Google Automates SMB Emails to Congress to Plead Antitrust Case
Feeling nervous, Google is intensifying its anti-antitrust campaign, lobbying SMBs to "take action" and automating their emails.
Everyone loves small businesses. Even Google. Particularly when they can be called upon to do Google's dirty work. Now that there is a whiff of regulation in the air, Google is pulling out the stops to get small business emails in front of Congress with an automated "Take Action" campaign.
I received an email this morning titled: Take action: Congress advances tech breakup bills that could affect your business. The email uses Google's tried and (really?) true "you small businessperson will suffer if we are regulated" approach:
The email takes the business to a form to easily contact senators and representatives. It's already filled in; no thinking required and not much allowed.
Make your voice heard, with the ease of Google automated technology*.
Since we first reported how Google was using its small business tools to push a deceptive anti-antitrust message to SMBs, they have sent out numerous emails to customers and been running "educational" webinars with much the same message via "small business advocacy" groups like the Connected Commerce Council, which they fund.
To me, this new push to get emails sent directly to Congressional members by their constituent small businesses indicates Google's growing concern that its message is not being heard in the hallways of Congress.
* I took the opportunity to dramatically change the headline and add to the body copy what I thought of this effort to "impress" Congress. Try it, it felt good. :)