Google busted for trying to strong-arm positive reviews

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I feel like I’ve been piling on Google a lot on BTTR the past few weeks. I want to write about other stuff. But this is just so obviously unethical I have to call it out.

The Verge is reporting that Google’s influencer review program required those involved to discuss the Pixel phone favourably against other phones, or else Google would terminate the agreement and the influencer would be booted from the program.

This makes me angry in so many ways.

Google’s defence is that the program was operated through a third-party agency. In its statement to The Verge, Google said:

“#TeamPixel is a distinct program, separate from our press and creator reviews programs. The goal of #TeamPixel is to get Pixel devices into the hands of content creators, not press and tech reviewers. We missed the mark with this new language that appeared in the #TeamPixel form yesterday, and it has been removed.”

The program was run by a third-party agency called 1000heads, which isn’t the company that handles the typical tech review program.

But honestly, that doesn’t matter. Despite the fact it’s a different program, I am absolutely confident that somebody at Google signed off on that language. There’s no way in hell a company like Google would outsource something like this without requiring sign off on all the language used.

So even though it was outsourced, somebody at Google with influence felt it was appropriate to use its market dominance to try to influence favourable coverage.

I have no issue with the influencers involved here, for what it’s worth. I’ve been around long enough to know that these people typically don’t have the same commitment to ethical transparency as those from more traditional tech media.

Often these are young people who suddenly have tech giants wanting to give them product for (favourable) coverage. It is not an even relationship — an individual (or small team) working with one of the biggest companies in the world.

I’m certain some creators involved wouldn’t have even read the agreement because they were so excited about the opportunity to work with a company like Google.

It may have used a third-party agency to execute, but the reality is that this is Google flexing its muscle over the smaller guy yet again. It’s paying its way to the top, which is exactly the same thing that had it called out as an illegal monopoly in search.

If Google wanted favourable coverage, that’s what ads are for. Not review programs.

(Though I concede Google is pretty crap at ads.)

Reviews are an important part of the buying journey. Google trying to strong-arm positive reviews means it’s either a company led by a bunch of greedy, unethical people; or they don’t have faith their product will compare favourably without dictating preference in the terms and conditions of the review agreement.

Or both.