AI-powered voice assistants, which are now ubiquitous in every smart phone, TV, and in-home speaker, have blurred the line between man and machine in a way we used to see only in sci-fi movies. What does this mean for all the businesses, devices, and brands we interact with everyday—and more important— what are the sales and marketing implications of this brave new world?

1. The Google
Duplex Future
by David Card, CEO at C42D

2. Hey
Siri
Alexa
Google...
It seems like I’m asking to help me out
more and more recently.
I wonder what that means for all the
businesses, devices, and brands I
interact with everyday?
“
”

3. Ok, Google, not only do I ask you to help me
around the house, do some shopping, and
read me the news, but I noticed you’re also
getting better at helping me find restaurants
to eat at, things to do around town, and
places to do business with.
You’re getting smarter—it’s almost like you’re
one of us now. We’ve become fast friends.

4. We’ve always used computers to execute
tasks. Those interactions have been two-way—
a computer helped us get something done
by us giving it a series of commands until we
achieved the result—but the communication
used to be non-verbal.
But now, our interactions with computers have
become truly conversational.

5. More and more, people are
legitimately speaking to their
digital devices, and our devices
are intelligently listening and
responding to us. AI-powered voice
assistants, which are now ubiquitous
in every smart phone, TV, and in-
home speaker, have blurred the line
between man and machine in a way
we used to see only in sci-fi movies.
Folks are using voice assistants
to complete home chores, give
them news and information, and,
increasingly, to perform searches.

6. In many ways,
“Ask Alexa”
has replaced
“Google it”

7. While voice assistants have marked a change
in our relationship with computers from
interaction to conversation, Google Duplex
promises a tectonic shift.

8. Revealed at the recent Google I/O conference
to rapturous praise, Google’s new AI tool
promises a leap from entertaining spectacle
to practical, everyday use.
Duplex mimics human speech better than any other AI-
powered voice assistant, complete with lifelike verbal
crutches and fillers like “um” and “uh.”

9. The consumer benefit
to Google Duplex is clear:
It’s going to be a true personal assistant,
able to handle communications around making
appointments, reservations, and certain purchases.
The implications on the brand side are fascinating.

10. 58%
of consumers have
used voice search
for information on
a local business.
One could be forgiven
for thinking that big
businesses are the
ones who need to be
prepared for a Duplex-
driven future. But we
already know that, in
the last year,
That’s perhaps why
the I/O demo featured
a Duplex-powered AI
assistant making a hair
salon appointment and
a restaurant reservation
over the phone.

11. According to Google,
voice searches are
30x more
more likely than typed searches
to be “action queries”.

12. That is, instead of a more open-ended search like
“Italian restaurants near me”,
a voice search is likelier to be akin to
“make a reservation at an Italian Restaurant near me”.

13. That means that when consumers are utilizing
voice search, they’re already a bit further
along the customer journey to making
an actual purchase.

14. Marketing is all about driving sales, purchases,
and conversions. Even though Duplex may
bring consumers closer to conversion, it won’t
necessarily make marketing any easier.

15. When people are conducting action queries, they’re
to be browsing at various options,
rendering paid search campaigns less effective.
less likely

16. Even more concerning is the fact that voice
search almost completely eliminates browsing
altogether. Although new voice assistants with
screens like Amazon’s Echo Show and Google
Home Hub may close this gap.

17. While there are exceptions, there isn’t much
opportunity for a marketer to vault to the top
of a voice search result.
Even a generalized, open-ended voice search only has
one first result, and the battle to get that result will be
fierce. A future dominated by screenless interactions
is one that marketers–and in particular, small, local
businesses, need to be prepared for.

18. But it’s not only consumers who will be
utilizing Google Duplex in order to make
certain tasksmore efficient.

19. Any business that relies on cold calling will
doubtlessly find Duplex a valuable tool, able
to complete more calls at a fraction of the cost,
particularly when the technology becomes
smart enough to require little human oversight.
Duplex will also help companies who do research and
conduct outbound inquiries, efficiently amassing great
amounts of data or leads.

20. Many businesses will find uses for high-powered AI.
It’s plausible to envision a future where the entire
customer service sector is handled by by computers
employing Duplex-like technology
This could result in more seamless interactions between
consumer and business, where sticky things like human
emotions are eliminated.

21. The voice-search boom has changed
the way brands approach consumer
marketing, especially:
• Optimizing for voice search algorithms
• Being more culturally visible, and thus part
of more conversations between consumers
• Connecting the brand directly to benefits,
so it becomes top of mind at the moment of
purchase (let’s uber to the ball game)

22. A screenless future means that aspects
like vocabulary, tone, and syntax are going
to be baked into every company’s branding
fabric, right alongside the logo, colors,
and overall purpose.
A brand’s voice must stand out, speak its
consumers’ language, and fit seamlessly
within the brand framework.

23. There’s much to be excited about
when it comes to Google Duplex and
advanced AI. It presents businesses
and consumers the chance to
streamline vital, and some mundane,
daily tasks.
It’s also just plain, well, cool. Anyone
who watches Duplex converse with a
restaurant host and book a reservation
can’t help but be impressed.

24. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out some
of the potential blowback that is sure to come as
Duplex and similar technology takes hold. It’s one
thing for people to ask the speaker in their home
to play a certain song, or order some more paper
towels, or turn the air conditioning on.
But when a person’s AI-assistant makes a doctor’s
appointment with the office’s AI-assistant?

25. Some may say that isn’t not much different from
using a computer to make an appointment, however,
there are certain to be those who view these types of
interactions as a tipping point.
Is a Duplex future one where technology begins to
transition from merely helping us to replacing us?
For decades, we have conversed with computers
in order to complete tasks. Google Duplex points
to a future where the computers do close to all the
talking, with less and less need for us.

26. In conclusion, brands will have to be careful navigating
a world where they outsource more of their customer
interaction to smart machines.
More than ever, brands will have to speak their customers’
language, tell a clear and compelling brand story,
and stand out amongst the competition.

27. c42d.com
connect@c42d.com