GLOBAL

“Daydreamer” by Michael Reeder, 2016, courtesy of Michael Reeder.

A global trends and insight
report on voice technology
and its impact on brands.
Voice technology is sweeping the world, as will be more digital assistants than humans
assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and smart on the planet.3
speakers such as Baidu’s Little Fish capture
our imagination. Talking computers, once The opportunity is ripe for businesses
seen only on the silver screen, are becoming to get immersed in the voice-activated
an everyday reality, at our beck and call as world. We’ve investigated the impact of
developments in artificial intelligence (AI) voice technology on consumer behavior in
Elizabeth Cherian Jeremy Pounder
transform our relationship with them. nine countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe UK director Futures director
and North America, and distilled the key The Innovation Group Mindshare UK
Early adopters report that they “wouldn’t be business opportunities for brands. While J. Walter Thompson

without Alexa” as she becomes “integral” to there are considerable cultural nuances and
their daily routine. Chinese YouTuber Jing market factors in each country that dictate
Jing has accumulated 6.5 million views as the local response, we have also identified
she plays Eighth Note,1 the voice-activated strong trends that resonate on a global scale.
smartphone game taking Asia by storm.
The age-old medium of voice has lost none Voice technology will not just redefine how
of its relevance in the 21st century. we live our lives, but will also bring dramatic
change to the customer experience.
ComScore forecasts that half of all
searches will be voice searches by 2020,2 Now is the time for marketers to learn how
and by 2021, Ovum predicts that there to Speak Easy.

1. Yvette Tan, “Play This Hilarious Voice-activated ‘Flappy Bird’ That’s Going Viral,” Mashable, March 03, 2017, on.mash.to/2smzAPk 2. Christi Olson, “Just Say It: The Future of Search is Voice and Personal Digital Assistants,” Campaign, 25 April
2016, bit.ly/2o1IvQs 3. Ovum, “Digital Assistant and Voice AI–Capable Device Forecast : 2016-21,” April 2017
A B OUT THIS REPORT

Carried out in equal partnership between in a two-week self-ethnography project, proprietary market research tool, surveying
J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group capturing their own behaviors and attitudes over 1,000 smartphone owners aged 18+
London and Mindshare Futures, our in a series of voice-technology tasks. in four countries (United Kingdom, United
research comprised several methodologies, We then ran two focus groups in the United States, Germany and Spain). We also
spanning nine countries (United Kingdom, Kingdom with 12 of these participants. A partnered with Kantar to conduct a survey
United States, Germany, Spain, Thailand, mixture of early adopters (who use voice of around 500 smartphone owners aged 18+
Japan, Australia, China and Singapore) and technology at least once per week) and early in an additional five countries (Thailand,
covered the six-month period January 2017 majority users (who use voice technology Japan, Australia, China and Singapore).
to June 2017. less frequently than once per week) was The total number of respondents globally
recruited. Roughly 40% of the early amounted to 6,780.
NEUROSCIENCE adopters already owned an Amazon Echo/
EXPERIMENT Echo Dot. We repeated the focus groups in S E CONDARY RE S E ARC H
Shanghai in partnership with Kantar.
In partnership with Neuro-Insight, We carried out extensive desk research that
we used Steady-State Topography (SST) EXPERT I NT E RV I E WS synthesized international cross-category
brain-imaging technology to measure how case studies.
the brain responds to voice technologyWe conducted in-depth interviews with
experts across sectors including artificial DI NG DONG PART NE RS H I P
versus text or typing alternatives for a
intelligence (AI), neuroscience, marketing,
series of tasks. The participants were 102
sound design and radio.
smartphone users aged between 18 and 65 Beijing Linglong Co., Ltd provided
who shop with Amazon. DingDong home smart speakers for our
QUANTITAT I V E RE S E ARC H Chinese focus group research. J. Walter
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Thompson is also partnering with LingLong
We carried out a quantitative survey Tech to explore and develop branded voice
More than 30 UK respondents took part using SONAR™, J. Walter Thompson’s content and solutions in China.

3
C ON T E NTS

GLOBAL VIEW
Voic
06 e Today
17 Th e Fu tu r e Voice Consumer
27 Br a n d Fu tures
36 Imp lic a tions

MARKET USAGE
Au
39 str a lia
41 C h in a
43 Ge r ma n y
45 Ja p a n
47 Sin g a p or e
49 Sp a in
51 T h a ila n d
53 Un ite d Kingdom
55 Un ite d States
Intuition Robotics has created
ELLI•Q™, an active voice

THANK YOUS
companion for older adults,
designed to help them engage
with new technologies.
G LO BAL
VIEW

Resonantia by Jeff Louviere

and Vanessa Brown explores
the relationship between
photography and music,
by visualising 12 musical
notes and converting the
photographs into audio.
VO ICE TO DAY
We stand on the cusp of a fundamental announced that it had cut its speech- by 2021 the native digital assistant installed
shift in how we relate to computers. recognition error rate by more than 30% base will surpass 7.5 billion active devices
Over the past 50 years, we have been on a since 2012.5 —more than one per person on the planet.
journey that has repeatedly simplified our Ovum predicts Google Assistant will take
modes of interaction, from punch cards A lot of people underestimate the the lion’s share of the market with 23%,
to keyboard, mouse and then touch. Now difference between 95% and 99% followed by Samsung’s Bixby (14.5%),
accuracy in speech recognition...
we return to the most natural and intuitive Siri (13.1%), Amazon’s Alexa (3.9%),
it’s the difference between you
form of interaction—voice. hardly using it and using it all the and Microsoft’s Cortana (2.3%).9
time without thinking about it
For most of our cultural evolution Human language is the new user
as a species, humans have Andrew Ng, former chief scientist, Baidu6 interface layer
transmitted knowledge and ideas
from one generation to another As technology further develops, voice Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft10

through oral tradition—the voice interaction will not only shape how we live our
is therefore perhaps the most lives but also how brands reach consumers.
innate and intuitive way for us
to communicate GLOBAL LANDSCAPE
The Echo Dot, which learns and adapts to its owner,
 ick Ryan, composer, sound designer,
N
artist and audio specialist
The current voice landscape is dominated is the smallest smart speaker in Amazon’s collection.

by tech giants that offer propositions

Developments in speech recognition and on a global scale. According to Google,
natural language processing (NLP) mean 20% of US mobile searches on Android are
we can now talk to computers in a way that by voice,7 and Amazon sold 11 million Echo
only appeared in science fiction until just devices worldwide in the period from mid-
a few years ago. Speech recognition error 2015 to 1 December 2016.8 Future growth
rates now match human parity at 5%, and is anticipated to be strong. The technology
are improving all the time.4 Google recently research consultancy Ovum estimates that

6
4. Chris Weller, “IBM Speech Recognition Is on the Verge of Superhuman Accuracy,” Business Insider UK, March 9, 2017, read.bi/2rCSVZQ 5. Jordan Novet, “Google Has Slashed Its Speech Recognition Word Error Rate By More Than 30% Since 2012,” VentureBeat, January 11, 2017, bit.ly/2sIaMxB 6. Contagious, “Bedtime Story
Sounds,” December 13, 2016, bit.ly/2mM1KgJ 7. Jennifer Slegg, “20% of Google’s Mobile Search Queries Are Now Voice Queries,” The SEM Post, May 19, 2016, bit.ly/2n0oAli 8. Ángel González, “Amazon Has Sold More Than 11 Million Echo Devices, Morgan Stanley Says,” Seattle Times, January 19, 2017, bit.ly/2nV4Oab
9. Ovum, “Digital Assistant and Voice AI–Capable Device Forecast: 2016–21,” April 2017 10. Richard Waters and Daniel Thomas, “Microsoft Puts AI at Centre of Tech Plans,” Financial Times, March 30, 2017, on.ft.com/2s99i33
A M A ZO N GOOGLE APPLE

Powered by voice assistant Alexa, the Google launched Home, its domestic Apple is a voice pioneer, having launched despite its sophisticated aesthetic that
Amazon Echo first went on sale in the hardware equivalent to Echo, in the US its voice assistant Siri in 2011. Late to appeals to design-conscious users.
US in 2014 exclusively for Amazon Prime in 2016 and expanded into the UK in the smart speaker category, it announced The emphasis on audio quality in the
members, but became widely available in April 2017. Google Home is currently the launch of its HomePod speaker launch of the HomePod, rather than its role
2015. The launch of Echo and the smaller available for pre-order in Canada, with at the Apple Worldwide Developers as a digital assistant, reflects this, as does
Echo Dot at the end of September 2016 in launches in Australia, France, Germany Conference (WWDC) in June 2017.12 its wider strategic focus on data privacy
the UK and Germany kickstarted consumer and Japan expected to follow this summer. While it has integrated Siri into wearables and security. Nevertheless, Siri’s strength is
interest by creating a new device category Home allows third parties to create such as the Apple Watch and AirPods, its global reach of 36 countries and ability
for voice. There is talk of expansion to Asia Conversation Actions, which are the it is challenged by a comparative lack of to speak 21 languages.13
this year, with a rumored launch in Japan. equivalent of Amazon’s skills. It is powered machine-learning capabilities and user data
Amazon has recently launched versions by Assistant, a voice assistant that is currently to make a voice assistant fully intelligent,
of the Echo with a screen (Echo Show) available on over 100 million devices,
and a camera (Echo Look). Alexa hosts including the iPhone, through the Allo
third-party skills, which function much messaging platform.11
like apps but over a voice-user interface
(VUI). They can deliver entertainment As of May 2017, Allo supports French,
and information, execute an action, or Spanish, German, Hindi and Japanese
enable control of other devices. Amazon and we expect some of these languages
has also made Alexa available to hardware to expand to the Home device over time.
developers as Alexa Voice Service to build Irrespective of the assistant interface,
into their own products in an attempt to voice capabilities have been built into the
stimulate the market. As an ecommerce Google Search and YouTube apps since
platform, Amazon’s strongest advantage 2009. Google’s main advantage in the voice
over its competitors in this category is landscape is its deep understanding of its Apple’s HomePod is a Siri-

its unparalleled understanding of users through search and its range of other enabled smart speaker,
available in Australia, the United
consumer shopping. services, such as Gmail. States and the United Kingdom
from December 2017.

