Now let's leap a few steps into the future. It is safe to say that Siri and comparable voice command systems will very soon become more and more important. Those who know Kit from the Knight Rider may have considered a car that talks back to you and executes voice commands to be a laughable sci-fi fantasy. But there are only 30 years between Hasselhoff's appearance in the first episode and today, where Siri is turning into a handy companion and things are only speeding up from here. Kit can become reality in just a few year's from now; many of us will get to say 'please park my car' and our vehicle will respond with a 'very well sir' or whatever your car brand has come up with as an answer.
And this is where the marketing and branding part comes in again. WHAT exactly will your car, phone, hifi system, iPod wannabe, elevator, website coach or whatever the product is you're bringing to market say? What will be the tone of voice, will it be female or male or optional? How do you deal with the various languages and cultural differences if you have to localize for multiple markets, regions and continents?
In short, how will you include yet another technological innovation into your branding strategy and your marketing communication. What will be the guidelines and what will they be based on?
Siri is a sign on the wall telling us how fast technology is advancing and how marketing and brand managers need to be pro-active from a strategic point of view. And when I say marketing and brand managers this applies automatically to agencies as well. There is probably even more urgency to address this if a brand wants to remain consistent and compelling across current and near future communication channels.
Strong brands with a clear story will have an advantage over brands that are competing on price or features. The best examples can be found in the luxury sector. A brand like Louis Vuitton has a story to tell and the values this includes will help identifying the right voice and more importantly the right tone of voice for when Siri starts talking back.
This does not mean it is going to be easy. Here are some additional and more random thoughts on this topic:
- Audi is a great example of how brand is translated into every aspect of the final product. Audi actually tests the quality feel of buttons and switches and has even developed guidelines for how scents and smells of their car interior. They have a rudimentary voice control system in their cars but I am already wondering how their cars will speak to me in the future, provided that my next car is going to be an Audi of course.
- Abercrombie & Fitch offers another example of how a brand experience is extended and even includes a brand specific store perfume. Those familiar with the brand will smell the store's particular scent before even seeing it. One of the best recent examples bing the brand new Champs Elysée flagship store in Paris.
- For a while the 'haptic feedback' topic was very hot for agencies designing UX for handset manufacturers. This principle is supposed to improve the use of a touchscreen. Apple has meanwhile proven that you can use a touchscreen without knowing or even hearing that you've touched button or initiated an action. Yet some haptic feedback can be part of a specific brand experience. The question again is, what is useful and in line with the brand story and what kind of features will be considered as too geeky or even worse detrimental?
So in short, are you ready to create the voice that will speak on behalf of your brand?
If not, get in touch with your branding agency and start preparing. Your customers are waiting to hear from you sooner than you think...
For further reading:
Evolver.fm on Siri:
http://evolver.fm/2011/10/05/5-things-we-cant-wait-to-say-to-apples-siri-virtual-assistant/
Wikipedia on David Hasselhoff (yeah I know but hey, you can still admire his guts for continuing to produce Bay Watch on his own account) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hasselhoff
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