AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” Actor Chosen to Voice Fintech Mobile App
Fintech developer Marygold & Co. has tapped Elwood Edwards, famous as the voice of AOL’s You’ve Got Mail greeting, to perform a similar role on its new mobile app. Marygold app users will hear Edwards when the app sends them an alert, replacing You’ve Got Mail with You’ve Got Money.
Iconic Internet Voices
Edwards submitted a recording of his voice saying the iconic line and a handful of other messages to AOL more than three decades ago. His wife, who worked as a customer service representative at the still-forming AOL, told him to submit, and the rest was 1990s internet history. The voice, familiar to anyone who went online during the dial-up era, will now serve a technology well beyond the capacity of the many AOL CDs that seemed to multiply within magazines. Marygold & Co.’s mobile app is designed for secure banking, including sending, receiving, and otherwise moving money around. Edwards will be the voice telling users about transactions, stating, “You Got Paid,” “You’ve Reached Your Goal,” or “You’ve Sent Money,” in addition to the payment received alert. “When Marygold & Co. first approached me with the opportunity to be featured on its innovative app, I saw this as an incredible opportunity. Reflecting on my journey from AOL to Marygold & Co., I feel very excited about evolving from being the voice of new technology, like dial-up internet, to a transformative fintech solution helping shape the future of banking,” Edwards said in a statement. “The fact that my app will directly manage my debit card to make any necessary transaction very easy, in my opinion, is my favorite part. “Managing my money on my phone certainly is not a barrier for me. Banking, I think, will be positively affected by what’s happening with the Marygold & Co. solution — and not just because my voice is on it.”
Financial Planning
Edwards adds a novel twist to the idea of voice in banking and financial services, but the general concept has exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. Usually, that means an entire AI assistant communicating in voice or text. Companies with a hand in the space are eagerly sought after by potential investors and acquisition companies, and their popularity is only growing. It’s the reason for banking conversational AI startup FinnAI’s acquisition by Glia and Gupshup’s purchase of Active.ai and its finance-focused portfolio. The same explanation accounts for investors writing an $85 million check for financial AI startup Personetics. As bigger banks adopt their AI, people are becoming increasingly comfortable with the technology. Wells Fargo launched a virtual assistant in 2021, similar to U.S. Bank, which has a voice assistant for its mobile app. And Bank of America’s virtual assistant, Erica, is now enormously popular, tripling interactions over the last year to 104.6 million.
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