The Verge has independently confirmed leaked screenshots of the clause in this year’s Team Pixel agreement for the new Pixel phones, which began circulating on X and Threads last night. The agreement tells influencers they’re “expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices.” It also notes 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.” The link to the form appears to have since been shut down.
When asked, Google communications manager Kayla Geier told The Verge that “#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.”
So then what is Team Pixel, exactly? Officially, it’s a program handled by PR agency 1000Heads that seeds early units to influencers and superfans to drum up interest as brand ambassadors. While Google partners with 1000Heads, it doesn’t directly run the program, and there are distinct differences with the traditional reviews program, For example, journalists and influencers in the official reviews program often get briefed and given products under embargo before or during an event. Team Pixel participants get the devices shortly after launch, but before the public — all in exchange for some coverage on social media. For smaller creators, this can be a big leg up in terms of access.
Do these people employed/contracted directly by Google tell their viewers they’re employed/contracted directly by Google? Then it doesn’t make a difference. does it?
And why do you think the reviewers people are familiar with aren’t part of the program. Do you have a list?
Yes. They’re required to use #TeamPixel and #ad hashtags on their posts, because they’re considered sponsored content. I got invited to apply to the program several years back because I had a monetized YouTube channel at the time, and I remember their application form asked if I’d be okay with putting those hashtags on my social accounts.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t actually apply, because it’s meant for content creators, which I am not. My YouTube channel was monetized basically in error, because I never actually used it, so I’m sure they would’ve denied me, anyway.
Most of the bigger reviewers aren’t part of any sort of ambassador program, just because it basically limits them to only being able to provide coverage toward that company’s product (or at the very least, forces them into being biased toward their product), without the benefits of actually being employed by that company.
And to my understanding, Team Pixel members aren’t directly paid for it; they just get an early unit of every new device they make and are asked to “review” it within a certain timeframe of the product launch. At least, none of the forms that I saw mentioned any payment, beyond free devices.