Google's Atypical Marketing Campaign and Why it Works

If you want to generate a discussion about something, there’s a key word that you could use that could almost guarantee someone will check it out.

Leaks.

Leaked information is literally the definition of click bait. “What’s that? Something I’m not supposed to know about?” Click. It appeals to a person’s base interest to learn more and find out about things that they don’t know. Or, more importantly, things they aren’t allowed to know. Nearly 30% of the traffic that visits the site WikiLeaks worldwide belongs to the United States; the only other country that is remotely close is India, coming in at roughly 15% (Alexa.com). Clearly, Americans like their leaked information.

Which is what makes Google’s latest marketing move so brilliant. On September 10th 2019, Apple officially announced it’s newest iPhone, the iPhone 11. Within 24 hours of that press conference, photos and video of hands on time with Google’s latest mobile flagship, the Pixel 4, began surfacing on the internet. Then, within another 24 hours, even more information began to leak about the Pixel 4. And then even more. Everything from specs, to design, to battery life, and of course the camera. By September 17th, nearly every major aspect of the Pixel 4 was revealed, save the price of the phone itself.

From a typical business standpoint, this is a nightmare. Almost all major tech manufacturers and designers keep their new flagships (and their specs) a secret until their official announcement. Only then do details typically begin to surface, in an attempt to generate as much hype and anticipation for the phone as physically possible. Looking at this particular instance, Google should be sweating bullets.

However, I think this is exactly what Google intended. Do a quick YouTube search on your phone regarding the iPhone 11. You’ll find tons of videos of various TechTubers (YouTubers who report on the latest tech) giving their two cents about the phone, how they think it will fair in the consumer market, and ultimately whether or not they like what Apple has done for their latest flagship. Now, do the same thing, but for the Pixel 4. Notice anything? I’ll break it down as best as I can here.

First and foremost, almost every video title that you find has the word “leak” written in big, bold letters. The thumbnail is almost always a picture of the device itself, or a picture of someone holding it. The video itself is full of energy and speculation. Excitement about the 90hz display, or the multi-lens camera on the back. Speculations about battery life and productivity. The videos are not without complaints, some noticing the rather large top bezel of the device (put their to house the face-unlock features of the phone). However, those are typically footnotes of the video, and even videos where the bezels were a point of criticism were full of energy and excitement. I note this several times because that level of excitement is visibly absent from videos concerning the iPhone 11.

But why? Both phones boast similar specs and features. Both phones are geared in the $800-$1,000 price range. Both phones are set to release in the fourth quarter of 2019 (the Pixel 4 does not yet have a release date, but many suspect by the end of October at the latest). So why is the Pixel 4 receiving significantly more hype than the iPhone? Go back and read the opening paragraph of this post. Leaks.

Apple did their standard September press conference to release their phone. And while that’s all well and good, we all know what to expect. Some dude is going to get up on a stage and tell us about how wonderful the new iPhone is going to be (remember, this is someone who works for Apple). Google could have done the exact same thing and nobody would have batted an eye. But they didn’t. Instead, they let other people, third party content creators, do their work for them. By leaking information and specifications about the Pixel 4, Google generated hype and free publicity for their device, while also effectively showcasing the capabilities of the phone; all without an official press conference. They also managed to steal the hype train away from Apple by timing these leaks to coincide with the iPhone 11 reveal, making the conversation about their device and not Apple’s.

Is it possible that these leaks were entirely unintentional? Perhaps, but it really doesn’t make sense for them to be. Google has much more to gain by allowing these leaks to happen then they have to lose. And the proof is on YouTube. With these exceptionally clever marketing techniques, the Pixel 4 just might steal the smartphone spotlight from Apple this Fall.