11. Kaluka Wanjala, “Google Assistant Is Active on 100 Million Android Devices,” TechArena, May 19, 2017, bit.ly/2qXEFbV 7
12. Chris Foxx, “Apple Reveals HomePod Smart Speaker,” BBC, June 5, 2017, bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40158158
13. Stephen Nellis, “Apple’s Siri Learns Shanghainese as Voice Assistants Race to Cover Languages,” Reuters, March 9, 2017, reut.rs/2mwGfzx
LingLong DingDong is
the Chinese equivalent to
OTHER ASS I STANTS
Amazon Alexa, serving as
a voice-activated, cloud-
based smart speaker. Microsoft has developed Cortana, which market, Little Fish features a screen and
works across Windows platforms and will camera. Chinese ecommerce platform
be incorporated into Harman Kardon’s JD.com has also launched LingLong
Invoke smart speaker in the United States DingDong, a home speaker that takes
in autumn 2017.14 Cortana is currently design cues from the Echo, in the
available in 13 countries, speaking English, region. Much like Echo and Home,
French, Chinese (simplified), Portuguese, the DingDong provides access to a suite
German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. of third-party apps or services which
must be activated before use. Although
Samsung announced in March 2017 that both these devices are available only in
its voice assistant Bixby would replace China, a consumer reach of one billion
S Voice in the Galaxy S8 in South Korea. makes these products significant players.
Rumors point to an additional integration
of Viv, the artificial intelligence Finally, while the Facebook Messenger
built by Siri’s original developers, digital assistant M is currently text-
which Samsung acquired in 2016, based, pundits anticipate the tech giant’s
with the aim of building voice interfaces next move might be in the voice arena.
into all its consumer products over the Considering its user data and its machine-
coming years. Bixby previews in the learning skills, Facebook could be
United States in June 2017.15 a future contender in the voice space.

Chinese search giant Baidu unveiled its

smart speaker Xiaoyu Zaijia (Little Fish
in English) at CES in January 2017.
Unlike most current devices on the

14. David Pierce, “The Invoke Smart Speaker Brings Microsoft’s Cortana AI to your Living Room,” Wired, May 8, 2017, bit.ly/2q1YfoE
8
15. Todd Haselton, “Galaxy S8 Bixby Voice Assistant Will Launch in US Next Month, Report Says,” CNBC, May 31, 2017, cnb.cx/2qXz5qf
B E YO N D ASS I STA N TS Jibo uses voice and facial
recognition technology to
identify individual users and
sense how they are feeling.
We are also witnessing a rise in voice- Voice technology is also being used to
activated social robots. The toy-like Sota help people in public spaces. IBM Watson
will act as a translator at the 2020 Tokyo worked with the Pinacoteca de São Paulo
Olympics and SoftBank’s Pepper, a child- museum in Brazil to help people interact
sized robot, has been used to greet visitors with art exhibits through voice technology.16
at the Hilton McLean hotel in the US
and at two Belgian hospitals. The MoRo  e’re going to see coalescing
W
robot from Chinese startup Ewaybot can around a small number of virtual
be used in the home to assist with assistants, and it’ll just make good
business sense to fit within that
everyday activities.
ecosystem
Manufacturers as diverse as Mattel and  uncan Anderson, former chief technology officer,
D
Ford are building in voice capability to IBM Watson Europe

enhance their products. Voice-activated

customer service is also becoming more
commonplace. The My Starbucks barista
skill allows customers to place orders
simply by talking into their phone.

Manually typing is slower,

especially on certain shopping
platforms. Using a voice assistant
is definitely more convenient and
I get better results

Focus group respondent, China

16. IBM Brazil, “The Voice of Art with Watson,” April 13, 2017, http://bit.ly/2sKFqKT
9
JO IN IN G T HE C O N VERSATION
Across the nine countries we surveyed, likely to be young (38% are aged 18-34)
on average 47% of smartphone users and male (58%), reflecting a typical early
depend on voice technology of some kind tech adopter profile. They broadly reflect
at least once a month and 31% use it at the smartphone user profile in terms of
least weekly (see Figure 1). That equates to above-average affluence, with 39% in the
almost 600 million people—more than the top income band.17
populations of the United States and Brazil
combined —already engaging with this new Voice technology will inevitably become more
user interface. ubiquitous as time goes by, as there’s significant
appetite for more voice-enabled devices.
A sizeable proportion (18%) say they More than two thirds of global smartphone
have only used voice technology once users are interested in the prospect of voice-
or twice, reflecting some of its teething activated televisions (69%) and light switches
problems. In our focus groups, a difficulty (66%), while almost half (45%) are interested

%
in understanding accents, dialects and in the idea of chatting to their fridges.
natural speech was one of the main issues,
alongside a lack of intelligence and an
inability to understand context or complex
sentences. Despite this, only 8% say they
71  f regular voice tech users*
o
globally feel that speaking
to tech now comes naturally
would never use or consider using it.

Current weekly voice users across the

nine markets are significantly more

“Manicurist” by Aleksandra
Kingo, for Curious Contraptions
*regular voice tech users are defined as people using voice technology at least once a week
for the Modern Woman editorial 10
17. The top income band equates to the highest third in each country. Income bands referenced throughout the report are aligned with GfK
Consumer Life data for all countries except Thailand, where we used Mindshare’s Mindreader. in Hunger magazine, courtesy
of Aleksandra Kingo.
 12
VOICE TECH 28
12
18

UTILIZATION United
Kingdom 21
Japan

Figure 1. 37
49
27 2 23
30 4

Spain
18 China
15 6 23 5
53 22 44
10 United 13
States Thailand

69 16 60
10

24
8 Germany 8
27 38

17 43
Australia
Global
37
18 9
47 42 17
Global smartphone owners

At least once a month Singapore 28

Once or twice
Once or twice, ever 21

I have never used it and will never use it

Global smartphone owners: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore Source: Kantar and SONARTM
 Amazon’s Echo Show is a
wifi-enabled home device with
a screen, allowing users to

T H E TASK S AT HAND
Voice usage can be split into two main types:
tasks carried out entirely by voice, and tasks
that are initiated by voice and completed
on screen.
Currently, tasks best suited to voice
interaction are simple enough that both
the question and response can be delivered
through this interface. Examples include
setting an alarm, playing music or asking a
question such as, “Alexa, what’s the weather
like today?” (see Figure 2).
More sophisticated exchanges may take
time. Respondents have reported a lack of
confidence in their voice assistant’s ability
to deliver perfect results, with 71% of all
regular voice tech users agreeing with the
statement: “I always need to check my
make video calls and interact
with visual media. Echo Show
is available in the United
States from summer 2017.
opportunities for 100% voice interactions component. The interplay between voice
should grow. An early example is the Johnnie and screen will add yet another dimension
Walker skill for Alexa, which initiates a back- to the omnichannel consumer experience.
and-forth conversation, posing questions to
deliver the perfect whisky recommendation. It’s tiring to use the screen all the
time. I want to get information
Despite these developments, the interplay without tiring my eyes
between voice and screen is likely to remain Female 50-year-old focus group
important. This is particularly true where respondent, China
interactions involve reviewing a range of
options or seeing what a product looks like.
In an ideal world, it would be
good if all the information came
up on a chosen device like your
TV, giving you a chance to look at
similar products, prices, reviews
etc and then purchase using voice
Male 45-year-old focus group respondent, UK

screen when using voice technology as I

don’t trust it to follow my instructions if We already see devices that blend voice and
I only speak to it.” a screen, such as Amazon’s Echo Show and
Baidu’s Xiaoyu Zaijia (Little Fish). In fact,
As voice assistants become more intelligent half of the smart speakers we identified
and support more complex dialogue, in the APAC region integrate a visual

12
 %
60
THE TASKS
AT HAND 60
Common tasks carried out using
voice by regular voice tech users*

Figure 2.

Global regular voice tech users

24 14 53
Doing online searches
Finding information on a product I am interested in
Asking questions
28
Asking for directions
Finding information on a brand or company
Playing music 29 50
Checking travel information
Setting alarms
Checking news headlines
Home management tasks 42
41
41
*regular voice tech users are defined as people using voice technology at least once a week
Global smartphone owners: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore Source: Kantar and SONARTM
P U B LIC VS. PRIVATE
Consumers currently prefer to use voice shows the lowest level of embarrassment I have got used to using voice in
in private spaces, particularly the home, at using voice in public. As a result, the car, at my office and at home,
where smart speakers such as Echo and Spanish people are the most likely to use but not any other places
DingDong thrive. voice “while walking down the street” Female 34-year-old focus group
(51% versus the global average of 31%). respondent, China
The car also makes a suitable venue for
voice technology, allowing drivers to multi- Perhaps as we use voice more in Voice assistants aren’t used in
task, hands-free. Already, car manufacturers the home and the car, people will public often. But, if more people
such as Ford, Volkswagen and Hyundai start to get more used to it, and the used them, that trend would change.
feeling-daft factor fades away a bit When I use mine, I get stared at
have started integrating Alexa into their and feel uncomfortable
vehicles. This is particularly true in Duncan Anderson, former chief technology officer at
car-centric markets such as the United IBM Watson Europe Focus group and online community
participant, China
States, where 65% of regular voice users
As people become desensitized, public
carry out voice interactions while driving,
usage may increase in some markets.
compared to 40% globally.
Voice-responsive headphones such as
There is a reluctance among many to Apple’s AirPods or Doppler Labs’ Here
use voice in public spaces, particularly in One could prove popular by creating semi-
countries where speaking out loud in public private interactions. Service robots and
might be seen as culturally inappropriate. voice-activated help devices in retail and
In Japan, for example, 72% of regular voice leisure could also help drive normalization.
users say “I would feel too embarrassed to
use voice technology in public,” compared
to 57% globally. Spain, at only 47%,
Voice assistant-enabled
wireless earbuds combine
premium audio, smart noise
cancellation and speech
enhancement for a unique
listening experience. 14
DEC ID IN G FAC TO R S
Across the nine markets, smartphone users conscious (66% of Singaporean voice users picking up conversations where they left off perception. As the technology improves,
who have thus far opted out of voice are concerned). and building on prior understanding. This is and more examples of the positive impact
technology have ranked the key factors that certainly Amazon’s goal in licensing Alexa voice can make on people’s lives emerge,
would inspire them to consider it. Yet expressing concern is not the same as to third-party hardware manufacturers. adoption is likely to grow.

