to the world wide web. The phrase "google it" is now interchangeable with "look it up".  It is interesting to wonder  how Google actually became so popular, considering I wasn't able to find any official advertisements for this company. Nonetheless, I'd like to create a spoof advertisement that seeks to break the innate trust we have in using the Google search engine or Google+.

Google seems to be seen as this all knowing, all encompassing, trustworthy entity however, it is simply a channel to the Internet which is swimming with scams, trickery, and lies. When I visualized this dilemma, I immediately thought of Shamans (or witch doctors). Shamans are persons that  are regarded as having access to and influence in the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits. I thought of weaving the preexisting google logo into an illustration of a Shaman in a style similar to the "Google doodles" that Google displays on their search homepage. Because this message may not be apparent, I thought about changing Google to "Bamboozle"... But that may be even farther removed from the concept...I don't know..

My other spoof idea was to point out issues of privacy with Google Plus. Google+ aims to make sharing on the web like sharing in real life through accessing people and information through Circles, Events, and Hangouts. I thought of renaming it Google Minus (-) to express that it backfired and the things you share reach everybody with Internet access and you have absolutely no privacy. I would show a screen shot of the platform in which the subject just sent a personal message with images. A notification would be displayed showing all the people the message sent to, including Grandma, Ex, and Worst Enemy, and Boss. OR a notification saying the subject is "hanging out" with a "Circle" of single women and this information is published to everyone, including his wife. I think this would be a funny concept to show the flaws and "oops" of Internet sharing, however it would be difficult to perfectly replicate a platform screen shot in illustrator or photoshop.