This was just incredibly dumb. Now any positive news about their new phone is going to be seen as planted.
It really isn’t, which is why it’s news when something like that comes out. People sometimes confuse being cynical with knowing how things work.
That said, this one is confusing, because it really does seem like Google is blurring the lines here between an ad spot or a product placement spot and pre-release samples for tech influencers intending to review them.
Honestly, cynicism aside, The Verge does a good job of breaking it down, including clarifying that they are under no such stipulations for their own review, so I’d recommend just reading the article in full.
They don’t care, the massive majority of normies will never hear about it and those that do won’t care
Normies buy Redmi Note Pro Max + (or iPhone if they’re rich). Pixel is for devs and photos.
Can I just say, I’m incredibly pissed off at Xiaomi (and at the redmi sub brand by extension) at how difficult unlocking the bootloader is on newer devices. Like, you have to make an account with them, log in, and then wait 7 days, to unlock the bootloader, like WHAT? Why? I kinda understand the account, cuz spyware, but why the 7 day wait? So you’re forced to use their crappy bloated and spyware-and-ad-ridden system? It’s just really frustrating. Left a bad taste in my mouth to the point where I’m considering a switch to another brand for my next phone.
So these influencers are against this type of practice? That means they all really do play Raid:Shadow legends.
This is for “brand ambassadors” says LTT (WAN show).
I don’t see what’s the problem. It’s a proposal of a sponsorship with payment in nature (the expensive phones) instead of money. If the influencer disagrees, there’s no problem and they can buy the phones by themselves, Google is not forced by law to send free phones to influencers.
I don’t think that all those influencers are actually playing raid shadow legends or eating factor or using betterhelp.
Google is giving free review samples to real reviewers
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
This is a program dedicated to influencers, not reviewers.
Corrected. Thanks!
There are YouTube channels/instagrammers that exclusively review sponsored products.
I don’t use instagram, and stick to the more reliable youtube channels. Didn’t know this was a thing.
If Google believes that the outlet is legit, they give the review device for free without the sponsorship contract. When they talk good about the device they need to flag the post with #giftfromgoogle and #teampixel
This feels like one of those stories where one person misleads another without technically lying.
Advertisements should be explicit. You’ll often see sponsored segments of videos when a YouTuber is talking about a product, where they explicitly say it’s sponsored. These influences are being asked to treat the product preferential to other devices without being a sponsor.
Advertising is one thing. Asking people to advertise your product without revealing that it’s an ad is something else.