They are looking for guarantees of personal taking action. In our view, the proportion I would love the AI to be able to
privacy, a better understanding of the impact of people who claim to be concerned about keep track of the topic or subject
the service could make on their lives, and a privacy exceeds those prepared to modify of the conversation, without always
promise that the technology will seamlessly their behavior as a result. having to reintroduce the subject or
topic when asking a new question
integrate into their lives (see Figure 3).
I personally find it quite convenient
Online community participant, UK
to always have [Alexa] there
Guarantees around personal data security listening—although that does throw
ranks number one in six of the nine Finally, a better grasp of the value
up some privacy issues for me, it’s
markets. All other countries rank it second, something I am willing to overlook proposition is needed across the board.
although only 27% of Japanese respondents Many potential users cannot see the
feel this is key. Male focus group and online advantage voice has over touch or type,
community participant, UK
with 29% of all non-voice users saying they
What’s more, half our global respondents Nonetheless, privacy is a key issue that won’t “don’t see the point.” This rises considerably
express worry about companies listening go away. Developers of voice interfaces will in some of the more skeptical markets,
to the conversations they have with their need to make it a priority. such as the UK (48%) and Germany (39%).
voice assistant. There is significant regional
variation in levels of privacy concern, Seamless integration of the service is Some of the teething problems with
however. Australia demonstrates a relatively another top priority. Users of voice speech recognition accuracy and the precise
relaxed attitude (only 31% express concern), are looking for greater integration language that is required by some assistants
while other countries are more privacy- across platforms, devices and contexts, to complete tasks are contributing to this

15
 34 42 46
DECIDING 13 27 54

FACTORS
United Kingdom
Figure 3.
Germany
33 39 61

United States 30 39 43 Spain

China Japan

28 35 40 39 48 57

43 43 46
38 49 54 Thailand

Singapore
%

% Global non-users of voice tech who would consider using it if:

70
60 Australia
50
40
30 The voice assistant could fit seamlessly into their lives
They had more information about what a voice assistant can do
There were guarantees around their personal security
40 43 45

Global smartphone owners: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore Source: Kantar and SONARTM
 T HE
FUT UR E
VOIC E
C ONSUM E R
AS WE LO OK TOWA R DS
THE FUTURE, A NUMB ER
OF GLO BAL TRENDS
WILL SHAP E HOW
CONSUMERS USE AN D
FEEL ABO UT VOIC E.

“Everybody Scream” by Rankin, 2016, for Hunger magazine issue 11, courtesy of Rankin.
EASING THE COGNITIVE LOAD
CONSUMERS WILL EMBRACE VOICE AS A LESS MENTALLY VOICE & THE HUMAN BRAIN
TAXING FORM OF INTERACTION.
Figure 4.
Our research identifies efficiency as response is less taxing than its screen-based
a primary motivation for using voice. equivalent (see Figure 4). This supports the Correct Answer
The top three reasons for regular users idea that voice, the oldest form of human Response
globally are “it’s convenient” (52%), communication, is inherently more intuitive
“I don’t have to type” (48%) and “it’s simple than any other.
High Mental
to use” (46%). Activity
In fact, 35% of global regular voice users
To explore this further, we worked with tell us that they use voice tech when they
Neuro-Insight, a leading neuroscience are feeling lazy. This was particularly the
research agency, to investigate the brain’s case in Germany (45%), the United States
response to voice interactions, compared to (44%), and China (43%), where consumers
touch or typing. value respite from the pace of everyday life.
Low Mental
We found that voice interactions showed With only one word, ‘mornings,’ Activity
consistently lower levels of brain activity DingDong will automatically update
than their touch equivalent. Specifically, me with the weather and the news
Alexa Text
both left-brain and right-brain memory Male 27-year-old focus group respondent, China
encoding were lower, indicating that voice
Source: Neuro-Insight study Feb 2017; n = 102 UK smartphone users. Brain activity measured using
SST headsets; unit of measurement is radians, which equates to strength of brain response;
respondents were asked to carry out a series of tasks either speaking to Alexa or typing into an iPad.

18
Some companies are already tapping into
the human bias towards voice. Travel app
HelloGbye, which in November 2016
launched a partnership with American
Express, allows users to dictate their dates
of travel, destination and the number of
people with whom they are travelling to
generate a suitable list of flight and hotel
options. As with most voice-activated
services, this saves time and offers users an
effortless, streamlined experience. These
are some of the key benefits of voice
described by our focus groups.
DingDong is simple, fast and
convenient—perfect for lazy
people like me!
Female 29-year-old focus group respondent, China
Baidu’s TalkType keyboard app in China
prioritizes voice over typing when it comes
to messaging. While the app still features
a keyboard, the default option is voice.
In countries where written language is
character-based rather than alphabet-
based, messaging can be particularly
time-consuming as thousands of graphic
characters must be recreated in phonetic
characters. This makes the ease of voice
interaction especially appealing.
Frictionless experiences apply outside the B2C
context too: Beijing-based Unisound provides
medical cloud services that allow doctors to
use voice to create records, potentially saving
them up to two hours per day.
Indeed, we found that 51% of regular voice
users in China use it because they don’t have
to type. This motivation was even stronger
in Japan (57%) and Thailand (54%).
We believe that the relative ease of voice
interaction will make it increasingly attractive
to consumers throughout the world,
particularly those feeling overwhelmed by
technology.
The voice-enabled iTranslate
dictionary and translation app
allows users to read, write and even
start voice conversations in more
than 90 languages. 19
WHY VOICE Just for fun

TECHNOLOGY? It is faster to use

My phone is out of reach

Figure 5.

I’m feeling lazy

I’m walking

Global smartphone owners My hands are full

who have ever used voice
I’m in a rush
Global regular voice
tech users*

My hands are dirty

I’m driving

*regular voice tech users are defined as people using voice technology at least once a week
Source: Kantar and SONARTM
TH E DIGITAL BUT L ER
VO I C E ASS I STA N TS W I LL TA KE A MORE PROACTIVE
R OL E I N M A N AG I N G O UR L I VE S.
As voice assistants get smarter, they have
the potential to evolve into proactive
services, making useful recommendations
and even managing choice on behalf of
their users. In effect, they will become
the “digital butler” or “pocket concierge”
that helps us at every turn.
Both Google and Amazon have taken
a step on this path already, launching
proactive notifications for their Home and
Alexa devices respectively. For example,
Google Home will now light up when it
has something to say, such as a reminder of
an upcoming appointment or news about
a traffic delay. Amazon is going one step
further by offering developers the option
to integrate this feature into their skills
in the future.
This is something that consumers seem to
want: 39% of all smartphone users globally
say they are excited about the prospect that
“my voice assistant will anticipate what I
need and take actions or make suggestions.”
This is particularly strong in Asian markets
that are rapidly embracing voice, such as
China (64%) and Thailand (57%).
Duer is very smart. When my
wife asked if she can wear a skirt,
it said, ‘Yes, today is warm enough
to wear a skirt.’ It helps to make
decisions directly
Male 40-year-old focus group
respondent, China
The ELLI•Q™ active aging companioin
helps users navigate the complexities
of the digital world, keeping them
entertained through online games
and connected to friends and family
with video chats. 21
 Baidu’s voice assistant Duer makes suggestions based on
past purchases. In Germany, users trust personal assistant
app Mia to organize all aspects of their professional lives,
while users in Australia rely on the artificially intelligent
business advisor BRiN to solve complex business problems
on their behalf. Apple’s newly launched watchOS 4,
debuted in June 2017, features a proactive Siri watch
As one UK focus group participant explains, “You can
build trust by, hopefully, making sure no one’s ripped off
while giving them access to do amazing things.”
For brands, the key challenge will be to ensure that they
are recommended by the “digital butler” ahead of their
competitors—a topic explored further in the Brand Futures

%
face which updates dynamically throughout the day to section of this report.
display helpful personalized updates such as upcoming
appointments, weather alerts or traffic information.
45  f potential voice users globally say
o
they would be encouraged to use voice
if there were “guarantees around my
While some choice will most likely always be important to
personal data security”
consumers across many scenarios, the process of narrowing
down choice is a useful service that digital assistants can offer.
Voice assistant developers must consider how much variety
to suggest (and serendipity to introduce) when delivering
recommendations, and when it’s appropriate to make the
decision on the user’s behalf, such as a repeat purchase.

What’s more, providers need to earn trust through a track

record of successful service before dependency can grow.
They also need to alleviate users’ privacy concerns and
demonstrate responsibility with the personal data needed
to make meaningful suggestions.

Laundrapp, a laundry pick-up and

delivery service, has developed an
Alexa skill to make the process
more convenient for users. 22
 LIBERATI O N F R O M TH E SC R EEN
VOICE W I L L F RE E U S U P TO I NT E RAC T B E T T E R W I T H
THE WO RL D AROU ND U S .

Voice technology could be the key to In this way, voice could even improve
liberating users from the omnipresent screen. human interactions.

%
With no need for typing and swiping, imagine
how heads will shift their focus upwards
away from the screen. Voice will allow us to
53  f global smartphone users
o
think “voice technology will
help people interact more
get reacquainted with the real world around with each other as they
us. This presents brands with exciting won’t be always looking
opportunities to engage their audiences. down at a screen”
This view is particularly strong in China,
Outside the home, in-ear “hearables” such where 78% agree.
as Sony’s Xperia Ear allow users to enjoy
voice tech hands-free while out and about.
Apple Airpods and Motorola’s Moto Hint let
users leave their phone in their bag or pocket
and control their smartphones by voice.

Xperia Ear is an in-ear,

voice-controlled personal assistant
created by Sony. The device provides
social media updates as well as
information about missed calls 23
and calendar appointments.
Of course, liberation from the screen is
unlikely to be absolute. The launch of the
Echo Show and the prevalence of screen-
based smart speakers in Asia are testament
to the need for supporting visuals on
certain occasions. But as augmented and
mixed reality go mainstream, this need may
fall by the wayside.
%
69  f global smartphone users
o
agree that “it would be
much easier if technology
could speak back to me”
You can keep hands free and The Apple watchOS 4 features
a Siri-enabled watch face that
carry on doing what you’re doing. proactively sends notifications.
Even walking here actually, today,
I wasn’t sure where we were so I just
asked [my phone’s voice assistant]
for directions. It took me here and
then said, when I was outside the
door…‘You are now here’
Focus group respondent, UK
For brands, the challenge will be twofold.
First, they will need to ensure that services
or content can be easily accessed through
voice in a simple and engaging manner.
Second, they will need to think how they can
capture the attention of consumers through
content accessible in the Internet of Things.
24
CRAV IN G IN T IM ACY
VO I C E US E R S W I L L DE VE LO P STRONG EMOTIONAL
CO N N E C T I O N S TO THE I R VI RTUAL ASSISTANTS.

