Google has introduced a new iOS video app, Cameos, that allows celebrities and star athletes to respond to common questions and have those answers listed among search results.
The new app, first reported by TechCrunch, features Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant and supermodel Karlie Kloss as examples. This follows in the same spirit as the “Posts on Google” platform that has allowed teams and leagues to ensure their content is among the initial results with scores, standings, and other pertinent information.
While there is no shortage of ways fans can connect directly with their favorite player over social media, this app gives stars a chance to memorialize the replies to frequent queries about their backgrounds, interests, and experience.
The App Store description explains, “Cameos on Google lets you be the authority on you. Record video answers to the most asked questions on Google and then post them right to Google. Now, when people search for you, they’ll get answers directly from you.” (Cameos is currently not available on Google Play.)
SportTechie Takeaway
Cameos is another platform for athletes and other entertainers to set the record straight about themselves. Had this existed a few years ago, former baseball slugger Prince Fielder would have been a great use case. In 2008, Fielder announced that he was going vegetarian, but he didn’t stick with that diet for long. However, stories persist to this day that identify him as such. At his introductory press conference with the Detroit Tigers in 2012, Fielder tried to set the record straight: “I’m not a vegetarian,” he said. “I was, for like three months.” Cameos would be a way for him to hopefully debunk the misconception permanently.