Opportunities for brands to engage target groups
Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:25 am
RTL audio formats
“We are at the very beginning,” says Marc Schreuder , deputy editor-in-chief at RTL Nieuws, which has developed audio formats for smart speakers. Initially, it concerns news, sports and Boulevard bulletins and a service from Buienradar. “A lot of research still needs to be done on things like emotion, how to address people, the tone of voice, and the presentation of formats. It is very much in development. And perhaps we think too traditionally in what we offer consumers.”
News is often one of the first things new devices are used for . So it’s no surprise that the Washington Post, New York Times and Al Jazeera already have people on staff specifically for smart speaker formats. What’s interesting is the difference with podcasts: the formats are shorter and have a daily frequency. In the Netherlands, you can listen to the news from 538 Nieuws, ANP, Blendle, BNR Nieuwsradio, NOS, NU.nl, RTL Nieuws, Omroep Brabant and Omroep Gelderland.
Not news related, but a nice example from our own country: KRO-NCRV developed a voice assistant cooking aid , related to the TV program BinnensteBuiten. Precisely for such a moment when a screen is not so handy: when you are halfway through cooking with your hands in the dough and want to look up the next step of the recipe.
Voice search with Google Home
Also read: Google Assistant: speak Dutch to me
Your friend the voice assistant
Consumers have a completely different bond (pdf) with a voice assistant than with another device. The voice assistant is treated like a person, sometimes even like a good friend or family member. They don't have a name for nothing. Talking to a device can create a strong personal bond. You actively ask questions, instead of just receiving information from the sender.
Interestingly, the age of the target group is somewhat higher than you would expect from new technologies. In the US, smart speakers are most used by 30-44 year olds, followed by the 18-29 age group. Add to this the possibilities of machine learning, and you understand the enormous
Commerce
However, there is still some doubt about whether voice is far enough along to conquer the marketing world. At the moment, the functionalities for the smart speaker are mainly 'doing the laos telegram data same things as always' with another device. Although it is of course true that at times it is simply more convenient to control your device with your voice than via a screen.
In the US, Amazon is the market leader (closely followed by Google – Apple is somewhere at the bottom), and a connection to the retailer via Amazon Echo really adds something new. In the Netherlands, the company does not have the same position in the market. Google may have the better cards here, especially since you can also use the Google Assistant on your tablet or mobile. Albert Heijn and Jumbo developed a function that allows you to add groceries to your list and order them. You can also talk to bol.com to search for gifts.
And yet: what about luxury products where you want to at least see pictures from different angles, but even more so try them on, feel them, smell them? Are consumers ready to entrust such choices to their new home friend? If so, this is going to radically change the customer journey, something you as a brand owner need to address (and preferably not if you’re already ther.
“We are at the very beginning,” says Marc Schreuder , deputy editor-in-chief at RTL Nieuws, which has developed audio formats for smart speakers. Initially, it concerns news, sports and Boulevard bulletins and a service from Buienradar. “A lot of research still needs to be done on things like emotion, how to address people, the tone of voice, and the presentation of formats. It is very much in development. And perhaps we think too traditionally in what we offer consumers.”
News is often one of the first things new devices are used for . So it’s no surprise that the Washington Post, New York Times and Al Jazeera already have people on staff specifically for smart speaker formats. What’s interesting is the difference with podcasts: the formats are shorter and have a daily frequency. In the Netherlands, you can listen to the news from 538 Nieuws, ANP, Blendle, BNR Nieuwsradio, NOS, NU.nl, RTL Nieuws, Omroep Brabant and Omroep Gelderland.
Not news related, but a nice example from our own country: KRO-NCRV developed a voice assistant cooking aid , related to the TV program BinnensteBuiten. Precisely for such a moment when a screen is not so handy: when you are halfway through cooking with your hands in the dough and want to look up the next step of the recipe.
Voice search with Google Home
Also read: Google Assistant: speak Dutch to me
Your friend the voice assistant
Consumers have a completely different bond (pdf) with a voice assistant than with another device. The voice assistant is treated like a person, sometimes even like a good friend or family member. They don't have a name for nothing. Talking to a device can create a strong personal bond. You actively ask questions, instead of just receiving information from the sender.
Interestingly, the age of the target group is somewhat higher than you would expect from new technologies. In the US, smart speakers are most used by 30-44 year olds, followed by the 18-29 age group. Add to this the possibilities of machine learning, and you understand the enormous
Commerce
However, there is still some doubt about whether voice is far enough along to conquer the marketing world. At the moment, the functionalities for the smart speaker are mainly 'doing the laos telegram data same things as always' with another device. Although it is of course true that at times it is simply more convenient to control your device with your voice than via a screen.
In the US, Amazon is the market leader (closely followed by Google – Apple is somewhere at the bottom), and a connection to the retailer via Amazon Echo really adds something new. In the Netherlands, the company does not have the same position in the market. Google may have the better cards here, especially since you can also use the Google Assistant on your tablet or mobile. Albert Heijn and Jumbo developed a function that allows you to add groceries to your list and order them. You can also talk to bol.com to search for gifts.
And yet: what about luxury products where you want to at least see pictures from different angles, but even more so try them on, feel them, smell them? Are consumers ready to entrust such choices to their new home friend? If so, this is going to radically change the customer journey, something you as a brand owner need to address (and preferably not if you’re already ther.