Brand Strategy Speaks Up at the Voice Talks Fifth Livestream on Aug. 27

The fifth Voice Talks Presented by Google Assistant will offer a look at how brands use voice technology to interact with customers from a mix of industry experts and executives. The new episode is set to livestream on August 27 at 2 p.m. Eastern, with Google Assistant’s co-lead of global product partnerships Sofia Altuna continuing her hosting role.

Brand Talk

The newest episode, titled “How brands are using VOICE to talk to customers,” will try to explain exactly that. More consumer companies are launching voice apps or augmenting their mobile apps with voice technology to better reach and serve their customers. Understanding these trends and what has worked is critical for marketing and other executives who don’t want their brands to feel outdated or obsolete. How brands approach voice technology can vary wildly. The spectrum encompasses U.S. Bank’s new virtual bank teller on its mobile app as well as the MoonPie MoonMate Alexa skill that tries to translate the success of a brand’s viral Twitter identity into an audio roommate.

The new episode will go from Altuna’s introduction to a presentation by Voicebot’s own founder Bret Kinsella on the rise of voice commerce and how using voice assistants to buy things is starting to shift from novelty to just another method for buying groceries and other items. Altuna will then discuss with CNET senior reporter Ben Fox Rubin the greater evolution of consumer brands using voice technology, diving into how retail, health, and other services have experimented and adopted variations on the technology’s features.

Detailed Discussions

The show will then drill down into more detailed and technical discussions, first with Google’s head of conversation design outreach and education Wally Brill going over the central elements for voice engagement that Google advises brands to think about. Leslie Garcia-Amaya of AI at Google’s global product partnerships will then talk about how mobile banking and other financial services are changing thanks to voice tech with American Express’ head of emerging strategic partnerships Stephanie Schultz. RAIN Agency CEO Nithya Thadani will share examples of how her company is bringing brands into the voice tech world.

As has become tradition, there will be interactive elements to the episode, including a Google developer advocate Jessica Dene Early-Cha answering questions submitted by viewers and a live Q&A with Altuna. Viewers can also submit videos on how their brand is using voice technology to the show for a chance to win smart speakers and other prizes if their video is shown. Voice Talks claims its audience around the world is close to 50,000 subscribers and will likely hit 100,000 by 2021, so that’s no small number of potential eyeballs on creative ideas about using voice technology for brand promotion.

“Voice technology is increasingly becoming part of our daily lives,” Altuna said in a statement. “Brands that have a Voice strategy today, are learning and investing in the future of customer engagement.”

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