It was a bit surreal for Eliza Keegan to see an ad for Momentum Climbing Gym air during the Super Bowl. While Momentum has been a cornerstone of the climbing community in Utah since 2006, when Google invited her to participate in a small-business campaign, the Momentum CEO thought she was

being scammed. 

“This was way too good to be true,” Keegan said. “We did all the necessary steps, filling out NDAs, coordinating everything with the Google team, and even up until the day we filmed the commercial, we were like, we’re getting scammed. And then a full team of directors and crew showed up.”

Google chose to feature Momentum as an example of how businesses have found ways to use AI to maximize the impact they have within the business and in the sports community. The campaign featured 50 customer stories, from all 50 states, with ads running during the big game. 

The commercial was filmed at Momentum Climbing Gym in Millcreek (3173 E. 3300 South) on a snowy day that encouraged indoor activities. Keegan said the gym was packed with climbers of all ages and abilities.

“The Google team came in and got to film a real, true, busy day at one of our climbing gyms here in Salt Lake City,” she said. “There were families…there were lots of kids running around and they got to capture a real picture of who Momentum is and what it’s like inside one of our gyms.”

Google’s “50 Stories, 50 States” campaign ran local ads during the Super Bowl, highlighting the influence of AI on small businesses. The local spots featured small businesses and nonprofits that use Google Workspace
with Gemini. 

“We wanted to show what’s possible with AI in Workspace today, and how real businesses are using it,” said Harris Beber, global marketing leader for Workspace. “What better way to show the unexpected ways AI helps real businesses in America than to let them share their stories?”

Keegan said they use Google Suite products at Momentum and recently implemented the Gemini AI feature to help summarize documents, edit emails and streamline communication with their gyms across Utah, Washington and Texas. 

 Keegan said rock climbing has always been popular in the state and interest continues to grow. Along with the Millcreek location, Momentum has additional gyms in Sandy, Midvale and Lehi.

“Salt Lake City is a kind of historical mecca for rock climbing,” she said. “There is incredible access to outdoor climbing here, and so this climbing community and culture really blossomed…Salt Lake is unique in that it probably has one of the highest densities of climbing gyms per capita in the country. This population can support that because so many people are familiar with rock climbing.”

Since the commercial aired on Feb. 9, Keegan has had industry partners reach out to offer congratulations. She’s received good feedback as Google pushed the ad on its social media platforms and she hopes it encourages more people to give climbing a try. For more information, visit Momentumclimbing.com.

“Climbing is for everyone. Everybody can benefit from rock climbing,” Keegan said. “It’s a very social sport. Climbing is unique and special in its own way, because it’s great for all ages…We have 70 year olds who rock climb because it’s very low-impact.” λ