Google is delivering thousands of its newest phones today in what can literally be described as a cheesy collaboration with Domino’s Pizza.
To showcase the Pixel 4's hands-free functions, Google decided people should test out the new phones while their hands are occupied holding pizza. So Google is sending the Pixel 4 to select people across the U.S. packaged in special pizza boxes that have the device nestled above an actual Domino’s pizza.
The plan has a very YouTube-driven idea behind it. Videos in which people record themselves opening new gadgets and toys, known as unboxing videos, are popular, as Google knows (it owns YouTube). Google decided to put its own twist on unboxing, a concept already baked into the minds of YouTube creators and their viewers.
The deliveries are being sent to more than 50 influencers and YouTube creators who are already fans of Google and Pixel devices in the hopes that many of them will post about the product on YouTube. On the inside of the box are suggestions such as telling the Google Assistant to play the Genesis song “Invisible Touch” and then swiping above the device to skip to the next track, says Adrienne Hayes, VP of marketing for Google hardware.
Along with the influencer set, Google is sending the packages to people who can actually influence purchases at the retail level. About 5,000 phone salespeople are getting the special deliveries, as Google wants them to try out the phones and, hopefully, recommend them to customers.