As advances in machine learning continue,
voice assistants will become far better
equipped to understand their users. As this
understanding deepens, we expect people to
grow closer to their assistants.
We already see a consumer appetite for
voice assistants to be able to understand
with a voice that is fairly robotic, with
little personality. As a result, emotional
attachment to voice assistants is currently
limited. Our neuroscience experiments
found that the emotional response to voice
assistants is considerably lower than the
response to either a face-to-face human
interaction or a touch or text interface.

%
them more fully.
Yet the emotional response to Alexa grew

73 of global smartphone during the course of our experiments as

users agree that “if voice people became more comfortable using
assistants could understand it (see Figure 6), pointing to the potential
me properly and speak for a closer relationship. What’s more,
back to me as well as a when people asked a question involving a
human can, I’d use them brand name, their brain activity showed a
all the time” significantly stronger emotional response
At present, voice technology typically compared to people typing that same brand
struggles to grasp language subtleties, question (see Figure 7).
regional accents and context. It also has
This is borne out further by some of the
difficuties remembering past behavior and
early adopters of voice, for whom a deeper
preferences. More often than not it speaks
emotional attachment is starting to develop.
“Jump to It” with Winnie Harlow by
Rankin, for Hunger magazine issue 11. 25
Globally, almost half (43%) of regular voice
technology users say that they love their
could develop. It contains Azuma Hikari,
a three-inch holographic girl. Capable of
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
voice assistant so much they wish it were a recognizing the user’s face and voice, she is BY QUESTION
real person. This is particularly true in the designed to be a home companion.
markets that enthusiastically embrace voice, Figure 6.
such as China (65%) and Thailand (61%). You find yourself saying ‘please’
and ‘thank you’ to [Alexa]
Even more astonishing is that more than a -0.5
0
0.5+ -0.5
0
0.5+
Male 45-year-old focus group respondent, UK
quarter (29%) of global regular voice users Radians
say they have had a sexual fantasy about For brands, the opportunity will be to use
0.09
their voice assistant. voice effectively to foster an ever-closer 0.17
relationship with their consumers. At the First Question

It is interesting, when something same time, we can expect voice assistants to

acts naturally and human back to become increasingly powerful gatekeepers
All Questions

you, how much we imbue it with

sentience, with human personality
to the consumer.
-0.33 0.26
Martin Reddy, cofounder and chief technology It should be able to sense my
officer, PullString emotion, tell me some jokes when
I am in a good mood and comfort
While extreme, this points to an me when I am upset
anthropomorphization of the voice
assistant, chiming with the 69% of regular Male 28-year-old focus group
respondent, China
voice technology users globally who say
“I want to feel like I’m talking to a real Alexa Text
human when I talk to my voice assistant.”
Gatebox, a Japanese device akin to the
Source: Neuro-Insight study Feb 2017; n = 102 UK smartphone users. Brain activity measured
Echo, gives an indication of how this using SST headsets; unit of measurement is radians, which equates to positivity of brain response

26
 BRAND
F UT URES
AS VOICE BECOMES A N
INCREASINGLY IMP ORTA N T
MODE OF BR AND-CO N S U M ER
INTERACTION, WHAT W I L L
IT MEAN FO R BRAN DS?
WE’V E IDENTIFIED FI V E
KEY THEMES THAT BR A N DS
NEED TO CO NSIDER IF T HEY
ARE TO THR IV E IN A
VOICE-ACTIVATED
WO R LD.

“Joke’s on You” by Daniel Thomas Smith,

2016, for Hunger magazine issue 11,
courtesy of Daniel Thomas Smith.
G R AP P L I NG WIT H THE VOICE GATEKEEPE R S
ADVERTISERS WILL NEED TO REAPPRAISE RELATIONSHIPS
WITH VOICE ASSISTANT PROVIDERS AS VUIS STRENGTHEN $2  illion of sales were forecast
b
to be driven by digital
assistants in 2016 alone.20
THEIR ROLE AS CONSUMER GATEKEEPERS.

It seems unlikely that the interruptive Home or DingDong. While these services Some skills stand out, such as the Uber
model of paid advertising will translate offer companies the opportunity to create skill, which allows Alexa users in the United
easily to voice, as users demand a more a branded experience over the platform, States, United Kingdom and Germany to
streamlined experience. they hold limited promise for direct order and cancel rides or to check a request
consumer engagement in the future. status. Uber has a loyal following and
Google Home customers in the United those using voice want to order from Uber
States kicked up a fuss when Google There has been limited uptake by users particularly, rather than any taxi service the
Assistant gave out unsolicited information thus far. According to a 2017 report from voice assistant might choose. But many
about a new Disney film.18 Google quickly VoiceLabs, there are more than 7,000 skills situations don’t require a branded solution,
removed the ad. on the Alexa platform but only 31% of nor do users think in these terms. Instead,
these have more than one customer review, they have a problem, such as a grease
I think the reality is that we’re just suggesting the majority of applications
not interested in advertising—it’s a stain on their clothes, and they want the
very different world. I don’t want
aren’t being downloaded.19 Users dislike voice assistant to tell them how to remove
to talk to my device and then it the particular commands required to make it before going back out to their dinner
gives me an advert for five minutes. the skills function properly. What’s more, party. No one has the time or inclination
That’s just never going to work the technology is currently not able to to follow the steps to activate the Tide
deliver a unique voice that’s also interactive, stain-removal skill specifically, for example.
Duncan Anderson, former chief technology officer,
IBM Watson Europe giving brands little scope to differentiate Any dependable advice will do.
themselves from the voice assistant
With the future of traditional advertising (as well as from their competitors). Google Home, a voice-activated speaker
connected to Google Assistant, allows
in doubt, brands can reach consumers the user to ask questions and control
their smart home.
over a VUI by building services for Echo,
28
18. Chris Welch, “Google Home is Playing Audio Ads for Beauty and the Beast,” The Verge, March 16, 2017, bit.ly/2rL0iAy
19. VoiceLabs, “The 2017 Voice Report,” January 15, 2017, bit.ly/2jJlyk7
20. Finbarr Toesland, “Voice Search and Chatbots Are Transforming Commerce”, Raconteur, September 8, 2016, bit.ly/2mIu4iT
 Amazon has developed
the Echo Look, an Alexa-
powered camera that
takes fashion photos
Joseph Evans, senior research analyst at and videos.
Enders Analysis, predicts, “You’ll have a
layer of skills by developers and they will
present themselves to the Alexa central
level, saying, ‘I can do X, I can do Y,
I can do Z.’ And then when you have a
user request, Alexa will do some kind of
machine learning and say, ‘Okay, what they
said means that they want Y,’ right?” The
user will not interact with the brand directly.

There’s a pretty good argument…

that the people who put these
devices in your home seek to own
the market because they own the
habit

Nir Eyal, bestselling author and lecturer at

Stanford University

With these services likely to recede into the

background of the overall voice assistant
experience, and with the interruptive ad
model being questioned, brands face a
future in which a few key VUI providers
act as gatekeepers to consumers, who rely
on their voice assistant to deliver solutions
to their problems and to purchase products
on their behalf.

29
R E CO MM E NDAT IO N A ND A LGORITHM OPTI M I ZATI O N
A KEY CHALLENGE IN A WORLD INTERMEDIATED
BY VOICE ASSISTANTS WILL BE ENSURING YOUR
BRAND OR CONTENT IS CHOSEN BY THE ASSISTANT.
ALGORITHM OPTIMIZATION WILL BECOME THE NEW SEO.
While we have seen many smart speakers
with integrated visual interfaces,
voice technology works best when there’s
only one answer, according to 80% of
global regular voice technology users.
is right for them and not just lucrative
for the voice assistant provider.
When there are many [options],
you don’t want to hear them all,
nor can you remember
optimization,” also known as “algorithm In a voice-enabled world, ensuring your
optimization.” Much as with search engine content is chosen by the assistant will
optimization (SEO), businesses will be able become ever more critical.
to affect the likelihood of the voice assistant
recommending their brands through the
structure of their digital content assets.

As the market for voice technology
matures, brands may have to pursue a
number of strategies to ensure that voice
assistants surface their brand as that
single result. Currently, there’s still much
debate about how this may play out.
Here we consider three possibilities: paid
recommendations, the affiliate model and
algorithm optimization.
In some circumstances it may be possible
for a voice assistant to offer a “paid
recommendation” to a user. For instance,
asking Alexa to buy more washing powder
could lead to the (paid) suggestion of an
alternative offer. The key to this model’s
success will be user trust that the suggestion
Female 34-year-old focus group respondent, China
An alternative might be an affiliate model,
similar to price comparison services today.
The voice assistant could deliver a single
recommendation in response to a query and
then take a commission on a subsequent “Hypothetisches
lead or sale. As of now, this approach does Gebilde” by Alicja
Kwade, 2016, featured
appear to be palatable, with 57% of regular by 303 Gallery as part
of Frieze London 2016.
voice users saying, “I don’t mind if [a local
voice assistant] takes a commission from a
purchase made by voice as long as the deal is
good for me.” In this scenario, brands that
are positively reviewed by journalists and
other social influencers will improve their
chances of being recommended by the VA.
A third option gaining traction is “assistant
30
J OIN T H E IN T E RN E T OF THINGS
Voice-controlled
cooking appliance
SmartyPans gives
step-by-step
instructions based
B RA N DS S H O UL D CO N SI DE R A DDING VOICE on real-time feedback
I NT E R AC T I V ITY AS A N D W HE N THESE CAPABILITIES from weight and
temperature sensors.
E XPA N D TO NE W D E VI C E S.

