Google makes clear that #TeamPixel is influencer marketing and not a reviews program

It should have been clear from the start that Team Pixel is an influencer marketing program. With the launch of the Pixel 9 series this week, that is being made explicit.

Ahead of the new devices, those in the Team Pixel program this week have been asked to “acknowledge that you are expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices.” 9to5Google has confirmed the veracity of that form.

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.

Having influencers receive products from companies for free with the expectation that they talk about them is – rightly or wrongly – part of modern marketing. Rules, like from the FTC, require these influencers to disclose this relationship in videos or social media posts. Google has, in past years, been fairly strict about that requirement with creators.

Team Pixel has existed for several years. Historically, the program has been pretty lax about its requirements beyond including “#giftfromgoogle” in posts using the provided Pixel devices. An email from 2021 states how: “There are no specific expectations, but we encourage you to post as often as you want. And there’s no contract to sign.” Another year they said:

When posting about Pixel or the Google brand, your content should always be truthful, accurate, and reflect your honest opinions and experiences with whatever product or feature you’re posting about.

As such, both influencers and people who watched their videos treated it as more of a review program than an extension of marketing. 

(Meanwhile, Team Pixel is different from the Pixel Superfans program that is aimed at product owners, or fans, rather than creators and influencers.)

This year, that changed with the “Brand Love” requirement. It’s unfortunate — but not surprising — that Google wants better control of the marketing it’s paying for going forward.

Team Pixel should have never been treated as a reviews program in the first place. It’s always been a marketing play for Google. With the new requirements in place, those previously in Team Pixel and their viewers are clearly becoming aware that future reviews will be constrained and lacking objectivity if the outcome is predefined. Many say they are leaving the program, with Team Pixel’s role as a reviews program clearly over after this. 

Reviewers at traditional publications, such as 9to5Google and many YouTube channels, interact directly with public relations (PR) where there are no such requirements that dictate the outcome of reviews.

Update: In a statement to Android Police and The Verge, Google says it has removed the “new language,” while affirming Team Pixel is meant to “get Pixel devices into the hands of content creators, not press and tech reviewers.”

#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.