I love movies. And, I love the Internet.

Typically I waste some of my time watching movie trailers online, and just like most people I know, I'm eagerly anticipating the third installment of the superb Bourne series, "The Bourne Ultimatum." As it turns out, this movie is breaking ground on many levels, more for its marketing than anything else, because for the first time I can recall, Google is launching a campaign that is not text-based search!

Upon watching the trailer for "The Bourne Ultimatum," I was introduced to www.google.com/bourne. This URL redirects you to www.searchforbourne.com which appears to be a Google Maps-based promotion possibly tying in other elements of the Google cornucopia. The actual promotion doesn't kick off until July 16, but I was struck by the fact that this appears to be a very new direction for Google -- and possibly indicative of where they may be shifting their attention, from a marketing perspective.

For years and years I and many other media-minded folks have been asking Google what it would cost to place an ad on the Google homepage. Each time we were met with shrugs, chuckles and downright dismissal. Now, Google is lending its formidable brand to a movie promotion unlike any I've seen from them before. This reflects some of the thinking that may just be a result of the YouTube acquisition. YouTube runs these types of promotions, and certainly we've see Yahoo run these types of promotions, but never Google! Is it possible, maybe even plausible, that we are witnessing the beginning of a new toolbox of opportunities to work with Google? Is it possible that soon, maybe in the next 5 years, we will see that homepage itself host an ad?

Not likely.

Search is still a large opportunity and I can foresee that the Google response, very cleverly, will still be that it's focused on search. This idea is embedded in the redirected web URL, and the promotion itself is all about searching for Jason Bourne, which is a key plotline for the movie. Google has covered its alibi on why the company allowed this promotion, but it's sneaky and it's ingenious and I think I love it. I could probably finagle my own strategy for a client stating that I am "searching for the consumer" -- but this one is almost too perfect!

I love that Google is branching out and trying new things. Not too surprisingly, the new things have to do with entertainment. I am really looking forward to seeing how the promotion is handled and how this opens the door for new opportunities over the coming months. Maybe this will usher in a new era of promotional opportunity for Google, and then again maybe not. Maybe it was just a really big check, and something that fit pretty cleverly into the overall mix?

I guess I'll have to wait until July 16 to see!

This commentary is insightful. I recommend it to others.