The Google Pixel and Information Cascade
http://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel-review-1518.php
http://www.trustedreviews.com/google-pixel-review
The new Google Pixel is out and reviewers are raving. Highly respected tech bloggers and phone reviewers saying it’s the best Android phone ever. Google is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into advertising this product. They are dead set on fighting to gain ground in this market place and we aren’t sure if it’s going to work. It seems clear that Google is trying to build a name for themselves within the cell phone market.
But what does making a name for yourself mean? Why will people buy an iPhone before they buy a new Pixel even if the reviews for the Pixel are overwhelming positive and some are even saying that it’s better than the iPhone. It’s because when people go to buy a new phone, they often fall prey to information cascade, where people base their choices more on what other people have chosen and discount the facts that there are a number of phones better than the iPhone such as the Google Pixel.
Google is trying to fight this by advertising the heck out of their product and creating a product that reviewers are excited about. They’re advertising anywhere they can and trying to get their name out there as much as possible to fight the tendencies of people to go towards what is familiar and break the information cascade and let people look at the Pixel as a perfectly valid alternative to the iPhone.