Well, I dug into this deeper and thought you might be interested in my findings:
1) This rollout is
uber small. There were 4 companies with GG that we found across close to 12,000 listings. We searched bigger service area industries such as plumbers, moving companies, locksmiths, HVAC, electricians, roofers, appliance repair, etc. And we looked in bigger areas such as New York, LA, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philly, etc. So, with four companies out of 12,000 listings, that's .0003% of companies with a GG in the map pack. It's definitely a small program which is what I was told repeatedly by different sources.
@TomW assertion about it being smaller companies has held up for me. I called all 4 companies and spoke with 2 people. Both were owner operated in all departments. They're doing their own marketing for instance as well as other stuff probably. When they answered, they were actually in the field on calls. So, yes, I think Google targeted smaller companies, at least in some instances.
One of the ones I talked to told me someone called him, asked him if he wanted to be in the program and then from there I believe it was all done over email. He was aware of the difference between the GG results and GG in the map pack. He knew he was paying $50 for the right to be in map pack with GG. He said the person he spoke with did have a slight accent but spoke well enough that he thought they were US based, which makes sense. He also said he tried to get it for his other locations/listings but the Google rep said no. He also asked for a way to call and get in touch and the Google rep said something to the effect of, "No, you don't call us, we call you." That seems a little intense but that's what he said. He said he would email me any help he could give. He ended up emailing me the number but said when you call, it's like a typical Google number, it goes nowhere.
The second person I talked to was a similar story. He's a smaller shop. But this time it was all done over email and he didn't understand there was a difference between GG results and GG map pack. He said he would email me the correspondence. I'll let you know what I find out.
Also, I was surprised to see that it looks like Google targeted smaller companies with a smaller reputation. The two I spoke with had around 200 - 300 less reviews than the people at the top in their industry/location. In fact, the most either had was 25 reviews. Looking back, I think it makes sense that Google wants to prove their product on smaller businesses because if it works for them, it will work for anyone. Maybe that's their reasoning. I don't know.
Anyways, I'd like some help:
1) Would anyone be willing to share some GG map pack results they've seen? I'd like to find more companies and draw more conclusions.
2) Does anyone have insights into a way for me to find more GG map pack results on my own? For example, any particular industries or cities that are heavy with them?
3) Any other insights you have would be great.
) but first I've ever heard anything about a GMB subscription. Has anyone been involved in survey, Google's experiment, or is this live for anyone? Really innnnteresting.....
no way to get in touch with support and ask them to make it available?
