Have American public figures spoken well of the Google Pixel 4 when they never had it?
Google has been known since the turn of the century for its eponymous search engine, but in recent years the activities of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, have been much larger and go beyond simple internet browsing. Since 2015, Google has notably offered Pixels, smartphones recognized by the tech world as very good photophones.
But while critical success has always been more or less present for Google, the firm has long struggled to find a place in the market, and the Californian company remains today still far below Apple’s figures. , Samsung and other Xiaomi, which are leading smartphone manufacturers.
Rigged commercials?
So, in order to increase its popularity, Google never skimped on the means, especially when releasing the Pixel 4, a very complete phone, which despite everything had several major flaws, very quickly targeted by the critical press. While the latter had a rather mixed opinion on the phone, now DJs and other radio hosts have said all the good things they think of the latest Google smartphone. All of this would have even been done without the main stakeholders having the Pixel 4 in their hands.
This is for example the case of the animators of iHeartMedia, the latter have been instructed to praise the merits of the phone, especially in photos. But the problem is that at no time did Google let these people have access to the phone to form an unbiased opinion. Worse still, the firm would have voluntarily refused that the animators have access to the telephone.
If for the moment all the underside of this affair is still rather vague, a criminal procedure is in progress. A complaint has just been filed with a Texas court. American justice will therefore conduct its investigation to find out whether or not people have said good things about a phone without even having been able to test it, and if they have been paid to do so, which is not to date. not proven.
A fine of several million dollars
A maneuver which is completely illegal and which could cost Google a lot. Indeed, American law provides that each advertising spot of this type is punishable by a fine of 10,000 dollars. According to the first estimates, these spots would have been broadcast 2400 times on the antennas of the radio. After a mathematical calculation of the most learned, it is therefore possible to deduce that Google incurs up to 24 million dollars in fines.
A heavy sentence, even for a company the size of Google that intends to fight to avoid paying so much. The firm also reacted in a press release, saying it was very concerned by the creation of this survey. She also explains that she has always worked to comply with advertising laws as best as possible, never wanting to go beyond the limit. Google even claims to have set up “policies designed to ensure that we comply with regulations and industry standards.”
