“Google’s new ‘Pixel’ smartphone is off to a fast marketing start with $3.2 million in television ads in two days since it announced the upcoming launch, and ad executives expect Google to spend hundreds of millions more,” Jessica Toonkel and Julia Love report for Reuters. “While Google’s brand is known around the world, and its Android operating system powers most of the world’s smartphones, including Samsung’s, it is not known as a consumer goods maker. It has made forays, such as the Chromecast streaming player, but not of this size.”
“Alphabet Inc’s Google declined to discuss how much it will spend advertising the Pixel but Google Vice President of Product Management Mario Queiroz told Reuters it was a ‘very significant marketing campaign,'” Toonkel and Love report. “He said the tech giant may buy ads during Thanksgiving football games. Such ads can cost around a million dollars, according to a media buyer, who wished to remain anonymous.”
“Wireless carrier Verizon Communications Inc., which has a U.S. exclusive on the Pixel, will make a significant investment of its own in TV, digital marketing and social media, from around the phone’s Oct 20 launch through the holiday season, said Jeff Dietel, vice president of device marketing at Verizon,” Toonkel and Love report. “Google still must work to find its creative signature in advertising, said Mike McKay, Chief Creative Officer of Eleven Inc., a San Francisco-based agency that works with Apple. The first spots for the Pixel phones bore some similarities to Apple’s ads, he said, noting the familiar stark white backdrop and shots of a slowly rotating phone.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Google attempting to mimic the style of Apple’s iPhone ads seems entirely appropriate since they are trying to mimic the iPhone itself and have been since Eric Schmidt sat on Apple’s BoD taking copious notes.
Google’s Pixel phones cost about the same as real Apple iPhones, but:
– Benchmark only about half as fast as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– Lack Optical Image Stabilization like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– XL lacks a telephoto lens like the iPhone 7 Plus
– Lack water-resistance like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– Lack a wide color gamut display like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (which is rated “perfect” by DisplayMate)
– Lack Haptic feedback like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– Lack 3D Touch like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– Lack stereo speakers like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– Is available only on Verizon in the U.S. which will not allow direct updates from Google unlike Apple’s direct updates for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
– Lack physical locations for customers to get support like the iPhone 7 and 7 PlusIn the future (while Google is still making them and haven’t axed the project like basically everything they’re ever tried) anyone you see who’s carrying a Google Pixel phone either works for Alphabet or doesn’t know jack shit about technology.
As we wrote yesterday: The general media’s coverage of Google’s latest “first phone by Google” seems slanted in favor of Google for some reason. Perhaps it’s because Google controls the vast majority of online advertising dollars?
When the media seems to be selling you a narrative that simply does not match the facts, follow the money.SEE ALSO:
Google’s slow, shaky, underpowered, overpriced Pixel XL cannot compete with Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus – October 6, 2016
Think Apple’s iPhone is expensive? Take a look at the price tags on Google’s slow Pixel and Pixel XL phones – October 5, 2016
Benchmarks prove Apple’s iPhone 7 easily outperforms new Google’s anemic Pixel – October 5, 2016
Beleaguered HTC assembles Google-branded Pixel phones – October 4, 2016
Google announces Google-branded iPhone knockoffs, again – October 4, 2016
Edward Snowden: No matter what, do not use Google’s new Allo messenger app – September 23, 2016
Edward Snowden’s privacy tips: ‘Get rid of Dropbox,” avoid Facebook and Google – October 13, 2014
—
DisplayMate: Apple’s iPhone 7 display is visually indistinguishable from perfect, the best performing mobile LCD display we’ve ever tested – October 7, 2016
Computerworld reviews Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus: There’s never been a better time to switch to iPhone – October 7, 2016
PC Magazine reviews Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus: Editors’ Choice – September 20, 2016
Tom’s Guide reviews Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Great upgrades, but one is greater – September 20, 2016
More evidence Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus is more than a modest refresh – September 20, 2016
Professional photographer Benjamin Lowy puts Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus cutting-edge camera to the test – September 20, 2016
Apple’s A10 Fusion chip miracle – September 20, 2016
The iPhone’s new A10 Fusion chip should worry Intel – September 16, 2016
Apple’s remarkable new A10, S2, W1 chips alter the semiconductor landscape – September 15, 2016
Wired reviews Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus: ‘Fantastic’ – September 14, 2016
Sprint, T-Mobile: iPhone 7/Plus pre-orders up 4X over last year; Apple shares surge – September 13, 2016
USA Today’s Baig reviews Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus: ‘A strong handset for sure’ – September 13, 2016
WSJ reviews Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus: ‘Get over the headphone thing and upgrade’ – September 13, 2016
Mossberg reviews Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus: It’s a great phone, but where’s my headphone jack? – September 13, 2016
The Verge reviews Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus: ‘The future in disguise’ – September 13, 2016
I think you summed up why they don’t deserve to win quite nicely there, MDN.
This Pixel phone looks like someone put the iPhone 7 through a geek grinder. What a cheap knockoff piece of ass. Google is for geek losers and copycats.
Well that ad agency USED to work with Apple – They should be ashamed for copying previous work – Google should have used a different agency.. Sad that everything is plagiarized these days
So…..keep rolling that horse-turd in kitty litter and making everyone think the Screwgle phone is an Almond Rocca…..
Got it……………….so a road apple is still a road apple……
Lame+
MDN forgot the most important bullet point about Google’s new Pixel phone:
– It lacks IOS.
Yep. That’s the biggest thing reviewers forget to mention, the inherent liability that is Android. You can make the nicest shiniest case but if it still runs Android then it’s an automatic fail.
This things is going to bomb.
They probably know that’s the case, and want to set the ground work for future models, but there is no way this thing is going to sell but to the most hardcore Google fanboys.(..that can afford them)
Will they try to mold the minds of the sorry saps by burning $15 billion a year in “marketing” like Samesongbombs?
So all this time the tech world was going on about Apple not changing the iPhone 6 design was so that Google can copy it and say it’s their design. So much for believing all the shit the media throws at us. They are in Bed with Google and should never ever be trusted. Just like the world told us we need AMOLED and then you go and read displaymates review on the iPhone 7 display and that it is perefect and who told us we need AMOLED? Seriously let’s stop believing any shit we hear from YouTube reviewers who are young boys who know nothing about tech and the media that seems to worship the ground Google/Samsung walks on. I am sure Samsung is paying the world to believe AMOLED Display so they can get the contract on AMOLED orders and we keep. Elite I got the shit we are being sold by SAMSUNG AND GOOGLE. I SAY NO MORE. Apple you do your thing and let no amount of pressure influence your road map. Go Apple. Where is Apple answer to google search and YouTube. Not everybody uses Siri and I am truly tired of getting googles answer to anything I type in and I tried yahoo and the other search engines. We are getting a bias view of Apple aslong as people keep using google search and YouTube.
Maybe Google would have success if they called it “iPxel”.
… This ad-blast routine for a crap product is sooo familiar. Therefore, my familiar response:
Spend Google! Spend SPEND SPEND!
Break the bank. Please.
Geee, where did I see this before?
“Advertising, advertising, advertising.. fixing windows vista problems, advertising, advertising..”
this is Alphabet’s Zune.
Different company, same concept.
Still they will sell boatoads Lets see if they burn ip like samsungs. This could get interesting
I thought being on just one carrier was a bad thing. Remember whe Apple did it and everyone said how stupid it was.