Previously, people have been interacting on the world wide web using primarily text, visual and video. More recently, AI-powered assistants are changing the way consumers are engaging with brands and consuming content on the mobile and smart home devices by using ‘voice’. The world of internet search is already witnessing a growing number of voice-searches. This poses a challenge to the entire ecosystem of digital experiences that was so carefully built by marketers and technologists worldwide. Voice will positively open up the internet-enabled services to a whole new world of possibilities.
To cater to the growing needs of brands dealing with the type-averse and type-challenged generation of today, MullenLowe Lintas Group has launched Lintas VoiceX that promises solutions that are designed to make brands ‘voice-ready’. It is ground-breaking work by an agency in India where the process begins with an audit of existing digital assets, identifying key user intents for brands to leverage, and finally leading to a device & dialogue strategy ready for deployment.
Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group added, “Lintas has shaped the voice for hundreds of brands over 7 decades. The careful crafting of brand’s voice has been at the heart of making these campaigns a part of the ‘pop culture’. Prime examples are Tata Tea’s Jaago Re, Surf Excel’s Daag Acche Hai, What an Idea Sirji! amongst others. Through Lintas VoiceX, we have ambitions to shape unique voice solutions that bring the total brand experience alive even in a world where the interaction is voice-first.”
In a market like India, voice-based searches have surged by over 270% in 2018 itself. It is estimated that, by the year 2020, as many as 50% of all searches made will be through voice. It has the potential to be a greater business enabler and open up a completely new category of audiences who were outside the addressable marketing audience. The advent of voice reduces the friction for users to access technology and provides an opportunity for brands to become more inclusive. VoiceX has successfully completed brand engagement solutions pilot for a couple of key brands and is now ready for commercial launch.
Commenting on the addition of new services, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said “It wouldn’t be wrong to surmise that Voice, Video and Vernacular could become the holy trinity of marketing in India. Lintas VoiceX is positioned precisely at a point where it can take advantage of the decades of communications experience we possess and blend it with the technological headways in Voice to deliver effective solutions to our clients. To help keep our brands ahead of the voice curve, we’ve decided to lead by setting up a dedicated team that will work with existing and new clients.”
Forrester estimates that almost a third of content on a website will be consumed through voice. Brands that have spent decades refining and sharpening their SEO strategies will find that Voice is making all that redundant. In this conversation economy, every brand is a service brand and Voice is the currency.