Sandy Russell Creative

Google: Street View Goes Vertical

Strategy

This was the project that started it all. When Sandy was at Google, she created and led the team that captured the first-ever vertical Street View, featuring legendary climbers ascending 3,000 feet up Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan. The project captivated a global audience, generating tens of millions of product views, 13 million video views, and coverage in over 100 international publications.

Task

To celebrate the National Parks Centennial, Google aimed to push the boundaries of Street View technology by creating an unprecedented vertical experience. The goal was to enable people worldwide to virtually join climbing legends Lynn Hill, Tommy Caldwell, and Alex Honnold as they scaled the sheer 3,000-foot granite face of El Capitan.

Our Approach & Solution

We collaborated closely with Google engineers to develop this groundbreaking vertical Street View. To bring the story to life and support the launch, we developed a fully immersive website, produced a hero film, crafted a detailed blog post, and created shareable stills and GIFs tailored for partners and influencers.

Impact & Results

By leveraging a social-first approach and collaborating with key influencers and partners, we ensured the content reached an audience passionate about adventure and innovation. This organic sharing sparked high engagement, while reinforcing Google and Street View as culturally relevant and community-focused, fostering stronger brand loyalty.

More Work