Voice technology is moving rapidly Brands need to think about how they can
beyond mobile phones and smart speakers. make their own physical assets voice-
Alexa has already been built into dozens of enabled, whether through the integration
smart devices. of a voice assistant like Alexa, or their
own voice technology. For retailers,
Social robots around the world such as this could include embedding voice
Olly, Jibo, RoBoHoN and Musio are an assistants in display units or changing rooms.
alternative to smart speakers. Voice-activated We found that 52% of global smartphone
products such as the kids’ digital storybook users already want a voice assistant that can
The Snow Fox or the controversial My communicate with the store, for example
Friend Cayla doll offer a more interactive to help them to navigate and to find
and enriching experience than their basic products more easily.
equivalents. Meanwhile, the number of
commercial settings that integrate voice- Connected packaging also presents an
activated services is growing. In hospitality, opportunity. Two thirds (67%) of global
a team of robots at the Henn-na hotel in smartphone users agree with the statement
Japan checks in guests and offers concierge “I like the idea of being able to ask my
services, while the JW Marriott San Antonio products questions about their provenance.”
in the United States is piloting the Echo Dot At CES 2017, we saw the launch of talking
in its hotel rooms. The Dot will provide packaging in the form of Cambridge
guests with information about restaurants, Consultants’ AudioPack concept for drugs
room service and directions. and medical devices.

31
 Media themselves are increasingly likely
to become voice-enabled. Using voice,
consumers will be able to engage as and
when they want with services such as
Instreamatic.AI, which is an interactive
audio platform that allows advertisers to
create voice-enabled audio ads. Audio is
also being made searchable. Israeli company
Audioburst records radio shows and
transcribes soundbites called “bursts.” This
content can then be tagged with keywords
and discovered online and via Alexa.
As the TV becomes voice-enabled (Alexa step closer to winning back control of
is now built into the latest Amazon Fire consumer engagement.
stick; Google Home allows users to play
video on their TVs through Chromecast
using voice command), viewers may also
use their voice assistants to interact with TV
advertisers. Sky has also recently integrated
voice recognition into its remote. Deutsche
Telekom and Orange are collaborating on
a smart assistant called Djingo, which will
allow people to use voice to control their
Orange TVs throughout Europe, the Middle
East and Africa when it launches in 2018.
As brands turn to voice, they will start to
amass an audio dataset that will present
opportunities to glean considerable insight
via voice analytics. What can you learn about
your customers from their tone of voice
and how they talk to you? Can you apply
sentiment analysis to the voice recordings
to understand how customers feel?
What’s more, brands that build their own
voice-enabled products and content can
position themselves outside the voice
gatekeeper ecosystem and take one
You have to be able to offer people
something which makes it worth
their while to actually interact with
you… and those who are able to do
that will actually do it well
Joseph Evans, senior research analyst,
Enders Analysis

The Forty Part Motet by Janet Cardiff

showcases 40 separately recorded
voices, each with its own speaker.
Photo: Atsushi Nakamichi/Nacása
& Partners Inc. Courtesy of the
Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, 2009 32
A R E YO U BEIN G SERV ED?
BRANDS THAT DEVELOP USEFUL CONTENT CAN
MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE WITH THEIR CONSUMERS
VIA A NEW CHANNEL.

The question for brands should be: The second route to consider is creating Services that reduce friction in people’s lives
if tomorrow you had a seamless way a skill, Conversation Action, or DingDong are likely to appeal to the 52% of regular
to talk to your product … would that
save the customer steps?
service. When contemplating this investment, voice users globally who cite convenience
brands must first decide what the software as one of the main reasons for using voice
Nir Eyal, bestselling author and lecturer at will accomplish. The characteristics of technology. Ultimately, voice platforms
Stanford University
some of the early examples of successful must understand the needs of the user and
There are two routes a brand can take skills for Alexa are rooted in their simplicity deliver on these through a process that is
when developing a one-to-one experience. and ability to offer real value in a natural, simple and intuitive.
One is to build a chatbot for a messaging straightforward way. A user who activates the
Amazon made us boil down our
platform such as Facebook Messenger, BMW skill can ask Alexa about a scheduled
original ideas to the simplest
WeChat, Line or Kik. Brands should be trip, find out what time to leave, and send the possible concept—which is what
thinking about the circumstances in which destination to the vehicle. Amsterdam-based you’ve got to do when you’re
chatbots can be voice-enabled. It is possible Triggi’s Alexa skill allows users to control designing for voice
to envisage successful text-based chatbots Nest, Netatmo, Philips Hue and other
delivering an even more flexible experience smart devices, intending to “make smart
Michael Hill, founder and MD, Radioplayer

for customers by adding voice capabilities. things smarter.”

Already Microsoft’s Xiaoice, which has more Softserve is bringing voice technology
to the workplace with the VoiceMyBot
than 40 million users in China and Japan, skill for Alexa, which allows users to
has launched as a voice-enabled chatbot stay in touch with their colleagues
via the HipChat group chat tool.
on WeChat.21

21. Jerry Salandra, “China, WeChat and the Origins of Chatbots,” Chatbots Magazine, March 12, 2017, bit.ly/2qTEQK9
33
F I N D YO UR VO IC E
BR A N DS C A N STR E N GTHE N CONSUMER RELATIONSHIPS
BY D EF I N I N G THE I R (L I TE R A L ) VOICES.
Our neuroscience research gives an early
indication that speaking to a brand delivers
a deeper emotional connection than
interacting with it through type or touch.
When people asked a question involving a
brand name, their brain activity showed a
significantly stronger emotional response
compared to people typing that same brand
question (see Figure 7). The act of saying a
brand name appears to strengthen the pre-
existing emotional associations to a greater
degree than typing it. This emphasizes the
need for brands to craft the sound of their
own voices.
Companies will now need to think
about the actual voice of their
brand … They have to think about
how their brand sounds, and the
words and language that their brand
uses when communicating with
customers … the personality of their
brand as it’s presented to users
Martin Reddy, cofounder and chief technology
officer, PullString
Consumers are already looking for greater
variety in voices. Just under three quarters
(74%) of regular voice technology users
globally believe brands should have unique
voices and personalities for their apps
or skills, and not just use the assistant
on smartphones.
Some of the early skill pioneers have
started to use different voices to reflect the
service they offer. The BBC News skill,
for example, uses a pre-recorded presenter’s
voice. Eighth Note, a voice-activated
version of the smartphone game Flappy
Bird, which originated in China, takes a
different approach. The game character’s
movement is controlled by the volume of
the user’s voice, illustrating how the brand
has considered the player’s voice rather
than its own, to achieve engagement.
Eighth Note has gone viral in Asia, where
Chinese YouTube personality Jing Jing has The smart and energy-efficient Philips
Hue lights can now be controlled by
accumulated 6.5 million views on a video Siri via Apple HomeKit technology.
of herself playing the game.
34
In time, we will see more personality,
beyond the sound and tone of the voice,
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
once AI capabilities allow responses to be
TO BRANDED QUESTIONS

%
truly interactive and adaptable.
Figure 7.
62  f regular voice technology
o Radians
users globally agree with the 1.0
statement “I like the idea of
being able to give my voice 0.9
assistant a celebrity’s voice”
0.8
Our research has shown that people have
strong preconceived notions about what 0.7
a brand should sound like—globally 62%
of smartphone users say their voices and 0.6
personalities should be unique. Hit the 0.64
right notes and you can be music to your 0.5
customers’ ears.
0.4
A voice assistant would be like
a friend, with a voice that’s male,
0.3
like [Taiwanese singer, actor and
racing driver] Jimmy Lin’s: friendly 0.32
and gentle. This would be better 0.2
than a calm, computerised voice
0.1
Male 29-year-old focus group respondent, China

0
Text Voice
Source: Neuro-Insight study Feb 2017; n = 102 UK smartphone users.
Brain activity measured using SST headsets; unit of measurement is radians, 35
which equates to positivity of brain response to specific* requests for brands
S H ORT-TER M BR AND IMPLICATIONS
WH AT M AR K E TE R S C A N D O TO PREPARE FOR A
VO I C E -AC T I VATE D WO R L D I N THE SHORT TERM
1 Consider how voice could
genuinely augment the
touchpoints on your
consumer journey.
How could a voice interaction
add value to or remove friction
from the consumer experience?
2 Learn the rules of engagement
in conversational commerce.
Build a chatbot and deepen
your exposure to the types of
conversations consumers want
to have.
3 Identify your consumers’
Deciding Factors 5 Review whether your search
activity is optimized for voice.
What are the cultural and Does your keyword strategy
technological sticking points in capitalize on the long tail of
your market that must be handled conversational search terms?
carefully in order to launch your
voice proposition successfully?
4 Experiment with voice-user
interfaces.
Test and learn, for example
through an Alexa skill or a
DingDong trial. Explore how
you can provide utility to your
customers or drive new behaviors.
36
LONG-TERM B RA ND IM PL I CATI O NS
WHAT MARKETERS CAN DO TO PREPARE FOR A
VOICE-ACTIVATED WORLD IN THE ME DI U M TO LONG T E RM
1 Enhance your privacy
credentials.
Review and develop your personal
data privacy policies to reflect local
market concerns, as attitudes to
privacy in relation to voice vary
considerably by market.
Position yourself as the brand to
trust wherever you do business.
2
Use radio or interactive
audio ads to develop your
brand’s voice.
What do people want to hear when
they speak directly to your brand?
3 See what you can learn from
how customers talk to your
brand.
5 Forge strategic partnerships
for voice integration.
Work with retailers and service
Try using voice-analytics software businesses to distribute your
to detect how your customers voice-activated products and
really feel. services into their environments.
4 Re-evaluate your PR efforts.
Getting your brands recommended
by respected journalists and other
thought leaders could be your best
bet for staying relevant in the era
of voice and the affiliate model.
37
MA R K E T
USAG E

The L.U.C.Y. home assistant, which helps

around the house, combines voice and
facial recognition technology with a
high-definition screen.
AU STR A LIA U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y (% OF SMARTPHONE
USERS IN AUSTRALIA VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)

VO ICE
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

I haven’t used voice technology

T H E VO I C E and I will never use it

PROFILE
LANDSCAPE
I haven’t used voice technology,
Australia is yet to see the but will consider using it in the future

full array of voice services

arrive in its market. DEMOGRAPHICS I have used voice technology

%
only once or twice
With smart speakers yet to launch in Australia, W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S
The Google voice- Australia

most users’ experience of voice comes from customer search funtionality Global

54
I use voice technology

service lines, search and Siri. In common with other entered the market 35-54 at least once a month

technologies in Australia, voice has generated widespread in 2009, followed

%
I use voice technology
interest, but it has seen slower adoption rates than in by Siri. at least once a week

63
other Asia-Pacific markets. Launching in summer 2017, The market also includes
some early adopters, who
Google Home is likely to drive further adoption of purchased Amazon Echo

%
voice in the Australian market. from overseas.

