Want early access to the Pixel 9 for review? You better be nice about it or you’re off #teampixel…
The idea of “paid reviews” is nothing new; they happen every day all over the place, from Forbes to USA Today and of course on social media. But have you heard about “relationship-based” agreements, whereby creators are given early access to a product but only if they agree to a very specific set of covenants?
No? Welcome to the murky world of being a mildly successful content creator. It’s a great place to be because you have an audience, they trust you for the most part, and you can now start making some money.
And when the brands start coming knocking, that’s when things switch into overdrive. How much more traction would your channel get if you could snag a Pixel 9 series phone a week or two before it’s officially released? A lot, is the answer.
But this is where our story takes a twist because Google’s #teampixel initiative has now been caught actively coercing content creators into saying ONLY nice things about its new Pixel 9 phones.
Let’s dig in shall we.
Team Pixel’s New Obey-To-Play Model
Here’s how it works:
A company or PR representative reaches out to you because you have an audience; they want to market and grow hype around their new phone/product (in this case, the Pixel 9 series); you need new, shiny things for your channel, so you bite their hand off, and a box of shiny new toys wings its way to your home or studio.
But then reality sets in, the reality of how the B2C reviews machine really works. In order to get early access to these phones, and future phones, you must adhere to an agreement.
And what does that agreement stipulate?
Simple: you have to be positive about the product or else you’re off the team, no more new, free Pixel phones for you. With this kind of threat, of course, most will bend the knee. But some haven’t and some have even outed #teampixel on X, shout-out to Mark’s Tech.
By opting into this program, do you acknowledge that you are expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices? Please note that if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.
This is Not Google, Though. Team Pixel is Run By A PR Firm Called 1000Heads
Now, it needs to be pointed out that this isn’t coming directly from Google; rather, it is part of the Team Pixel initiative which is ran by a PR firm called 1000Heads.
What is Team Pixel?
Team Pixel – also referred to online as #teampixel – is a PR initiative concocted by 1000Heads, a PR company, in partnership with Google to drive adoption and hype around Pixel phone. The idea with #teampixel was simple: work with content creators with medium to large followings and leverage social media to drive adoption and sales of Pixel phones.
Our strategy was guided by 2 key insights: 1. Consumers are more savvy about influencer marketing, and are less likely to be affected by big-budget, for-hire influencers. 2. Global Web Index ranks the personal recommendation as the most influential factor in consumer purchase decisions.
Based on these insights, we developed a strategy to raise the product profile amongst consumers by activating a community of 500 advocates with high followings (between 10k-100k) known as #teampixel. The tribe consists of photographers, content creators and tech reviewers that inspire others to switch to Pixel through engaging content and social validation. They are all unpaid and are creating content based on their experiences and love for the brand. This adds a layer of authenticity and makes their recommendations feel more personal/less biased.
1000Head’s new platform for Pixel promotion kicked off in 2019, but this is the first time I have seen a PR company actively telling reviewers what they can and cannot say about a product. It’s also worth noting that there is still a massive disconnect between “influencer content” on social media and actual review content found on legit review sites like Rtings.
Why You Cannot Find Honest Reviews Online or On Social Media Anymore…
Influencers tend to hype products, highlight features, and show what you can do with them, while review sites tend to focus on testing claims, features, and stress-testing the phone against its maker’s alleged claims. When I buy something big, I still like to read a good few reviews from actual reviewers I know and trust.
What’s equally ingenious about 1000Heads’ #teampixel model is that it appears to specifically target aspirational or mid-sized creators. If you’re new and growing, you tend to do whatever it takes to grow even more – that’s basically how all businesses operate.
1000Heads, being a PR firm, knows that most small to mid-tier creators – not all, mind you, but most – will park their ethics for a shot at a few thousand more subscribers brought in by having early access to Google’s new Pixel phones.
Bigger, more established creators like MKBHD and the like tend to either get their review units direct from the manufacturer, in this case, Google, or they go out an by their own, as RTINGS does.
And that is what makes this move by #teampixel all the more unethical; it is deliberate in who it is targeting and its only goal is to create what is essentially native advertising for Google’s new lineup of phones, not actual content. You cannot have the good without the bad, otherwise it’s not a review or even coverage – it’s just sales copy.
On a personal note, I was blacklisted by Apple many moons ago for giving the iPhone 6s a not so favorable review. So, yes, this kind of thing does happen which is why it is always important to NEVER make your conclusions about things based on just one or two sources.
Google has yet to respond to , but given the traction #teampixel’s new obey-for-play model is getting on social media it is now surely only a matter of time before it does. Not that Google needs any more bad press right now!
