• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, 8 hours ago

Google took its love-rivalry relationship with Apple down the Yellow Brick Road in its newest advertising campaign, which draws a parallel between the Google Pixel 10 Pro and Apple iPhone 17 Pro.

The ad campaign plays on the latest Wizard of Oz movie, "Wicked: For Good." Google Pixel and Apple iPhone personify a friendship that only the two companies can understand.

In business, the two battle for the top technology spot. They had a long-standing disagreement about text-message compatibility, partly due to Apple's refusal to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard in place of the outdated SMS/MMS when communicating with Android devices. This resulted in what consumers referred to as the "green bubble" problem. 

Apple adopted the RCS standard. It bridged the gap between iPhone and Android messaging. The initial solution rolled out to users with the iOS 18 update in September 2024.

In the ad campaign, the Google Pixel portrays Elphaba, with a green finish, freckles close to the camera, and a witch’s hat. The iPhone 17 portrays Glinda in a glittery pink case and crown tiara.

The iPhone gets inspiration from the Pixel, telling it: “You do things first that show me the way like fixing photos, screening calls, or building an AI assistant that you can have real conversations with.”

The campaign, which is running across social media, confirms -- without actually admitting it -- that Google Gemini will power Apple Intelligence, the company's AI assistant.

Google and Apple have a deal to create a custom Gemini AI model to power the next version of Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant scheduled for release in spring 2026, according to a report in Bloomberg.

Several days later a report estimated the deal at about $1 billion annually for an ultrapowerful 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by Google.

Apple and Google have a unusual relationship. And it shows in Google’s latest ad campaign.

Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Pixel then break into song, “because I knew you, I have been changed.”

The duet references the show’s title and song For Good, with the brands trading lines of gratitude and influence.

This is from the musical.