The document discusses the rise of voice technology and smart speakers. It notes that the smart speaker market is expected to hit $13 billion and over 100 million shipments by 2024. Voice is a natural interface for humans to communicate with brands. The document encourages brands to develop voice applications to meet rising customer expectations of convenience. It notes that over 25,000 skills have been developed for Alexa and almost 500 actions for Google Assistant. Voice applications can boost sales and improve customer retention. The document warns that brands risk losing customers to competitors if they do not have a voice presence.

1. TECH
TALK
JANUARY 2018
OGILVY MALAYSIA PUBLICATION
VOL. 16
Voice
Technology:
It's Good to Talk!
The rise of mobile technology and smart phones in the past ten years has
fundamentally changed the way we as consumers behave in pretty much
every element of our daily lives!
Whilst this technology continues to develop the next big wave of
innovation, for me anyway, comes using voice and voice activated
technology.
The rate of adoption of voice technology is the same as that of the
smartphone and social media when they were first launched. Could you
imagine today a brand without a social media presence? Or without an app?
With the smart speaker market expected to hit USD 13 billion and over 100
million shipments by 2024, these devices are fast moving from
entertainment gizmos to must have appliances. At present, it is a pleasant
surprise to discover your favourite brand’s voice app, but in 2018 it will
become an expectation
BY JAMES GAUBERT
The smart speaker
market expected to
hit USD 13 billion
and over 100
million shipments
by 2024,

2. TECH
TALK
ESCAPE
TO PLANET
MARS
The most natural of all interface
Voice is one of our primary and most natural methods of communication, making voice a natural interface for humans.
Our world is becoming increasing digital and connected, as a result we have greater expectations with regards to our
interactions with brands. Consumers today place great importance on customer experience and expect instant
gratification. By allowing third party applications, smart speakers give brands the opportunity to take advantage of this
natural interface to better meet their customers’ expectations. Voice applications enable brands to have an
omnipresence and always be available, no matter where the customer is: their home, car or office…
There are currently
over 25000 Skills
on Alexa and
almost 500 Actions
for Google Assistant
from brands.
Be where your customers are
Voice applications can be used to obtain information about a company
or product, augment existing mobile apps and web applications with
voice-enabled digital services (e.g. “What’s my account balance?”), or
enhance customer experiences (“e.g. Alexa, book me into my yoga
class”). There are currently over 25000 Skills on Alexa and almost 500
Actions for Google Assistant from brands from a variety of sectors.
Companies such as Campbell’s Soup, Capital One, Kayak, Sephora and
Accor Hotels have all launched a Skill or Action. Voice applications.
Through creating a better user experience, brands can boost
acquisition and improve retention. In the UK, Domino’s Pizza recently
achieved increased sales, which the company partly attributes to its
Alexa Skill! Voice applications also create a digitally augmented
workforce, easing the pressure on sales teams for certain tasks,
enabling them to focus on other areas of the business. With an
increasing number of major tech players launching their own smart
speaker, the market, originally pioneered by Amazon, is not expected to
calm down anytime soon.

3. SOCIAL
MEDIA
ESCAPE
TO PLANET
MARS
Improve your voice search ranking
Digital assistants also have the potential to disrupt web browsers. According to Gartner, by 2020, 30% of search
queries will be conducted without a screen. Unlike searching on a screen, no one wants to hear endless search results
reiterated by a smart speaker. Users want one answer. “Implicit invocations” from Google means that a user can
activate an app without explicitly saying the apps name. But what if the brand doesn’t have an app? In this situation, you
risk the smart speaker giving incorrect information from any old website or referring to a competitor.
JAMES GAUBERT
Head of Digital & Social
Ogilvy Kuala Lumpur
james.gaubert@ogilvy.com
The early adopter advantages
Brands need to seize the early adopter advantage and define themselves in this new voice
operated environment. Pioneers who have already launched their voice first strategy should
be applauded, as this is no easy feat. A voice first strategy means not only developing a
voice application but one that adds value to your customers, but also considers all other
touch points to create an omnichannel customer journey with a consistent brand message.
Imagine the frustration of millions of users who ask to speak to British Airways, Marriott
Hotels or HSBC, if these brands do not offer a voice portal. Imagine that the assistant then
offers them to talk to a competitor; who has already rolled out their vocal strategy. Imagine
that the voice search engine answers a question that directly concerns one of these brands
with an incomplete or erroneous response from any site. It’s time for brands to realize that
personal assistants are the interface of tomorrow and that in this new voice first paradigm,
there will be the winners and the losers.
By 2020, 30%
of search
queries will be
conducted
without a
screen.