Pizza Hut Debuts Actionable Audio Ads
Pizza Hut has released actionable audio ads created with British advertising technology developer Say It Now on smart speakers. Those listening to digital radio on their smart Echo or other Alexa smart speaker who hear the ad can claim a discount on an order by asking Alexa to open Pizza Hut Delivery when prompted by the pizza chain giant’s ad.
Pizza Hut Audio
When tuned to a digital radio station through a smart speaker, British listeners may hear Pizza Hut’s ad encouraging them to buy some pizza with a promise of a discounted delivery price. This isn’t Pizza Hut’s first experiment with interactive AI. The company experimented with AI-powered virtual agent developer Inference Solutions to set up orders over WhatsApp back in 2019. The Alexa ad and its coupon system are more limited but arguably prompt a more immediate engagement with the company.
“Customer convenience is a central part of our offering, and actionable audio adverts – now being used to share our discount code – slot in with our easy order options that include the Pizza Hut mobile app and website,” Pizza Hut head of digital marketing, Nicola Keane said. “We are thrilled to trial smart speaker voice adverts on Amazon Alexa devices that use the Say It Now ‘send to phone’ Alexa feature and enhance our easy order options. We are committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and this innovative conversational technology allows follow through on this commitment in new and exciting ways.”
SayItNow Speaks Up
Actionable voice ads are likely to continue to become more common as the technology improves. Say It Now has raised its ambitions after acquiring voice tech enterprise startup GetStarted at the end of last year and combining its existing tech with GetStarted’s minimal coding and template-based voice AI for commerce and customer service. There’s also evidence that they are an effective way to boost awareness about a company in useful ways. Approximately half of smart speaker owners who hear advertising through their device have a positive reaction, according to the most recent NPR and Edison Research Smart Audio Report, and plenty find them actually more compelling than when they hear the same ads elsewhere. Studies like that will likely assure that Say It Now and its rivals have plenty of customers.
“Say It Now’s actionable audio adverts deliver immediacy and convenience for Pizza Hut customers hungry to get their hands on their favorite pizzas,” Say It Now director of strategic partnerships Maria Cadbury said. “Harnessing data and creativity, this is exactly the kind of campaign that our technology has been created to facilitate and it is great to see an innovative brand like Pizza Hut leading the way.”
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