Tech giant Google faces backlash after reportedly pressuring tech influencers to exclusively promote its Pixel 9 smartphones over competitor products.
At their launch event, the influencers were warned that failure to do so could result in a termination of their partnership with the brand. Several creators shared screenshots of these severe requirements and shared them on X and Threads.
A screenshot of the Google Form sent to influencers reads:
“By participating in this program, you agree to prioritise the Google Pixel device over any competing mobile devices. Please be aware that if it seems that other brands are favoured over the Pixel, we will have to terminate the relationship between the brand and the creator.”
These screenshots quickly went viral across the internet and provoked anger among the online community and Google’s consumers, who viewed it as an attempt to manipulate views under the guise of sponsorship, according to analyst Max Weinbach, a former member of Team Pixel.
Some YouTubers, including Kevin Nether of The Tech Ninja and Adam Matlock of TechOdyssey, revealed that they chose to leave the program due to its increasingly stringent terms.
Meanwhile, popular YouTuber Arun Maini, who has 19.3 million subscribers, criticized the tech giant on X and revealed that he was not invited the Pixel 9 launch event due to his previous critiques of their products.
For those of you asking for our Google Pixel review…
We didn’t get an invite to the Google Pixel event this year. Reached out to multiple different Google contacts and not heard anything back
We were critical of the last-gen Pixel devices, but that
shouldn’t be a reason to…— Arun Maini (@Mrwhosetheboss) August 15, 2024
However, a few days later, Arun Maini clarified and updated viewers on the situation:
Update on the Google Pixel situation:
A few hours after we put out that tweet Google got straight back to us. It seems like there was some sort of pretty large internal miscommunication, but the good news is, we now have a Pixel 9 Pro, and I’m testing it as we speak 😎 pic.twitter.com/goZwA9awMS
— Arun Maini (@Mrwhosetheboss) August 17, 2024
Kayla Geier, Google’s communications manager, has addressed these criticisms in a statement to The Verge, admitting that the form was poorly phrased and revealing that it had been intended for Team Pixel, a separate program from traditional press and standard reviews with specific conditions that was managed by the PR agency 1000heads.
Google claims that the problematic clause has hence been removed.
This controversy highlights the complexity of influencer sponsorships and the importance of transparency, fairness and honest reviews when it comes to tech marketing. It remains to be seen how this incident will affect Google’s reputation and relationships with popular influencers in the online community.
