Google Pixel 4 Radio Ad Paid Hosts $4.6 Million to Promote Phone They Never Used

Google Pixel 4's radio advertisements cost a cool $4.6 million, asking on-air hosts to promote their flagship mobile phone even if they have never actually used it.

But this time, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering Google's testimonial-like advertisement of the Pixel 4 as "deceptive."

Google Paid Various Hosts to Promote Pixel 4 Even If They Never Used It

As per the latest report by 9to5 Google, the (FTC) revealed that Google and iHeartMedia spent millions of dollars to ask influencers to endorse the Pixel phone even if they never got their hands on it yet.

The FTC says that these firms "paid influencers to promote products they never used." The Commission also states that the radio ads for the Google Pixel 4 aired what turned out to be "made-up testimonials by radio personalities."

The script of the radio ad is out, and it sure does seem like a testimonial of someone who has been using the mobile device for quite a while.

The ad goes this way, "The only thing I love more than taking the perfect photo? Taking the perfect photo at night. With Google Pixel 4, both are a cinch."

To make it appear like a legit testimonial, it asks radio hosts to say: "It's my favorite phone camera out there, especially in low light, thanks to Night Sight Mode."

"I've been taking studio-like photos of everything... my son's football game... a meteor shower... a rare spotted owl that landed in my backyard. Pics or it didn't happen, am I right?"

Google Spent Millions for These Pixel 4 'Testimonial' Ads

According to a news story by The Verge, the FTC disclosed that Google has paid a whopping $2.6 million to iHeart Radio to create these testimonial-like ads. On top of that, the renowned tech giant also spent nearly $2 million for eleven other radio stations to promote the Pixel 4 in the same manner.

9to5 Google notes in its story that the phone maker paid these radio hosts roughly $4.6 million in total.

Google, iHeartMedia Settles with the FTC

Google and iHeartMedia have decided to settle with the FTC, along with seven state attorneys, for alleged deceptive ads.

Both firms have agreed to pay $9.4 million to the states they have settled with.

But that's not all. The FTC now wants to "prohibit Google from misrepresenting that an endorser has owned or used, or about their experience with certain products."

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris