2021

Like so many, I’ve been spending more time outdoors this year, whether it’s taking walks with my dog or hiking with my family. This extra time in nature has given me a deeper appreciation for the work being done to preserve our planet for future generations. At the same time, wildfires and other climate disasters around the world remind us of how urgent that work really is.

That’s why, with Earth Day this week, I’m so excited about the progress we’re making at Google towards our goal to operate entirely on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. This commitment goes beyond being carbon neutral (which we’ve been since 2007) and matching our operations with 100% renewable energy, which we’ve now done over four consecutive years. (See below for an explainer on why carbon-free energy is our most ambitious sustainability goal yet.)

Dr. Kapil Parakh is a Medical Lead for Google Fit and a practicing cardiologist at the VA in Washington, D.C. During the week he splits his time between seeing patients, developing technology that improves wellbeing and staying active with his family. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s even picked up a new hobby to cope during quarantine: baking baguettes. 

Every day, Kapil draws on his unique background to help people live longer and healthier lives. Before coming to Google, he completed medical school in Zambia, trained at Johns Hopkins in cardiology, public health and epidemiology, and served as a White House Fellow.

His long list of roles and responsibilities makes me wonder how he finds time for it all — so I asked him. Kapil says it boils down to what he considers his ingredients for success: get the most out of everything you work on, use the rule of thirds and have a rock-solid support system. 

Maximize the output of your work. 

Kapil’s consistent advice to others is to find a way to take what you’re working on and expand it into something bigger — with minimal extra effort. A few years ago, Kapil helped develop Heart Points for Google Fit, an activity goal based on recommendations shown to impact health. He then used that body of work to help educate personal trainers, cardiologists and people working in general medicine. It was the same context, repurposed for different groups. 

Similarly, before joining the Fit team, Kapil worked on Google Search for three years. In his day-to-day work he thought a lot about how people searched for health-related content online and how Google could surface helpful information in return. As a result of his team’s work, you can see health knowledge panels, information boxes on search results pages that help you quickly find medically accurate information about common symptoms and conditions.

That work could have ended when Kapil left the Search team. Instead, he took what he observed and turned it into something more: a book about how to find and use medical information online. That book, Searching for Health, was just published today. 

“We all have limited time,” Kapil says. “We need to try and maximize our output.” To do so, he suggests taking a single project that you’re working on, and consider how you can turn it into more formats for more people. 

Remember the rule of thirds.

Of course, this can’t apply to all of your work, all of the time. You aren’t going to be able to publish a book based on every work project. This is where Kapil’s rule of thirds comes into play. Roughly speaking, work can be broken down into three buckets: short-term work (like requests from others that pop up in your inbox or administrative tasks that require immediate action), mid-term projects (like creating a training or presenting your work at a conference) and long-term projects (like publishing a book). Those last two buckets are where maximizing your output comes into play.

“It’s a matter of being cognizant of all the things you’re working on and how they fit together toward your goals,” Kapil says. “It’s kind of like rock climbing, you have to be aware of the footholds. The way up isn’t straight up like a ladder, it’s more amorphous.”

Find support — whether it’s in relationships or a bag of flour. 

While Kapil’s advice is all about finding patterns and connecting dots, he doesn’t hesitate to take on completely new things — like baking bread. Last year Kapil was grieving the loss of his father in the midst of the pandemic. To help him cope, his wife handed him a recipe for baguettes. If nothing else, she thought it would be a good distraction. The result was both delicious and therapeutic — and Kapil is still churning out bread from his kitchen. Most importantly, it was a reminder to Kapil of how important his support system is. 

“It’s this type of support that allows me to balance so many hats,” he says. “As an immigrant and a person of color, I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without the tremendous support of my family and mentors.”

Fromrecord-breaking music video releases tonever-before-seen conversations with celebrities, YouTube has become the virtual stage for the world’s biggest cultural moments.The top 10 videos from 2020 — reaching a total of 356 million collective views — brought the world together to game, to laugh, to share some good news and so much more. 

As home to the content people need and the creators they love, YouTube is where personal meets popular — with fan favorite channels like Naomi Campbell (500,000+ subscribers) and Zach King (10 million+ subscribers). In the U.S., YouTube is the #1 video content provider viewers would miss the most if it was no longer available.¹  

To help brands engage peak audiences, build association and stay relevant when it matters most, today we’re announcing a bigger, better sponsorship program under YouTube Select in the U.S.

Expanding our YouTube Select sponsorship offering 

In addition to longstanding sponsorships available exclusively in the upfront like NFL Game Day All Access, new this year, we’re offering a rolling set of seasonal sponsorships available on a quarterly basis.

Our seasonal sponsorship offering focuses specifically on what’s prominent in culture during that time of year, like Mother’s Day, Summer Wellness or Women in Music during Women’s History Month. And most importantly, the breadth of the seasonal slate means advertisers have a much wider variety of opportunities to celebrate diverse communities and topics, and reach their audiences where they are watching. 

