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Google threatened tech influencers unless they ‘preferred’ the Pixel
(www.theverge.com)
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this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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Technology
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The first problem is that Google is giving an incentive to influencers - who are supposed to be (more or less) impartia - to review their phone favourably compared to alternatives.
The second problem is that, despite being one of the biggest companies in the world, they did this in the most obvious way possible. Now who will trust any positive review of their phone? Anyone with common sense, let alone the lawyers whom I suppose cleared this - should have told them not to do something so dumb.
Edit: corrected reviewers to influencers, for the reasons explained below.
There are YouTube channels/instagrammers that exclusively review sponsored products. Bigger ones like Unbox therapy, LTT shortcircuit, and so on. Never a bad word about the shitty product they're reviewing, because it's a paid ad.
Take a look by yourself. The product they're "reviewing" is clearly non functioning e-waste, yet they don't say it to make the advertiser happy.
This is a program dedicated to influencers, not reviewers. The verge, Engadget, marques, Mr mobile, they didn't sign this contract. If Google believes that the outlet is legit, they give the review device for free without the sponsorship contract.
Edit for clarity as I didn't add a paragraph between this sentence:
When the influencer that got the free phone under this ad campaign shows the phone on camera they need to flag the post with #giftfromgoogle and #teampixel - you can use that as a hint that the review is biased
Corrected. Thanks!
I don't use instagram, and stick to the more reliable youtube channels. Didn't know this was a thing.
This feels like one of those stories where one person misleads another without technically lying.
I read your quote of my post and realized to have wrote in a way that's not clear. If someone gets sponsored to become a Pixel fanboy, needs to use those two hashtags