MY
G R A N D M OT H E R ’ S
LINGO
This voice-activated online game
tells the story of Angela Joshua,
a young Aboriginal woman seeking
to preserve her indigenous
language. To unlock chapters
51 HIGH U T I L I Z AT I O N
In Australia, the utilization of
voice-assistant technology is
lower than the global average.
REASONS Consideration of use is high,
AU S T R A L I A N S but there is currently a lack
USE VOICE of awareness of the benefits: PREFERRED
TECHNOLOGY 36% don’t see the point of P L AT F O R M S

1
in Angela’s story, users have to using voice technology, and 28%

1
repeat phrases in her endangered don’t expect it to be any quicker. Siri
language. The game uses voice It’s faster to use

2
to educate Australians about Australia is polarised between

2
threatened indigenous languages, a subset that is interested in Google Search app
breathing life into the culture and Just for fun

3
technology, and a mainstream

3
using voice as a storytelling tool.
majority that lags in awareness Google Now/Google
My Grandmother’s Lingo I’m driving
and adoption of it. Assistant 39
T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F VO I C E T E C H N O LO G Y BRiN
( % O F R E G U L A R V O I C E U S E R S I N AU S T R A L I A V S . G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
BRiN is a smartphone app that uses
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 artifical intelligence to understand
business problems and provide smart
solutions. While BRiN can’t make
Doing online searches
decisions for us, it can steer us in the
right direction and impact business
Asking questions
decision making. In the future,
apps like these may even act

%
on our behalf.
Finding information on a product

86
in which I am interested

Ask for directions

OF REGULAR VOICE
Asking a fun question

USERS LIKE THE IDEA

Making a call
OF BEING ABLE TO
CHANGE THE GENDER
Reminding myself to buy a
product I need or want OF THEIR VOICE
Australia ASSISTANT BRiN
Finding information on Global
a brand or company

LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
Asking for the weather forecast

Playing music
W H AT D O P E O P L E
USE VOICE FOR?
All uses of voice technology
by Australians are below
the global average, which
highlights the extent to which
voice is still in its comparative
infancy. The main usage is
online search (42%), but
penetration is a lot lower than
the global average. Many
Australians are culturally
resistant to over-reliance
on technology. As a result,
voice usage is mainly about
basic features such as asking
questions (41%) and asking
for directions (35%). Lower
utilization levels may reflect
the fact that voice assistants are
not attuned to the Australian
accent, which can affect the
accuracy of their responses.
HIGHLIGHT THE VALUE Australians are more laissez-faire than other
nationalities about privacy issues, so focus on communicating the value that
your voice service brings, rather than its privacy credentials.
RATIONAL & FUNCTIONAL The Australian relationship with technology
is very rational, so brands should look to communicate the utility that their
voice services can offer.
EMPHASIZE THE CONVENIENCE OF VOICE Australians know that other
markets are more advanced than theirs in terms of the convenience of digital
services, so show how voice can raise the bar.
C H IN A VOICE T H E VO I C E
LANDSCAPE
PROFILE
Voice assistance technology
has been available in China for
almost a decade. Google voice-
search functionality arrived in
China currently has the highest number of voice 2009, followed by Siri in 2011.
Incomprehension of regional
technology services in the East. Chinese consumers
dialects and the complexity of
are familiar with voice technology and enjoy its the Mandarin language have
convenience benefits, particularly in contrast to resulted in voice technology not
typing Chinese phonetic characters. Local brands such
as Xiaomi, Baidu and Xunfei have developed
quite meeting the expectations
of users—yet. The launch
of LingLong DingDong in
affordable and multifunctional voice-assistance 2015, which claims better
services for the smart home. These services are
comprehension levels, could
highly aspirational for Chinese consumers with
fast-paced lifestyles. Most strikingly, Chinese I LIKE MY DUER SO
consumers show a particularly high inclination to MUCH THAT I WISH
I COULD HAVE
attribute human-like qualities to their voice assistants.
A REAL ROBOT
INSTEAD OF JUST
A VIRTUAL VOICE!
Male 40-year-old focus
group correspondent, China
TA L K T Y P E
Baidu’s TalkType keyboard app
prioritizes voice over typing when
it comes to messaging. While the
app still features a keyboard,
the default option is to use your
voice. This is the first keyboard
app of its kind, illustrating the
TalkType
move towards a voice-first world.
improve uptake. DingDong’s
arrival, alongside Xiaoyu
Zaihia/Little Fish, has made
U T I L I Z AT I O N
Weekly use of voice technology
PREFERRED
P L AT F O R M S
1
the voice landscape in China is 31%, mirroring
the global average. There also Voice feature in search
more diverse.
appears to be a strong appetite engine (e.g., Baidu)
2
for voice, with only 4% saying Siri
they will never use it. This no
3
doubt reflects the frustrations
REASONS CHINESE Cortana
many Chinese consumers feel
USE VOICE with typing Chinese phonetic
TECHNOLOGY characters, as evidenced in the
widespread use of WeChat’s
1 It’s simple to use
voice to text service. Of those
considering using it in the future, DEMOGRAPHICS
2
61% say they would be more
%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S
I don’t have to type inclined if personal data
62
security were guaranteed.
3 It’s convenient 35-54
%
U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN CHINA VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)
53
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
%
I haven’t used voice technology
50
and I will never use it
I haven’t used voice technology, ¥ HIGH
but will consider using it in the future China
Global
I have only used voice
technology once or twice
I haven’t used voice technology,
but will consider using it in the future
I use voice technology at
least once a week
41
LingLong DingDong
L I N G LO N G T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
(% OF REGULAR VOICE USERS IN CHINA VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)
DINGDONG

%
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70

The DingDong is China’s answer Finding information on a

to the Amazon Echo—a cloud- product in which I am interested
based, voice-activated smart

96
Doing online searches
speaker that can play music,
organize schedules, give directions
Asking a fun question
and answer questions about the
weather and news. Created by
Playing music
iFlytek and JD.com, the device
comes in Mandarin and Cantonese
Asking for the weather forecast
variants, and can understand a range
of Chinese accents and dialects. It
Making a call
understands an estimated 95% of
the population. OF REGULAR VOICE
USERS LIKE THE IDEA Reminding myself to buy
a product I need or want China

W H AT D O P E O P L E OF BEING ABLE TO Playing audio books

Global

CUSTOMIZE THEIR VOICE

U S E VO I C E F O R ? Finding information on
ASSISTANT’S PERSONALITY a brand or company

Compared to the global TO SUIT THEIR OWN VOICE Asking questions

average, use of voice in China

is higher across most activities.
Investigating product information
and online search are most used
and are driven by the busy and
fast-paced lifestyles of Chinese
consumers. Voice usage is also
important when it comes to
leisure— it’s mainly used just
for fun and for playing music.
LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
MAKE IT HUMAN More than in any other market, Chinese consumers want
their voice assistants to be “human.” Brands can stand out by developing unique,
personable voice applications that take a proactive role in their users’ lives.
IDENTIFY THE VOICE VALUE EXCHANGE Chinese consumers are
willing to trade privacy and personal history for a more tailored service.
Work out what value you can offer in exchange for voice data capture.
USE VOICE TO AS AN ASPIRATIONAL SYMBOL Endorsed by many
technology and home appliance brands, voice is accepted as part of the modern
and smart lifestyle to which modern Chinese aspire. By building a sophisticated
voice application, brands can signal their own modernity.
G E R MA NY U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN GERMANY VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)

VO ICE % 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

PROFILE
I haven’t used voice technology
T H E VO I C E and I will never use it

LANDSCAPE
I haven’t used voice technology,
but will consider using it in the future
Voice technology arrived in
REASONS Germany with Google voice-
Despite being one of only two European markets GERMANS search functionality in 2009. I have used voice technology

in which the Amazon Echo is available, the German USE VOICE Cortana and Amazon
only once or twice Germany
Global
adoption of voice is slightly less enthusiastic than TECHNOLOGY Alexa entered the I use voice technology

1
the global average. With a focus on using voice market in 2016 and
at least once a month
It’s faster to use
for efficiency and simplicity, and higher levels of this year Djingo launched in

2
I use voice technology
skepticism and privacy concerns, German consumers Just for fun April. The launch of Google at least once a week

Home and Allo have been

3
are waiting for more appealing and reliable reasons announced for summer 2017.
Feeling lazy
to use before embracing voice wholeheartedly.

MYKIE DEMOGRAPHICS U T I L I Z AT I O N PREFERRED

P L AT F O R M S

%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S
While the proportion of

1
Mykie is a smart speaker sous
chef created by Stuttgart-based people who have used voice Google Search app

45
engineering and electronics
company Bosch. Users can ask the
desktop bot general questions about 18-34 ever is similar to the global
average, Germany has fewer
2 Siri
the weather and search for recipes

%
regular weekly users (23%
3
using their voice. The device comes
with a projector, allowing users to vs. 31%). There is skepticism Google Now/Google

63
project recipes and cooking videos about voice technology, Assistant/Cortana
onto the walls of their kitchen to which is reflected in the fact
guide them. Mykie will also be able
that twice as many Germans

%
to connect to Bosch appliances in
the future. While the device made think they will never use voice

51
an appearance at CES 2017, compared to the global average,
Mykie
Bosch is still developing the product
and no release date has officially € HIGH and 39% of non-users say they
been announced. don’t see the point of using it. 43
 L .U. C .Y. T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
( % O F R E G U L A R V O I C E U S E R S I N G E R M A N Y V S . G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
L.U.C.Y. is a smart home assistant that % 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
incorporates voice-control technology
with a camera and touchscreen display.
Doing online searches
These added features provide a wider
service and usability than most other
home assistants. The HD camera can Asking questions

even recognize faces and serve every

family member according to their own Finding information on a
product in which I am interested
preferences, illustrating the direction
voice is heading with personalization. Asking for the
weather forecast

W H AT D O P E O P L E
Ask for directions

U S E VO I C E F O R ? Asking a fun question

The main use of voice is Playing music

online search (64%) and asking Germany

Finding information on Global
questions (63%). Both score a a brand or company

higher percentage in Germany

Find Recipes
than the global average as
these are simple and more Listen to the radio
convenient tasks. Germans
are also more likely to use
voice technology to obtain
the weather forecast (49%) LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
and seek directions (45%).

