Google and iHeartMedia they reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven state attorneys general for allegedly paying radio hosts to say good things about the Pixel 4 despite not using the phone.
google paid more than 2.6 million dollars (2.5 million euros) to iHeartRadio and almost 2 million dollars (1.9 million euros) “in relation to eleven minor radio networks” for misleading ads praising the Pixel 4.
For the ads, Google provided scripts for the presenters to read on air, which typically started like this, as per the complaint:
The only thing I like more than taking the perfect photo? Take the perfect photo at night.
With the Google Pixel 4, both are a piece of cake.
It’s the camera on the phone that I like best, especially in low light thanks to its night mode.
I took studio shots of everything… my son’s soccer game… a meteor shower… a rare spotted owl that landed in my backyard. Either you take a picture or you don’t, right?
The Pixel 4 is more than just great photos. It’s also great for helping me get things done, thanks to the new voice-activated Google Assistant that can handle multiple tasks at once.
I can read about the latest health fads, ask for directions to the nearest goat yoga class (yes, there is one), and text Mom the location hands-free. 🇧🇷 🇧🇷 🇧🇷
For the “majority” of Pixel 4 ads, advertisers did not receive a Pixel 4 prior to the ads’ filming, according to the FTC’s press release, although iHeartMedia did pre-order the phones prior to filming in October 2019. as stated in the claim.
iHeartMedia reordered the phones after Google requested additional ads in January 2020, with Google only submitting five, or one for each market where the ads would be recorded. Nearly 29,000 of the misleading ads ran in 2019 and 2020, says the FTC.
As part of the agreement, both Google and iHeartMedia will be prohibited from misrepresenting broadcasters’ experiences. Google may not misrepresent experiences with products (including its consumer products), while iHeartMedia may not misrepresent experiences with “any consumer products or services”.
Google and iHeartRadio will also pay $9.4 million to States with which they have reached an agreement.