The Sidemen have partnered with Google Gemini to support the AI assistant’s “Back to School” campaign, integrating the tool into five original YouTube videos across “Sidemen Sunday” and “MoreSidemen.” The campaign was produced by Sidemen Entertainment in partnership with Arcade, the management and media company built around the UK creator collective.

The first installment arrived on September 20 with a “Sidemen Sunday” survival special, the second in the group’s hit format. The Sidemen spent 24 hours in a remote UK forest completing challenges to earn tokens for supplies at a “Forest Tuck Shop,” calling on Gemini at points throughout to help learn survival skills and problem-solve in real time.

“This partnership is exactly what Arcade was built to deliver: pairing a brand like Google Gemini with The Sidemen, in formats that feel native rather than bolted on,” said Joe Lamb, Arcade’s Commercial Managing Director. “‘Sidemen Sunday’ and ‘MoreSidemen’ aren’t just distribution; they’re premium environments we can build genuinely integrated campaigns around, bringing value to our advertisers with our elite creator media brands.”

Four more videos will roll out on “MoreSidemen” starting October 24, beginning with a format in which the group ranks and debates unusual food combinations before using Gemini Core to suggest pairings of its own. A fan giveaway tied to the campaign will offer one winner signed Sidemen merchandise alongside a set of Google Home products.

Photo credit: Charlie Woodward

A Broader Google Push Into Creator AI

The Sidemen deal follows Google’s early September announcement of a multi-year partnership with MrBeast that extends his relationship with the company beyond YouTube into Gemini and Google Health, with MrBeast fronting Google’s Gemini advertising campaign and using the assistant in a survival-themed video of his own. 

Between the two deals, Google has now placed Gemini inside content from two major YouTube creator properties within the same month, using survival and challenge formats in both cases to demonstrate the assistant’s real-time utility.

The partnership also lands as Arcade pushes further into brand-side commercial work. The company relaunched earlier this month as a pan-European entertainment business, signing six new creators and collectives including Max Fosh and Fallow Chefs ahead of Europe’s first creator media Upfront. Arcade’s existing commercial partnerships include Virgin Media O2, Formula E, Esports World Cup, Unilever, Lego and Papa Johns.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast