Whoa, so you ever hear about a company just tripping all over themselves trying to look cool? Yeah, so here’s the deal with Pimax, a VR headset company that somehow thought secret influencer rewards for gushy social media posts was a smart move. Like, really?
Okay, picture this: a Reddit user called ‘Mavgaming1’ spills the beans about Pimax whispering sweet (and kinda shady) nothings on Discord. They wanted folks to join some new Community Engagement Program—basically a sneaky way to shower love on their products for some shiny rewards. We’re talking real-life treasure: $5 Steam gift cards, big discounts, even a chance to jet off to Shanghai. Wow, right? Just write a positive forum post, get it approved, post it, and score points. Easy peasy.
But yeah, it backfired. Like, spectacularly. Pimax had to admit it all when the secret was out: “Yeah, that program? It was a thing, but oops!” After a hot minute, they had to shut it down. Oh, and they swore they’ve never paid for positive press before. Take it as you will.
Apparently, nine folks got poked about the plan, but only three got the full rundown. And then here comes Jaap Grolleman, their Communications dude, trying to clean up the mess: “Those messages? Totally skipped our normal process, just some rogue co-worker thing.” Sure, Jan.
Plus, the legal mess they nearly walked into! According to the FTC and laws worldwide, paying people for praise without saying so is a big no-no. Like, cue the legal jargon, but bottom line: if you pretend fans love you without telling anyone you paid them, you’re in deep doo-doo.
So where does this leave Pimax? Hopefully back at the drawing board. Maybe next time they’ll think twice before trying to puppet the internet. Or maybe just hire a lawyer first? Just a thought.
