Perplexity mocks Google’s search with Squid Game star in new ad campaign

Perplexity AI is escalating its competition with Google through a celebrity-driven ad campaign featuring “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae. The campaign directly mocks Google’s search functionality while highlighting Perplexity’s AI-powered conversational search capabilities. This marketing strategy reveals how AI companies are increasingly focusing on reliability and accuracy as key differentiators in the rapidly evolving search market.

The campaign setup: Perplexity’s 90-second advertisement places Lee Jung-jae in a Squid Game-like scenario where he must complete various information-seeking challenges.

• In the first challenge, when trying to remove coffee stains from a white shirt, a Google parody called “Poogle” unhelpfully provides a list of blue links while Perplexity offers clear, step-by-step voice guidance.
• The ad specifically references Google’s infamous AI mistake by having Perplexity correctly explain how to make cheese stick to pizza while adding “Don’t use glue” – a direct jab at Google’s AI previously suggesting Elmer’s glue as a pizza ingredient.

Strategic timing: The campaign launch aligns with significant entertainment and business developments.

• The advertisement debuts just months before Netflix’s third and final season of Squid Game expected in June 2025.
• The campaign represents part of a yearlong partnership between Perplexity and Artist United, Lee Jung-jae’s co-owned company, which has also integrated Perplexity into its daily operations.

Global rollout: The advertisement is beginning a coordinated international release schedule.

• Starting in the U.S. today, the campaign will expand to Korea, Japan, and Europe over the next ten days.
• Each region will receive localized text and voiceover versions, though Jung-jae’s dialogue will remain in Korean throughout all versions.

Market implications: The campaign reveals Perplexity’s understanding of what consumers prioritize in AI assistants.

• By directly challenging Google’s reputation as the definitive online information authority, Perplexity is attempting to position itself as a more reliable alternative.
• Even modest success in eroding Google’s market dominance could significantly elevate Perplexity above competing AI search alternatives.