Don’t we all yearn for someone we can boss around that’ll actually listen to what we have to say? I mean that’s why we have younger siblings— but voice assistants too.
Don’t we all yearn for someone we can boss around that’ll actually listen to what we have to say? I mean that’s why we have younger siblings— but voice assistants too.
Since the influx of 25M voice assistants in 2017, voice search tools haven’t wasted any time taking both consumers and market strategies by storm.
That said, we sat down with Awlogy’s Senior Campaign Manager and Strategist James Williams to gain insight on how he believes voice search will be of value to advertisers looking to embrace this mass adoption and optimize their media strategy—
How do you feel voice assistants will change the face of advertising?
“Due to this channel being in its infancy there isn’t much material available for us to be highly educated in the speculation real; however, what we do know is that advertising continues to get more personal to the user (i.e. audience targeting and dynamic creative). That said, I think voice data will take ad personalization to the next level. People have always been honest with their fingers, but they’re more honest with their voice.”
Once voice assistants run ads, what do you think is the most pressing thing you’ll want tracked? (Impressions, reach, frequency etc.)
“Our top priority to track will be users reached as a result of voice activation data. For example, performance (i.e. ad engagements, conversions, awareness) of voice activated ads vs. non-voice activated ads will help us gain insight on who is and isn’t getting our message, as well as its effectiveness.”
What do you think is the best way to optimize your ads for voice search?
“In order to better optimize our ads we’ll first need an understanding of the unique ways in which voice search is used. Once we figure this out, we’ll use the information to find ways to mold dynamic creative on the fly so that it can provide users with exactly what they want, when they want it. Optimizing based on voice data will help us marketers provide more personalized and relevant ads to users.”
What do you believe is the primary way people are interacting with voice search / what are they using it for?
“Efficiency. I think most of the products and services we see coming out are for the purpose of making things faster. The objective of these artificially intelligent products is to give people their time back. If you can save someone time, you provide a lot of value. People are using voice search to do a lot of routine tasks such as looking for products, recipes, asking random questions, turning on music, making orders, etc.”
Which part of the industry do you believe voice search will have the largest impact on?
“The obvious answer: search ads. In my opinion that’s what users are actively using voice tools for—and marketers have always been one to follow user behavior.”
How valuable do you think voice ad spots will be?
“Very valuable. Anytime you can be an early adopter in a new medium it tends to pan out very well. Especially for branding campaigns, users tend to have higher ad recall when they are exposed in an uncluttered and untapped medium. When your ad’s surface in an environment that’s new and unexpected—people will pay attention.”
Which advancements do you believe voice search will see in the future?
“As far as the future goes, one large advancement to be seen will be voice data aggregation and segmentation. Also, Natural Language Processing must also become more advanced. In order for these types of voice search tools to be successful, computers will need to understand how people communicate (i.e. tone and context) in order to give them intelligent information and relevant ads.”
Will voice tools be a viable option for your company?
“Yes—with the right advertiser that likes to test new innovative solutions, they will be a great option.”
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Essentially, the days of typing and texting may soon be behind us, because let’s face it—consumers rarely turn down any opportunity to make their lives easier.
That’s said, don’t let the next generation of efficiency catch your tactics off guard; because for now, voice search tools are here to evolve and show us who’s boss.
