The modern smartphone we see today has taken a long 27-year journey to reach us in 2019, and it’s changed a lot along the way. It’s an evolution which has taken over our lives
In picture below, the first smartphone introduced in 1992 by IBM (Simon Personal Communicator).
What were once large and bulky luxury items have become small, compact devices we can’t live without!
Smartphones evolution has given birth to a new “Mobile” industry which is impacting hugely the way we make purchases, do online searches, make decisions, play games, shop grocery and watch movies.
And the list goes on.
One of the things which Mobile was able to revive was: bring back “voice” into Action.
When I saying bring back, I mean, the only voice/sound based medium was radio which lacked both ways engagement and few namesake “media gurus” already predicted its death sometime back.
However, mobile is playing and extremely important role in bringing Voice based platforms into the game which I believe is the next big thing in the media landscape.
Below are 5 important reasons I believe Voice will become extremely important in coming years:
1- Medical Reasons
Yes, you heard it right.
As per latest numerous medical studies and one from The Orthopedic Institute states:
“Although smartphones have made our lives easier, an increasing number of people have complained of finger, hand and elbow pain as a result of using their device. In non-medical terms, these conditions have been referred to as “text claw” and “cell phone elbow”.
In Past 10 years the number of patients complaining pain in their hands and elbow due to heavy use of smart devices have increased. As these complains are relatively new, non-medical terms of “text claw” and “cell phone elbow” are coined to refer to the complaints.
What does this mean: As awareness of “text claw” and “cell phone elbow” increase, people will be more inclined towards using their smartphones via voice to perform regular tasks like search, emails etc.
2- Gen Z’s Obsession with “Multi-Tasking”
GEN Z is mobile first and mobile only generation!
Many reports indicate that GEN Z face high level of anxieties related to FOMO – fear of missing out – and FOLO – fear of living offline.
These anxieties are pushing GEN Z to multitask more than any of the previous generations and creating a culture of wherein young people are always doing at least two things at once.
As per the Business Insider report:
- Generation Z spends a lot of time looking at screens. In a survey of more than 1,800 Americans between the ages of 13 and 21, more than half said that their favorite pastime includes using some form of technology, whether it’s watching Netflix or scrolling through social feeds.
- All this screen time has enabled Teens acknowledge that multitasking is often not very effective. Still, they worry about missing out.
- Several teens who spoke with us expressed a longing for interpersonal connection that cannot be replicated through the internet.
What does this mean: More of multi tasking will lead users to use voice to drive their tasks. Multitasking will also impact on consumption of podcasts which has already started to happen in past few years.
3- The rise of smart speakers – AND The Rising Importance of Voice Analytics
The major players in voice platforms and devices are Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
The more penetration smart speakers get, the more it will become important for brands to focus on strategies which can form a relationships with their target audiences on (Smart) speakers. These strategies need to be different than what brands are using to gain traction of consumers on headphones and in the cars .
What does this mean: The rise of smart speakers will give access to another dimension of Analytics and data to brands with regards to their consumers. I guess the most important will be:
- Sentiment analysis: by reading the data of voice tonality
- Exact Intent Analysis: “Find me a cinema” VS “Cinemas showing Chinese movies”
- User journey in the purchase process: By understanding the progression in dialogue with the device
Other Factors
Apart from the above, the rise of AI and Bots, the rise of wearables and convenience of using voice are other key factors which will impact growth of Voice.
Below is an interesting insight done by Adobe as to what are the main obstacles stopping companies to invest in voice.
Are your brands “Voice-ready”?
About the Author:
Call me an optimist but working closely with key decision makers in the GCC for more than 15 years , I can say with lot of confidence that the region has lot of untapped opportunities.
When I first discovered what creative content integrations with brands can do for clients and their advertising campaigns, I was immediately obsessed!
It made total sense that …
- Why regular advertising campaigns do not work?
- Why marketing managers, media planners, CEOs and CFOs always axe marketing budgets in tough times?
Hence, for past 15+ years I have been passionately helping my clients to create winning campaigns, after mix of traditional and nontraditional strategies.
Lets connect: www.linkedin.com/in/zeeshansamin
