Google Slapped With Multi-Million Dollar Fine Over Misleading Pixel 4 Ads

Before Google decided to reinvent the wheel with the Pixel 6 series, we had the not-so-successful Pixel 5 and Pixel 4. Although they had excellent software and hardware, something about them just felt missing. Perhaps that is why Google has just agreed to pay a hefty $8 million to settle a lawsuit.
Google hired DJs and told them to read scripted marketing material, passing it off as their testimonials related to the Pixel 4
For those wondering, the lawsuit claims that Google went ahead and used misleading and deceptive radio ads that aided the marketing of Pixel 4. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the announcement on Friday last week.
So what did Google do to market Pixel 4? The company hired radio DJs, and they were told to record and broadcast testimonials about how their overall experience with Google's latest flagship went by. However, there was not much truth to the fact because the lawsuit mentioned how the DJs never got the chance to use the device and were reading the scripted marketing material provided to them by the search engine giant.
This is not the first time Google has settled something like that. Google paid $9 million for participating in over 29,000 misleading ads featuring several radio personalities who promoted the Pixel 4. So, this definitely is something that has happened before.
Ken Paxton's office released a press release saying the following,
“If Google is going to advertise in Texas, their statements better be true. In this case, the company made statements that were blatantly false, and our settlement holds Google accountable for lying to Texans for financial gain. Google enjoys significant influence over individual consumers and the marketplace broadly. It is imperative that large companies do not expect or enjoy special treatment under the law."
Meanwhile, Google has decided not to contest this fine and will be resolving this issue, based on a statement by a spokesperson to Reuters. This is definitely not something that surprises us; as mentioned before, although the Pixel 4 was a great device on paper, it failed to make a dent in the market. Of course, it was chewed up by the likes of Apple and Samsung and that time.
Pixel phones have become a lot better ever since, but Google still believes in aggressively marketing their devices and even purposely announcing them before their official announcement. The recently released Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a started making an appearance on official accounts way before their actual launch, and we saw similar marketing tactics with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 series, as well. As for whether or not these phones have managed to make a dent remains a different story altogether. We can only hope that Google stops such a practice altogether and focuses on bringing a device that people truly want to purchase.
Written by Furqan Shahid