%
USE VOICE BEYOND THE SMARTPHONE Consumers frequently complain
about the smartphone and how it has made people less sociable. Use voice to

82
liberate people from their screens through voice activations in the physical world.
KEEP THE PERSONALITY STRAIGHTFORWARD Germans don’t think
OF REGULAR
adding personality to voice technology would offer any substantial value.
VOICE USERS LIKE THE Make utility your first priority.
IDEA OF BEING ABLE
TO ASK PRODUCTS
FOCUS ON EFFICIENCY Use voice to help consumers achieve a task more
L.U.C.Y. ABOUT THEIR efficiently, as Germans primarily use voice technology when it simplifies things
PROVENANCE and makes life easier.
JA PAN VOICE DEMOGRAPHICS T H E VO I C E
LANDSCAPE
U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E A S S I S TA N T
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN JAPAN VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)

%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S

PROFILE 51
Voice technology in Japan first
35-54 appeared with the Google
voice-search functionality
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

%
I haven’t used voice technology
in 2009. Subsequently, there and I will never use it
were a number of local
Japan’s adoption of voice technology is broadly on a
par with other markets in the study. Without significant
smart speaker presence, and with a strong social stigma
59 launches, including the Gatebox
companion device in December
2016. Most mobile carriers,
I haven’t used voice technology,
but will consider using it in the future

%
around public use, most voice technology use has such as NTT Docomo, have I have used voice technology

62
only once or twice
their own voice propositions.
been via smartphones in private spaces. But with Japan

Japan’s heritage in robotics and anime idols, we ¥ MEDIUM In the future, Line will launch
I use voice technology
Global
a system similar to Alexa, while at least once a month
can expect adoption of voice assistants to develop Amazon plans to launch the Echo
strongly in the near future. Google Home is launching by the end of the year. Japan’s I use voice technology
long-established culture of at least once a week
in summer 2017 and Amazon Echo is rumored to be
robotics has led to a number
entering the Japanese market next. of humanoid or social robots
with voice recognition, such as
Pepper and Musio.
MUSIO
Designed by AKA Intelligence and U T I L I Z AT I O N PREFERRED
powered by MUSE, Musio is an
artificially intelligent social robot The weekly use of voice
P L AT F O R M S
REASONS
1
that understands and grows with
its user. The device syncs with assistant technology in Japan
calendars to remind users of JA PA N E S E is just above the global average Google Search app
USE VOICE
2
meetings. It controls connected at 34%. Without significant
devices and tells jokes, acting Siri
like a chatty friend. The TECHNOLOGY smart speaker presence in the

3
anthropomorphization of voice market, most usage is focused

1
devices is particularly interesting. on the smartphone. Google Now
As the technology advances, they I don’t have to type

2
become more like humans and
eventually could foster stronger
emotional relationships.
It’s convenient

Musio
3 It’s faster than typing
45
T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F VO I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
( % O F R E G U L A R V O I C E U S E R S I N JA PA N V S . G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
% 0 5 10
Doing online searches
Finding information on a
product in which I am interested
Asking questions
Reminding myself to buy
a product I need or want
Asking for the
weather forecast
Asking a fun question
Find a local business
Find information on
a local business
Ask for directions
Find recipes
W H AT D O P E O P L E
USE VOICE FOR?
The main use of voice
technology is online search
(63%) and for finding
information on a product of
interest (55%). As in most
markets, voice usage in Japan is
driven by convenience. Using
it to search or ask questions
makes up the top three uses,
15 20 25 30 35 40
athough this is lower than the
global average. Asking for
directions is considerably
lower than the global
average, perhaps reflecting
the Japanese reluctance to use
voice technology in public.
45 50 55 60 65 70
XPERIA EAR
At Mobile World Congress 2017,
Sony announced its latest artificially
intelligent Xperia Ear earbud, which
features its virtual assistant Agent.
Users can receive social media
updates, information about missed
calls and calendar appointments.
The earpiece answers questions
and understands instructions to
call contacts. The rise of hearables
indicates a move away from the
screen—consumers want to engage
Japan with the world about them and stay
Xperia Ear connected to technology without
Global
staring at their devices.
LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
%
GET PHYSICAL With the most advanced robotics industry in the world, Japan’s
72
consumers are more comfortable talking to physical objects than consumers in any
other country. Brands have a great opportunity in Japan to add a voice experience
to the physical world—to their products, their retail outlets or to public spaces.
OF REGULAR VOICE DIAL UP THE PERSONALITY Anime culture, typified by the humanoid persona
USERS SAY Hatsune Miku, has familiarized Japanese consumers with developing emotional
I WOULD FEEL TOO
attachments to virtual characters. Add a strong personality to a voice experience
EMBARRASSED TO USE to tap into this cultural trend.
VOICE TECHNOLOGY
IN PUBLIC KEEP IT PRIVATE Think how your voice innovations can add value in the home
or in the car. In Japan, using voice on public transport or on the street is considered
rude to fellow citizens.
SI N GA P OR E U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E A S S I S TA N T
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN SINGAPORE VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)

VO ICE
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

T H E VO I C E
I haven’t used voice technology
and I will never use it

PROFILE
LANDSCAPE
DEMOGRAPHICS
I haven’t used voice technology,
but will consider using it in the future
Voice technology arrived in

%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S
Singapore later than most I have used voice technology

70
only once or twice
markets. In 2011, Siri was
Singapore has the lowest level of voice adoption of
the nine countries in our study. As a mainly English- 18-44 the first voice service to be
launched. Samsung S Voice
I use voice technology
at least once a month
Singapore
Global

%
speaking market, the development of voice has not followed the next year.
I use voice technology
However, without Amazon

53
been spurred on by the challenges of texting and at least once a week

Echo or Google Home in

typing, as in other Asian markets. A combination Singapore, early adopters have
of heightened concerns over voice privacy,

%
had to import from the US.
the lack of any of the main smart speakers, and no Google Assistant entered the
concerted push of voice search by Google has left
the Singapore voice market still in its infancy.
52 HIGH
market in the past month and
the launch of Google Allo is
scheduled for September
U T I L I Z AT I O N
At 17%, the weekly use of
PREFERRED
P L AT F O R M S

1
this year. voice technology in Singapore is
low in comparison to the global Siri
BUS UNCLE
2
average. As most Singaporeans
Google Search app
Bus Uncle is a bus arrival chatbot REASONS speak English, it is still

3
relatively easy to text and type.
that lives on Facebook Messenger. SINGAPOREANS Samsung S Voice
Created by software engineer Without the big voice players
Abhilash Murthy, Bus Uncle is a USE VOICE pushing their devices, awareness
human-like bot that provides witty
responses alongside bus times.
TECHNOLOGY is comparatively low. However,

1
While it can only process text for consideration of use in the
now, it understands Singaporean
creole, called Singlish, through
Just for fun future is high, so Singaporeans

2
natural language processing. In the are certainly open to the idea
future, Bus Uncle hopes to integrate I’m feeling lazy of voice technology.
voice into its offering to enhance
the experience and deepen the
connection with its users. Bus Uncle 3 I’m in a rush
47
 %
T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F VO I C E T E C H N O LO G Y W H AT D O P E O P L E
( % O F R E G U L A R V O I C E U S E R S I N S I N G A P O R E V S . G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
U S E VO I C E F O R ?

65
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Usage in Singapore is below
the global average in many
Finding information on a cases, reflecting the early
product in which I am interested
stage of market development.
The most popular use is for OF REGULAR VOICE USERS SAY
Asking a fun question
looking for information on
a product of interest (52%)
and for asking fun questions
I AM WORRIED
ABOUT COMPANIES
Doing online searches
(46%). Using it for fun is an

LISTENING TO THE
indicator that voice technology
Playing music is remains something of a
novelty in Singapore.
CONVERSATIONS
I HAVE WITH MY
Finding information on
a brand or company

Making a call VOICE ASSISTANT

Reminding myself to buy
a product I need or want

LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
Singapore

Asking for directions Global

KEEP IT SIMPLE Singaporean consumers are typically cautious and practical.

Asking questions
With the voice market at an early stage in its development, keep early voice
innovations simple and focused.
Listening to the radio
OPTIMISE FOR VOICE SEARCH As search is one of the main tasks achieved
with voice in Singapore, focus on how search investment can be optimized for
growing utilization.
PRIVACY PARTICULARLY MATTERS Consumers in Singapore are more
privacy conscious than in any other Asian market. Reassuring voice users
about how their data is being used is particularly important in Singapore.
SSPA
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personal assistant
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has been around since the
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%
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2
%
the user’s preferences and habits. the
Artificial Intelligence algorithms
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2
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predict algorithms applications the
predict the
the kind
kind of of information
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42
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users might
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3 42 HIGH
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when rain is forecast. examples such as Sherpa. 49
 T R I BY T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
( % OF RE GU L A R VOIC E U S E RS IN S PA IN VS . GLOB A L AV E RAGE )
Triby Family is a voice-activated

%
smart speaker with a built-in % 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70

Alexa voice service. To ensure

Doing online searches
it picks up voice commands
even when music is playing,

51
the d e v i c e h a s several Asking questions

microphones and In Vivo Finding information on

Acoustic Technology’s noise a brand or company

cancellation. Although voice Making a call

activation does not currently
function in Spain, the popularity Finding information on a
of the speaker in this market product in which I am interested

points to a potential avenue for Find recipes

early adoption of Alexa when OF REGULAR VOICE
it goes on sale.
TECH USERS IN SPAIN Asking a fun question

