This True Story Of A Lost Boy's Journey Home Will Make You Cry And Smile At The Same Time
Google Maps has made a film based on the true story of an Indian boy who found his family using Google Earth, a quarter of a century after he was lost, and then separated from them at a railway station. That boy's story is our FEEL GOOD FRIDAY this week.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Oct 2013, 02:45 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
WATCH: Saroo Brierley narrate his story in this short film by Google called 'Homeward Bound'
Saroo was lost at age 5, separated from his family in India with no clue how to get home after accidentally boarding a runaway train. He was adopted by a family in Australia.
For more than 25 years, he searched for his Indian family. With nothing more than a visual memory of where he grew up, it was, he says, like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Enter the uncanny technology of Google Earth. Searching outward from the train station where he was found, Saroo logged countless hours virtually touring the streets of India—until he miraculously found the place where he grew up.
From there, he found his way back to his childhood home and was reunited with his mother and his siblings.
mirror.co.ukGoogle released an ad summarizing how that happened in just three minutes. It's riveting.
businessinsider.in
Saroo spent more than a decade searching for his hometown on the internet. He says he never gave up.
It’s also a great ad for Google that plays to the aspirations of the internet and digital products: connecting people and solving real-world problems.
It’s a great ad because of its emotional content, because it’s true and because it tells a compelling story. It’s essentially a long-form TV ad. And it reminds us of the high-minded heart of Google that still beats somewhere within the machine.
Most online video advertising and, indeed, most online ad campaigns in general are worthless. This one is powerful and very well done. I’m not asking to be emotionally manipulated at every turn. But it’s unfortunate that most online ads don’t rise to this level of quality.
mediapost.com