Google Chrome has come from nowhere to be the third most-popular web browser in the world. It's rapidly catching up to Firefox, which is currently sitting in second place behind the omnipresent Internet Explorer from Microsoft. How on earth has it achieved such a feat?

By being new and different, and offering speed and efficiency above all else. At least in its early days. Now all three major browsers appear to be merging together as the differences between them fade away. What has also helped Chrome climb to such a market share are the great promotional efforts produced by Google. Of which we have 7 of the best below for your delectation.

Evolution Of Simple

This is the first promo video I ever saw for Chrome. It's a short animation by Pantograph that is meant to demonstrate the simplicity of Chrome. The Chrome logo essentially removes all the extraneous elements until we are left with the bare bones of a Web browser; just the parts we need to get on to the Internet and explore. It's a compelling idea brought to life beautifully.

Chromance

This is undoubtedly the most bizarre promo for Google Chrome on the list. So much so that you may wonder what on earth is going on. The message is subtle-yet-deep, with an egg asking the eternal question, "Chicken or Egg?" Chrome, in its guise as some kind of all-seeing eye or perhaps HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, takes the egg on a trip around the Web exploring the various possibilities. A little trippy perhaps but effective nonetheless.

Chromercise

You will either love or hate this promo video, titled Chromercise, depending on your sensibility. We get to see fingers, because that is after all what controls Chrome and all Web browsers like it, completing an exercise regime. Some of us who spend far too much time on the Internet could probably take a few hints from this video, though I suspect it's more than just my fingers that need a workout. It works as a concept though, showing all the things Chrome is capable of.

Speed Tests

Chrome's biggest advantage over its competitors - the old man that is Internet Explorer and middle-aged Firefox - is its speed. Perhaps truer in its early days than now, Google still likes to talk up how fast Chrome is. This video pits Chrome against various things, testing how fast it renders webpages against a potato, a sound wave, and lightning. The results are dubious but visually effective. It's really no wonder this promo went viral.

Justin Bieber

Love or hate Justin Bieber, his incredible rise to fame and fortune cannot be denied. The same goes for his debt of gratitude to the web, which turned him from a snotty young kid into a snotty young pop star. This Chrome promo charts his evolution, with the number of fans increasing until he morphs into the chart-topping snotty singer he now is. He may still not be my cup of tea but his story certainly helps sell Chrome to the masses.

Dear Sophie

This Chrome promo will appeal to everybody who has, or who wants to have, kids. It shows a doting father using various Google products, including Gmail, Maps and YouTube, to share his daughter's early years. All of which are powered by Chrome, naturally. This is Google showing the web in a light many of us may never have seen, or even imagined, before. And it could persuade the broody out there to switch browsers. Possibly.

Multitask Mode

OK, so this isn't strictly a promo video for Google Chrome. It is, instead, one of Google's latest April Fools' Day pranks. It shows Chrome's new Multitask Mode, which means you can use two mice on the one screen. Perfect for productive architects and quarreling couples, who just have to remember to never cross the streams. It may be an April Fool but it has been seen by almost one million people to date, and may have persuaded some to download and install Chrome to their computers. At which point they'll be disappointed by the lack of the Multitask Mode that suckered them in. Oops.

Conclusions

What each of these promo videos/commercials has in common is pushing the urge we all have in us to try something new. Whether playing on the fanbase Justin Bieber inexplicably enjoys or appealing to our innate desire to nurture our offspring, they make us take note. And hopefully, at least as far as Google is concerned, tempt us into trying Google Chrome. I've tried it several times and am sticking with Firefox. But hey, I did at least give it a go.

As always we'd love to hear your comments. So feel free to let us know what you think of these videos, and also pass on your experiences with Chrome. Do you love Google's browser or are you loyal to another instead?