Sonic branding definition: the art and the science that surrounds the strategic development and deployment of a consistent authentic sound experience of a brand.
045 - Hearables and the Future of Audible Social Media - Dave Kemp
Dave Kemp from Oaktree Products is an expert on hearables, which are smart, wireless in-ear devices such as AirPods. And they’re probably the future of voice, more so than smart speakers.
Dave and Emily talked about ambient computing from Alexa to wearables to the connected car. And interestingly we touched on the dire need for curated content to replace the noisy and overwhelming experience of social media today. Plus, hear how Alexa Flash Briefing might be the first iteration of that improved content experience.
AirPods are Apple's most popular accessory product, with 35 million units sold in 2018 alone.
Topics and timestamps:
Hearables including AirPods and competitor products such as Samsung Galaxy Buds, Pixel Buds, Microsoft Surface headset
5:10 Amazon hearables in late half of 2019 (competitor to AirPods)
Apple's new H1 chip in v2 AirPods shows that Apple is dedicated to AirPods for the long term (beyond using the W1 chip from Apple Watch), now AirPods have their own chip architecture just for hearables
First application is "Hey Siri" activation (no tapping required)
7:10 Bret Kinsella helped people visualize importance of the smart speaker as training wheels, a conditional device to make people comfortable with the voice assistant, offloading smartphone related tasks to VAs. But hearables are really riding the bike.
The near-field voice assistant is key (smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home and Apple HomePod are far field)
9:00 We have to recognize there has been a dramatic behavioral shift since 2016
It has becomes socially acceptable to wear in-ear devices all the time
9:20 Form factors are developing: earrings (fashionable hearables) and Bose AR frames with speakers near the ear could be the future
9:40 Hearing aids as a form factor allow for usage that is super discreet - moving away from stigma today and to all-day usage
Passively consuming content while synced to digital environment - all day usage is plausible
10:30 Emily's Bluetooth headache - how can we minimize exposure to EMFs from a health standpoint?
11:00 AirPods case could become the receiver vs streaming content from phone to AirPods. Content could be housed in the AirPod case and streamed in a lower bandwidth from the edge vs the cloud.
11:20 Outfitting our bodies with technology - what are the health implications for heavy EMFs (Electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as radiation) - hear a quick Flash Briefing about why EMFs are a problem - TBD…
12:25 Flash Briefing and passive consumption of content
Flash Briefing is a gem
Dave’s Flash Briefing (Future Ear Radio) is his daily blog post on futurear.co then the briefing is a 60 second tease about the blog post (a promotional vehicle to his blog post)
Flash Briefing should be the star of the smart speaker - such a powerful use case
14:00 This is the precursor to audio social media, consuming on demand the content you want to consume from your favorite sources (curated feed)
Amazon should be featuring Flash Briefing more but now it's relegated to the Settings area of the Alexa app
How can we put the Flash Briefing idea on other platforms?
15:15 We are so overwhelmed with social media- what if you could Google Reader / RSS all that content?
Ways to better curate your attention and cut out the noise
We love Twitter but it requires so much parsing - what does the future hold and how can voicefirst make passive content consumption better?
Get in touch with Dave Kemp:
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039 - Katherine Prescott: Alexa Privacy, Echo Show 5
Katherine Prescott is the Founder and Editor of VoiceBrew, a digital media company dedicated to helping people get the most out of Alexa. We discussed privacy on Amazon Alexa as well as the future of #voicefirst advertising. Which tech company's business model has true alignment with the end user, examining Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook.
Katherine Prescott is the Founder & Editor of VoiceBrew, a top resource for Alexa tips and best uses
Topics and timestamps:
Privacy - Amazon Alexa - is she recording?
Amazon Echo Show 5 announcement - new features, especially for greater privacy and user data control
When is Alexa recording vs listening?
How do I control my privacy settings on Alexa?
3.10 This privacy dialogue is healthy - it improves voice assistants for consumers
Echo Show 5 has a new camera shutter and the ability to say “Alexa, delete everything I said today”
4.20 Alexa app is not the focus
5.00 Discoverability is the ultimate challenge
5.05 It’s called the 5 but this refers to the 5.5 inch screen - is same as third gen echo
5.10 Why the Echo Show 5 is such a big deal - compelling land grab for affordable smart display space
6.10 Like the shift from radio to TV, third party Alexa skills will improve dramatically because of multi-modal
10.04 Will smart display pave the way for advertising? Banner even? Less intrusive than voice? Alexa diplsay ads?
10.50 Emily: sponsorship and brand preference will be paid for - that will be the advertising, unlike previous digital like banner ads or PPC
11.30 Katherine: Tech giants are shifting toward privacy as a feature
13.15 Business model and alignment - Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook. Great point from Katherine.
14.02 Google's pitch: we provide free services and collect your data.
14.27 Think of privacy in broader context - we are in the early innings of voice
See this post on Instagram and follow @beetlemoment for #voicefirst news
Sources:
Echo Show 5: https://www.techradar.com/news/amazon-echo-show-5-everything-you-need-to-know
"Buried in this morning’s Echo Show 5 announcement are a couple of new security features worth highlighting. In addition to the inclusion of a built-in camera shutter on the new smart display are a pair of Echo commands that let users delete voice recordings with an Alexa command." -https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/29/amazon-adds-alexa-delete-what-i-said-today-command/
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037 - Sonic Branding - Phoebe Ohayon from Voice Branding Agency (Netherlands)
Emily Binder interviews Phoebe Ohayon, an Audio Branding Strategist and Audio Designer in Amsterdam with a background in audio engineering and branding. Phoebe helps brands prepare for a sound and voice-activated future. With her voice-first audio branding approach, she helps brands and companies who are creating voice experiences and want to use the power of audio (voice, music, and sound) to design the best customer experiences.
Topics:
1:53 Audio design and strategy for voice technology / voice assistants
3:00 How to start with sonic branding - research is first: brand orientation session
4:20 From auditory perspective, perception matters for brands who will communicate with voice more as time passes
4:55 Where do you start with creating brand voice?
8:30 Emotional impact and perception of brand
8:50 Even programming the sound of “Hello” is complicated
9:50 Customer-first design
9:55 Design bias (Apple Health app initially lacked menstrual tracker)
10:20 Inclusive design - VUI has an opportunity
10:34 Confirmation sounds vary by nationality and auditory history
10:55 MasterCard’s new audio logo is internationally sensitive
12:10 Auping bedtime skill on Google Actions
13:25 Create a coherent strategy for all touch points to create brand preference and trust
Upcoming Event:
Join us at VOICE Summit 2019! Phoebe Ohayon, Audrey Arbeeny, and Emily Binder speak July 25, 2019 on the Sonic Branding panel. See more: Emily Binder - Speaking.
Mentioned:
More about Auping Bedtime Skill (Google Action - Dutch version):
On October 24, Google launches the Dutch version of voice assistant Google Home. For this smart speaker, which can instruct the user and ask questions, Dutch bed manufacturer Auping developed a so-called 'Google Action'. Auping has developed this Google Action together with voice specialists from Mindshare and Greenhouse Group Conversational .
The soundscape
The story is being narrated by Birgit Schuurman, a famous Dutch actress and singer, who also narrated the Auping commercial. Not only did this create a great connection to the commercial, but she also turned out to be a great fit for this story. A warm and pleasant voice, perfect for narrating a children's story.
-https://www.themarketingtechnologist.co/auping-bedtime-story/
Connect with Phoebe Ohayon:
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