See below for a glimpse into some of the most exciting sponsorships coming up, available either upfront or through our new seasonal offering.

The Upfront Slate

Reaching over 30 million views in the 2020 season,NFL Game Day All Access will be returning to YouTube for a third season this fall.² Streaming exclusively on the NFL YouTube channel, it gives fans an intimate look at the full game day experience, with wired sound from players and coaches. Advertisers will have the opportunity to sponsor the show for multiple episodes during the regular season and postseason.

2020 was the biggest year yet for gaming on YouTube, with 100 billion watch time hours and 40 million+ active gaming channels. Building on this momentum, we’re adding a brand new upfront opportunity with Summer Game Fest — the industry’s first fully digital and global gaming event. We’re also excited to bring back the upfront sponsorship for The Game Awards — one of the biggest nights in the gaming industry that celebrates the biggest achievements of the year, including high share of voice, in-show integration and more.

Additionally, brands will have the opportunity to put on their studio executive hats with YouTube Greenlight. YouTube Greenlight brings a group of emerging YouTube creators together to pitch an original series ideas based on specific advertisers goals. The sponsorship includes a custom creator pitch session, a fully funded creator original series with integrations and paid promotion across YouTube.

The Seasonal Slate 

Today, YouTube announced a continued focus on sustainability with new original programming coming later this year. A subset of these shows will be available for sponsorship as part of our Q4 sustainability seasonal package, alongside other opportunities with YouTube creators and content focused on sustainable impact. The sponsorship will be available for companies with strong commitments to building a better planet for everyone.

Additionally, the seasonal state offers new ways to connect with your audience during holidays like Mother’s Day. For Mother’s Day specifically, we’ve seen surges in interest for things like that special gift, the perfect song for mom and more. To help brands align with this moment on YouTube, we’re offering a variety of packages including ownership of top moms’ channel WhatsUpMoms and the ability to build your own high share of voice packages across top mom creator and celebrity channels.

Our top priority is to create a safe and trustworthy experience for users, whether they’re searching for information online or interacting with ads across our platforms. That’s why we have robust Google Ads policies outlining the types of advertising we do and don’t allow. 

When developing our advertising policies, we often work with outside experts to ensure we’re factoring in relevant government regulations and industry accreditation programs. This helps us to connect users directly to the advertisers who both meet the latest standards and offer the product or service directly. For example, we have a longstanding certification program for online pharmacies which limits ads for the sale of prescription drugs to those from licensed pharmacies in countries where those ads are legal. Similarly, last year, we introduced a new policy to restrict promotions for official government services like passport renewals, visa applications or changing mailing addresses to the governments or their delegated providers.

Today, we are announcing our plans for a new certification program for health insurance advertisers in the United States. With this certification, we will only allow ads from government exchanges, first-party providers and licensed third-party brokers. In order to run ads, advertisers will need to provide documentation showing they are permitted under state law to sell health insurance. This includes plans for individual health insurance coverage, short-term coverage and Medicare, among others. Additionally, for private-sector providers promoting Affordable Care Act-compliant health plans, we will also require proof they are registered with the U.S. government to do so. 

When people come to Google with questions about healthcare coverage and insurance plans, we are committed to creating a high-quality ad experience – one where they’re connected to trustworthy providers, and the promotion is clear from the ad itself. This new certification creates an additional layer of protection on top of our longstanding misrepresentation policies, which prohibit advertisements with misleading claims about insurance plans or the advertiser’s affiliation with the government. 

Advertisers can begin to apply for certification on May 3, 2021. If they do not complete certification by June 2, 2021, they will no longer be able to serve their ads. For more information on the certification program and Google Ads policies visit our Advertiser Help Center.

The Web Creators team at Google is inviting anyone who creates content on the web to our first-ever virtual Web Stories workshop. Web Stories are a web-based version of the popular Story format, which allow you to engage your audience like never before. Create richer, more intimate and more meaningful experiences that connect with your fans – all while hosting, owning and sharing your own content. 

The workshop will take place live on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 1 PM Eastern time and is for creators who regularly create content for the web and have an online presence. During this workshop, you’ll learn about: 

• The evolution of modern storytelling on the web and how Web Stories can help you grow your audience with rich, immersive content. 

• Web Story editors and how to use them. You’ll be starting your own Web Story in real time with the help of a Google expert. 

• All the tools and resources you have at your disposal – both online and within the Google Web Creators community – to thrive on the web.

To apply, fill out our registration form. We encourage you to do so as soon as possible, because space is limited, and we’ll be reviewing applications on a rolling basis to ensure attendees will get the most out of the event. Expect to hear back from us after applying within about a week.

Google News Showcase, our new product and licensing program backed by our recent $1 billion global investment in news, will begin rolling out with Czech publishers starting today. 

