By the end of last week it seemed like the news was all Trump-Comey all the time. Earlier in the week, though, the debut of Apple’s HomePod, a squat, voice-enabled, home-based speaker, was the buzz du jour for at least a few hours.
That was our cue to ask communicators what HomePod, or more broadly voice activation (VA) means for PR. Is it too early to make serious investments in VA?
Most of the brand communicators we spoke with tell us they are watching VA closely, although few admit their brands are using it now. Typical of the responses we heard was what a brand executive told us, “We’re not doing much now [with VA], but it’s definitely on the horizon.”
PR firm execs were bullish. “I don’t think this is the launch that should suddenly convince [marketers] to develop programming around voice-enabled, personal assistant-style technology…they should’ve already been brainstorming around that…topic,” says Michael Lamp, SVP, social & digital media, Hunter Public Relations.
Ditto for PR pros, he adds, as PR constantly is seeking ways to show it can be a sales driver. “We should already be brainstorming ways that a brand partnership or earned PR placement can lead to a voice-enabled shopping moment.” Lamp notes Amazon’s Echo speaker has plugged into brand platforms “for years,” such as cooking tutorials with Food Network, news roundups from the Wall St Journal. “If anything, [HomePod] simply offers a degree of timeliness for a pitch that celebrates what a brand already is doing” in VA.
Adds Hinda Mitchell president, Inspire PR, “Forward-thinking brands will be doing their homework now to plug into the strategic opportunities of VA.” In the food space alone she envisions the simple, such as wine pairing and restaurant reservation services, to the complex, like a VA app to guide home cooks through recipes...and cooking techniques.”
Zach Cutler of Cutler PR, agrees. PR pros, “like professionals across many industries, should start getting used to VA,” he says. “AI and robotics will...be a tremendous game changer and take the world to unknown heights.”
CONTACT: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]