Pimax Apologizes for Secret Social Media Program Amid Astroturfing Concerns

Sure, let’s dive into this whole Pimax situation. So, brand ambassador gigs and referral craziness are just about everywhere these days, right? Everyone and their dog is trying to crank up sales using influencers. But, well, Pimax kind of slipped up big time. Last week, they came clean about something that, honestly, is both wild and kind of predictable if I’m being real.

This all started when a Reddit user, ‘Mavgaming1’ — no idea why that name, but it’s catchy — decided to spill the beans. They snagged some juicy chat from Pimax’s official Discord. Here’s the gist: Pimax was low-key setting up this scheme where folks could earn points for writing nice things about them online. Talk about stealth marketing, huh?

Pimax didn’t waste time confirming it to Road to VR. They were like, “Yep, it was real!” Apparently, before things went sideways, the plan was to dangle all sorts of rewards. So, like, from a humble $5 Steam gift card to heavy discounts on Pimax stuff. And get this, the big kahuna was a $1,000 trip to Shanghai. Seriously, I could use a vacation.

What was the catch? Oh, just crafting some positive posts about Pimax on Reddit — or wherever. Write, submit, post, collect points. Simple, right? Here’s a peek at what they told Mavgaming1 over on Discord.

The topics were, shall we say, a bit obvious? “Your First VR Experience with Pimax” or tips for getting the most out of their headsets. Basically, anything that paints them in a rose-tinted glow.

But it didn’t just stop at posting. Nope, they wanted folks to sprinkle kind words on official Pimax social posts too. It was pretty much a playbook for astroturfing — creating that faux grassroots buzz for their products like Crystal Super or the sleek Dream Air.

When the light got a bit too bright, Pimax put out a statement. They say it was all just a rogue venture by some overeager employees. They swiftly canned the whole thing. Oddly, they insist they’ve never paid for positive coverage before. Hmm, color me skeptical.

In reality, Pimax reached out to nine people on Discord — three got the full sales pitch. Jaap Grolleman, the Comm’s Head (kinda the company’s voice by now), told Road to VR this wasn’t some sanctioned strategy. Just a few folks going solo over Discord. Not exactly by-the-book.

Grolleman stressed they’ve never ordered anyone to tow a glowing line about their gear. Bit of a glitch, he admitted, but nothing came of it review-wise.

Yet, this isn’t just a marketing oopsie. Those few users who got approached? Yeah, it could’ve been a legal nightmare. According to the Federal Trade Commission Act, misleading commercial practices are illegal. Like, paying for positive press without flagging up that folks got paid? Not just unethical, potentially illegal. Big yikes.

Across the pond, similar rules are everywhere. The UK and EU have laws against this astroturfing stuff too. They want real consumer opinions, not some cooked-up PR fluff.

That’s the chaos so far. Let’s just say, marketing’s not supposed to be this sneaky.