Czechia is the first Central and Eastern European country to launch News Showcase, and this new online experience will pay particular attention to the needs of readers who are looking for news that matters to them and their community. The publishers who are taking part at this stage include Echo Media, Economia, Forum 24, Internet Info and N media and their publications Aktuálně, Deník N, Echo24, Euro, Finance, FORUM 24, iHNed, Lupa, Měšec, Podnikatel and Respekt. These agreements take into account the rights outlined in Article 15 of the European Copyright Directive for specific online uses of press publications, which do not apply to hyperlinks and very short excerpts. 

More than 600 news publications globally have now signed deals for News Showcase in more than a dozen countries, including Australia, Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, the U.K. and Argentina,with discussions underway in a number of other countries. More than 90% of the publications signed up around the world represent local, regional or community news. 

“Economia has always been a pioneer in promoting paid digital content,” says Zuzana Řezníčková, the chairman of the board of directors of Economia, one of the leading economic news outlets in the Czech Republic. “The News Showcase product provides a good opportunity for this and Economia is happy to be among the first ones to check how it’ll work in the Czech market. The principles behind Google News Showcase present for us the right and fair way to distribute digital content.” 

With News Showcase panels, news organizations can curate their content in a number of different ways to help readers get more context about a story and direct them to the full articles on the publishers’ websites. This drives valuable traffic to those websites, enabling them to grow their audiences and deepen their relationships with readers. 

“We believe that Google News Showcase will allow us to present the quality news content of Deník N to a large audience in an innovative and attractive way,” says Ján Simkanič, publisher of Deník N, the Czech independent daily newspaper. “And we hope that many visitors will become our subscribers, for whom trusted content is an important value.”

Spanning 17 million square kilometers and 11 time zones, Russia is teeming with taste. The stunning landscapes of the Southern District are littered with vineyards. The Northwest has a growing reputation for seafood, and a long-standing tradition for the innovative culinary use of cod liver. Siberia is abounding with pelmeni (known as “the heart of Russian cuisine”), as well as rustic flavors with roots in hunting–such as smoked wild meats with taiga herbs, fruity, berry-laden accompaniments and sliced raw fish (stroganina). And, of course, Moscow and St. Petersburg, cosmopolitan centres of fine cuisine, have it all. 

Russian national cuisine spans cultures, ethnic groups and influences across borders. To show the country’s culinary heritage, Google Arts & Culture teamed up with The Federal Agency for Tourism in Russia and cultural partners Mosfilm cinema concern, The State Tretyakov Gallery and The State Russian Museum to create, “Eat Your Way Across Russia,” a digital hub that showcases stories and traditions from more than 20  regions, highlights over 100  restaurants and iconic gastronomic points across the country and introduces 11 chefs, experts and food enthusiasts. They helped to put all these pieces into one delicious puzzle that includes 65 online exhibitions about Russia’s food culture and more than 1000 images and videos from different parts of the country.

The Tastes and Regions

Discover the flavors of Russia through the unique plates of Russia’s regions. Visit Siberia and explore its culture of hunters, game dishes and the local tea. Or the Volga region with ukha soup and the variety of dumplings called manty/manti that came from the former Soviet Asia. Or the Central region with its food luxuries (e.g. Leo Tolstoy’s dessert). Don’t forget “the Venice of the North,” or St. Petersburg, and the local “pyshki,” deep-fried ring-shaped donut-like buns that became the symbol of the city. And go to the edge of the world for gems of Russia’s Far Eastern cuisine — Kamchatka crab, Sakhalin caviar or Kyorchekh, Yakutia’s best-known dessert. Yes, it’s so easy to get lost among all these tastes, but our guides are here to help! Food connoisseurs and restaurateurs prepared their stories on what they love about Russian cuisine.

The Specialities 

A special section of the exhibition is dedicated to Soviet tastes. Besides the well-known borshch, syrniki with smetana, blini and oladyi, it unpacks other curiosities of Russian Soviet cuisine that truly became a cultural code – cutlets, okroshka, tvorog rings (a local variation of eclairs and profiteroles), ponchiks (donuts) and condensed milk. Sounds delicious? The exhibits will also guide you through the backstage of the production of Russia’s gastronomic hallmarks, Kolomna pastila and pelmeni, and take you for art walks through the local farm.

The Drinks 

Thirsty for more? Explore the section about Russia’s wine, craft beer and cocktails that beats all the stereotypes about the bar culture in the country. The exhibits tell stories about nastoika culture and its origins in the 19th-century liqueur making, reconstruct a 300-year history of kvass and highlight the key moments of the craft revolution led by local beer, cider and medovukha. Or do you prefer tea? Find out more about how tea got to Russia and how it stayed. Or maybe you have an appetite for art? Explore meals of classical Russian literature, see the Russian fairy tales through a foodie’s eyes, or spend a day with Russian paintings to see a traditional Russian feast. The projects also highlight the traditions of khokhloma, gzhel, imperial porcelain, crystal and other tableware that was used for Russian banquetes. 

Explore Russia’s delicious range of flavors and traditions on the Google Arts & Culture website or our free Android or iOS app and join the conversation using the hashtag #eatacrossrussia.