Understanding the Opportunities Voice Presents for Brands

This deepdive was comprised of a fourmonth long study of 70 highly engaged voice assistant users in the US and UK with the goal of understanding attitudes and personal experiencesamp160 It further combined biometric tests on 152 participants to quantify the brand impact and body response of voice versus visual experiences and used Quid39s Natural Language Processing NLP algorithmic analysis of 20000 reviews of smart speakers to identify usage and attitudinal themesamp160 Here is a sneak peek at six key things to know about the voice user experienceBrands Promising Opportunity with Some Hurdles1amp160 New Entrant Packs a Memory PunchOnly two years in and smart speakers already boost unaided brand recall by 2X compared with TV advertising and areamp160on par with the wellestablished medium of native mobileamp160 The handsfree benefit of smart speakers increases the value of contextual information about brands by stimulating a realtime connection that heightens relevance and memory amp160eg problemsolving stains while doing the laundryamp160 Voice interactions also excel in the actual enjoyment and utility of the brand experience vs TV and native mobileamp160 But a key thing brands need to watch out for is that most users have extremely low awareness of any brand skills or services on their smart speakerImplicationamp160 Dial up context to stimulate inthemoment category connectionsamp160 Set utility and enjoyment goals for content creationamp160 Build discovery strategies to raise awareness2amp160 Robots Aren39t Good Storytellers YetStorytelling experiences on smart speakers are some of the most surprising and anticipated functionality of these devicesamp160 But due to the current robotic nature of many smart speaker voices and their lack of authentic emotional range compellingsounding storytelling is very hard to achieve Attention and interest wanes quickly with the absence of human narrative cues and becomes a distraction users get caught up in mechanics like tone of voice lack of emotion andamp160lack of authentic engagementImplicationamp160 Overinvest in tone of voice and emotional range to increase humanlike interaction and boost usage and positive reviews of brand voice experiencesHomeamp160 Parents Leading the Way3amp160 A Parent39s Secret WeaponSmart speakers are the swissarmy knife of assistants for parents providing ondemand parenting solutions backupamp160and quotwinsquot with less effort hands freeamp160 They are extending a parent39s potential and reach by streamlining the problemsolving process enabling them to be more responsive and effective in answering the complex demands of children entertainment QampampA household management and homeworkamp160 But the presence of AIrobots in the home is also presenting new challenges for parents to navigate with kids from manners to independence to appropriate contentImplicationamp160 Parents should be a priority audience for voice as needs and product benefits perfectly alignamp160 Develop content that spans the range of parenting experiences4amp160 Family Bonds in the MakingSmart speakers are creating a new family glue through shared sense of ownership and as a home hub at the center of family life and momentsamp160 This common ground is creating new shared moments traditionsamp160and conversations that are more revealing and relatable eg impromptu dance parties playing Jeopardy at dinneramp160and voiceenhanced homework interactionsamp160 Smart speakers are fostering a greater appreciation for a present state of mind where users still have the benefit of digital interaction without the downside of the screenImplicationamp160 Capitalize on the growing desire for less reliance on screens and facilitate shared moments via the smart speakerCaramp160 Smart Speakers Setting Expectations for a Smarter Car 5amp160 DriveTime UnlockedVoice is unlocking a new freedom to multitask inside the car turning what has previously been downtime into productive uptimeamp160 Increasingly stringent laws and a growing awareness of car safety haveamp160accelerated people39s interest in improved voice functionalityamp160 In fact touching any device while in the car has become the new social stigma akin to drinking and drivingamp160 But mistakes in voice recognition while driving carry a high irritation factor as there is less room for glitches in the car where accurate information delivery is more pressingImplicationamp160 Especially in the car reducing complication is paramount keeping it simple and making sure your voice experience works withoutamp160touching a screen6amp160 Reinventing the Road TripWe challenged users to hack their Alexa dots into their carsamp160 This prompted drivers to reinvent their entertainment experience on the roadamp160 Users were spontaneously researching points of interest along the way playing trivia exploring new music options and listening to inspirational speakers together particularly on longer trips and commutesamp160 Because it39s become common practice for people to individually entertain themselves on mobile phonestablets in the car these experiences were a welcome change and a way to break out of the isolating communication normImplicationamp160 Partner with carmakers tech innovations and entertainment brands to explore how to make road trips fun for the whole carClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Understanding the Opportunities Voice Presents for Brands

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Kate Sirkin

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Understanding the Opportunities Voice Presents for Brands

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