The FTC wants to fine Google nearly $10m over deceptive Pixel 4 ads aired three years ago
The Pixel 4 series used to be Google’s hottest phone lineup, comprised of some of thebest smartphonesof its time, even if both theGoogle Pixel 4 XLand 4 might have been a bit flawed. They’re currently not much more than a nostalgic memory, though. The series launched in 2019, and since then, we’ve seen three newgenerations of the Pixeltake its place. It looks like the Pixel 4 is coming back to haunt Google, though. The company is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission for dubious ad tactics used three years ago.
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Influencers that took part in this campaign were handed scripts with lines like “It’s my favorite phone camera out there, especially in low light, thanks to Night Sight Mode” and “I’ve been taking studio-like photos of everything,” yet none of them were daily-driving the phone or testing them out “before recording and airing the majority of the ads,” the FTC says. Involving influencers in marketing campaigns isn’t a practice unheard of, but having them speak as if they used the phones when they actually haven’t is misleading and against FTC rules.
As a result of this lawsuit, Google and iHeartMedia might be forced to cough up $9.4 million in penalties, and they might also be barred from doing similar misleading ads in the future. One thing is clear: Google will have to be a lot more careful about how it enlists the help of celebrities in the future.
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