Google’s latest salvo in a long-running ad feud with Apple leans into Broadway: the company released a new spot that borrows the melody and theater vibe of Wicked to paint the Pixel as the industry’s trailblazer and the iPhone as the smitten copycat. The 60-second clip — part of Google’s cheeky “BestPhonesForever” campaign — dresses up a Pixel 10 Pro as Elphaba and a purple iPhone (the iPhone 17 Pro in some write-ups) as Glinda, then sends them into a parody of the song “For Good,” trading compliments that land as thinly veiled jabs.

If you watched closely, the iPhone gushes the sort of earnest praise you might expect in a musical duet: “Oh Pixel, I’m so lucky to have a friend like you. You’ve always inspired me! You do things first that show me the way. Like fixing photos, screening calls, or building an AI assistant you can have real conversations with.” The ad finishes with the theatrical flourish — a close and a tagline that nudges viewers toward the Pixel 10 Pro.

What Google is claiming (and what it leaves out)

The rhetorical thrust is simple: Google wants you to believe the Pixel invented or perfected features Apple later adopted — things like advanced call screening, on-device photo fixes, and conversational AI. Those claims are framed as bragging wrapped in show tunes rather than technical demonstrations. Critics and some coverage note the ad never actually walks the viewer through how those features work or offers concrete comparisons — it relies on implication and humor rather than specs or demos. In short, it’s a roast dressed as a love song.

That approach has a clear benefit and a clear risk. On one hand, the musical parody is memorable and shareable — exactly what brands want when competing for cultural relevance. On the other hand, viewers who care about the nuts and bolts of features aren’t being given evidence to back the claims. Several outlets pointed out the spot is light on details and heavy on tone.

This is now an established strategy

Google has been staging Pixel vs. iPhone skirmishes since 2023 under the “BestPhonesForever” banner. Early installments leaned into sitcom setups and pointed feature comparisons; the tone has oscillated between affectionate ribbing and pointed criticism of Apple’s AI road map and feature timing. The campaign has been prolific — more than 30 entries by some counts — and clearly plays to Pixel fans while trying to nudge fence-sitters with humor rather than hard data.

The Wicked riff is also a clever way to hitch the Pixel story to a cultural moment: the new Wicked: For Good film and its marketing make the musical motif timely, and Google even leaned in with theme packs and promotional tie-ins in recent Pixel software updates. Production credits trace the spot to agencies and partners that have worked on Pixel cinema tie-ins before.

Why the theater gag matters more than you might think

Tech ads often live in one of two lanes: explain-and-teach (demo the feature, show side-by-side comparisons) or emotional/brand storytelling (make the product feel desirable). Google’s Wicked piece is firmly in the latter lane. That matters because we live in an era where features can be copied or converge quickly; claiming “first” becomes less persuasive than showing meaningful, everyday differences. When an ad leans on humor and shared cultural references, it can widen awareness — but it doesn’t necessarily close the sale for a user who wants proof that one phone actually performs better.

For Google, the payoff is likely twofold: create buzz (which the ad did — it was picked up across tech outlets and social platforms) and reinforce a narrative that Pixel leads on AI and imaging. For Apple, the ad is a public challenge — and Apple historically lets product reviews, demos and ecosystem hooks do the heavy lifting rather than public call-outs. That contrast is part of the story this ad is trying to tell.

If you’re keeping score like a theater critic, Google’s Wicked ad is clever stagecraft — sticky, shareable, and culturally timed. If you’re keeping score like a shopper who wants to understand whether the Pixel really does photo fixes or call screening better than the iPhone, the ad will leave you wanting a fact sheet and a demo. Google is playing for hearts and cultural attention; whether that translates to retail wins probably depends on the next act — where features, performance and real-world comparisons take the spotlight.