USE VOICE WHILE Spain

W H AT D O P E O P L E
Look up a song
playing on the radio
WALKING DOWN Global

U S E VO I C E THE STREET (COMPARED

Asking for the
weather forecast

A S S I S TA N T F O R ? TO A GLOBAL AVERAGE Playing music

OF 31%)
The main usage is for online
search (68%) and for asking
questions (60%), both of which
scored higher in Spain than
the global average. For Spanish
LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
consumers, shopping is an PLAY ON THE CONVENIENCE Spanish consumers love the convenience
event, a day out with friends.
that voice offers, so think about how voice can be used to remove friction from
Consequently, ecommerce
is relatively underdeveloped, the consumer journey.
so using voice for shopping MAKE IT PHYSICAL Voice use is stronger outside the home and Spanish
is currently unlikely. However,
using voice to find information
consumers love shopping days out. How can voice enhance the retail experience
on brands and companies is in the physical world?
higher than the global average.
MAKE THE VALUE EXPLICIT Of all Western consumers, the Spanish are most
concerned about companies or governments snooping their communications.
In developing a voice service, make the value exchange clear and transparent to
Triby
ensure Spanish consumers are aware of the benefits of sharing information.
TH AILA ND T H E VO I C E
LANDSCAPE
VO ICE
Voice technology arrived in
Thailand with the launch of
Siri in 2011, followed by
PROFILE
Cortana in 2015. During 2016,
a number of voice-focused
apps were launched, such as
Qooco Talk, an educational
tool. Although smart speakers
Smartphone users in Thailand have embraced voice are yet to launch in Thailand,
technology more than in any other Asian market. voice control has been integrated
Among a young, urban and aspirational audience, into a range of consumer
voice technology is seen as cutting edge and desirable. electronics products from
televisions to air-conditioning
While use has naturally focused on the smartphone units. Voice biometric
and digital assistants, voice technology has also been identification has also recently
adopted in many other product sectors. It has become been introduced by Citibank.
a cultural phenomenon, with consumers creating viral
videos of voice interactions and brands using it in
their marketing. DEMOGRAPHICS
%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S
53
18-34
%
56
%
49 LOW
U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E A S S I S TA N T
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN THAILAND VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
I haven’t used voice technology
and I will never use it
I haven’t used voice technology,
but will consider using it in the future Thailand
Global
I have used voice technology
only once or twice
I use voice technology
at least once a month
I use voice technology
at least once a week
REASONS THAIS U T I L I Z AT I O N very enthusiastic about voice
and only 5% say they think
USE VOICE
At 51%, weekly use of
that they will never use it.
TECHNOLOGY voice technology amongst
1
smartphone users in Thailand
It’s convenient is above the global average. PREFERRED
2
This reflects the early-
I don’t have to type P L AT F O R M S
adopter nature of smartphone
3
users in Thailand in comparison
1
It’s faster than typing to more mature mobile Google Search app
markets in the West. They are
typically young, urban and 2 Siri
aspirational. In general,
Thai smartphone users are 3 Google Now
51
T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F VO I C E T E C H N O LO G Y QOOCO
( % O F R E G U L A R V O I C E U S E R S , T H A I L A N D A N D G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
Qooco is a language app that helps
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 Thais improve their foreign language skills.
Cirrus Ltd, the company that built the
Finding information on a product
app, noticed the limited opportunities
in which I am interested Thais have to practise foreign
languages in Thailand. Through speech
recognition, the app identifies words
Doing online searches
and analyzes users’ pronunciation.

%
Asking a fun question

Ask for directions

Finding information on
a brand or company
42
OF REGULAR VOICE
USERS SAY THEY USE
Check travel information VOICE COMMANDS
Thailand
BECAUSE
Find recipes Global
IT’S COOL Qooco

(VERSUS THE GLOBAL

Asking questions
AVERAGE OF 26%)

Making a call

Look up a song
playing on the radio
W H AT D O P E O P L E
U S E VO I C E F O R ?
In Thailand, the leading
voice technology usages are
for finding information on
products of interest (70%)
and for online searches
(64%). Voice technology is
also used for fun, as Thai
consumers want to see how it
answers local questions. This
has become a cultural feature,
with spoof videos of people
using voice commands.
LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
GET PHYSICAL Thais have embraced voice technology in all its guises, which
gives brands a great opportunity in Thailand to add a voice experience to all
aspects of the physical world.
KEEP COOL Voice is a highly aspirational technology among young urban Thais.
Innovative marketers can appropriate some of the cool factor for their brands
with a cutting-edge voice application.
HAVE FUN Voice interaction has entered the cultural vernacular among young
Thais. Think how your brand could tap into this.
UK VOICE DEMOGRAPHICS T H E VO I C E
LANDSCAPE
U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN UK VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)

%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S

PROFILE 53
% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Voice technology has been
18-34 a feature of the UK market
for some years following the
I haven’t used voice technology
and I will never use it

%
arrival of Google voice-search

60
functionality in 2010 and Siri
Although it was one of the first markets in which in 2011. Comparatively limited
I haven’t used voice technology,
but will consider using it in the future
UK
Amazon Echo and Google Home launched, speech-recognition capabilities Global

%
the adoption of voice technology in the United resulted in slow initial growth. I have used voice technology
only once or twice
Kingdom has not been as strong as in other markets. In the past 12 months, the
Certain uses, such as shopping, are more developed,
reflecting UK consumers’ strong appetite for
48 MEDIUM
sector has seen considerable
consumer interest with the
I use voice technology
at least once a month

launch of Amazon Echo in

ecommerce, but in general, British consumers are September 2016, Google I use voice technology
at least once a week
adopting a wait-and-see approach to voice tech. Home in April 2017 and the
integration of voice search
O L LY into SkyQ. Britain’s technology
industry has produced a
General-purpose social robots such
as Olly are an alternative to smart number of sophisticated
speakers. By developing a different voice-activated products,
personality for each user, Olly aims such as social robot Olly U T I L I Z AT I O N PREFERRED
to be more personal than other voice
assistants. The desktop bot plays and AI leader DeepMind.
While penetration of voice
P L AT F O R M S

1
music, syncs with other connected
devices and offers advice in a similar technology in the UK is
way to a friend. The start-up behind comparable to the global Siri

2
the product, London-based Emotech, average, a smaller proportion
unveiled the desktop bot at CES 2017 TOP THREE Google Voice Search

%
of smartphone users have
and it is expected to go on sale later
REASONS BRITS
this year. adopted voice into their
3
60
USE VOICE routines on a regular basis. Google Now

1
Of those who are yet to try
It’s convenient voice technology, 46% cite

2
OF SMARTPHONE USERS FEEL THAT guarantees around assistants can do are factors
IF VOICE ASSISTANTS COULD UNDERSTAND ME It’s simple to use
personal data that would influence their

3
PROPERLY AND SPEAK BACK TO ME AS WELL AS security and 42% say more adoption of the technology.
A HUMAN CAN, I’D USE THEM ALL THE TIME Olly It’s faster than typing
information about what voice 53
T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F VO I C E T E C H N O LO G Y
( % O F R E G U L A R V O I C E U S E R S I N U K V S . G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
T H E S N OW F OX
The Snow Fox is a children’s story app
% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 developed by digital agency AKQA.
Moving from scene to scene as the
child reads aloud, it progresses at
Doing online searches the pace of each reader. The tale is
personalized to the child, allowing
them to input their name and gender.
Asking questions By using voice technology, The Snow
Fox offers a more interactive and
enriching experience, illustrating the
Asking a fun question
impact voice can have on storytelling.

Playing music

W H AT D O P E O P L E
Asking for the weather forecast U S E VO I C E F O R ?

Ask for directions

United Kingdom voice users
UK are typically more likely than
Finding information on Global the global average to have
a brand or company carried out almost all of the
Finding information on a product
voice usages. In particular,
in which I am interested
shopping is strong,
reflecting Amazon’s voice The Snow Fox
Making a call
presence in the UK market.
Other strong performers are
Find a local business
playing music, due perhaps
to the more prevalent use of
streaming services, and asking
LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS
about the weather, which is AIM FOR INTEGRATION In this well-developed technology market, users of
NORMALLY, WHILE I TRY TO MUSTER THE ENERGY almost certainly due to Britons’
TO GET OUT OF BED, I GET ALEXA TO READ ME MY voice are looking for greater integration across platforms, devices and contexts.
obsession with their country’s
FLASH BRIEFING. I DON’T HAVE A TV AND DON’T changeable climate. MAKE IT SMART Some users are underwhelmed by the current sophistication
REALLY USE NEWSPAPERS, SO BEING ABLE TO
LIE THERE AND SLOWLY CATCH UP ON THE NEWS
of voice assistants and feel that the promise of voice has been oversold.
IN THE MORNING IS PERFECT FOR ME CONSIDER NEW CONSUMER GROUPS Voice users are starting to
UK online respondent co-opt new behaviours into their daily routines as voice technology matures
and enables tasks to be performed more easily.
US VOICE U T I L I Z AT I O N
With 49% of all smartphone
U T I L I Z AT I O N O F V O I C E A S S I S TA N T
(% OF SMARTPHONE USERS IN US VS. GLOBAL AVERAGE)

PROFILE
users using voice on a weekly % 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
basis, United States consumers’
I haven’t used voice technology
use of the technology is the and I will never use it
highest among all Western
I haven’t used voice technology,
markets. The importance
As the home of the tech giants, the United States is PREFERRED of the car in the US has
but will consider using it in the future United States
Global

the most developed voice market in terms of both P L AT F O R M S spurred adoption of voice
I have used voice technology
only once or twice

1
utilization and the prevalence of different forms of technology as 65% of regular
I use voice technology
Siri voice users report using voice
voice technology. Cultural factors, such as enthusiasm at least once a month

2
for tech innovation, a pervasive driving culture and Google Search app
while driving, the highest of
all our surveyed markets.
I use voice technology
at least once a week

3
long working hours, make voice services particularly Privacy concerns are high
attractive to American consumers. Google Now/Google in the United States because
Assistant their laws are very relaxed.
Consequently, of all the US
THE VOICE DEMOGRAPHICS
A R I S TOT L E consumers who currently don’t
LANDSCAPE

%
W E E K LY V O I C E U S E R S
use voice technology, 48%
In partnership with Microsoft

41
say they need guarantees that Voice technology arrived in the
18-34
and Qualcomm, Mattel launched
Aristotle, a Cortana-equipped smart their voice technology data will United States in March 2009,
speaker designed for children. not be used for anything else when Google Voice Search
Capable of understanding toddlers,
before they will consider using launched. Siri followed in

%
children and adults, the speaker
doubles as a smart baby monitor, the technology in the future. October 2011. Since then, the
soothing a child back to sleep with

62
market has seen various new
a lullaby and logging their sleeping REASONS launches, including Amazon
patterns. The device can also inform
parents if a baby is awake via AMERICANS Alexa, Google Home and,
smartphone notifications, as well
USE VOICE most recently, Apple’s

%
as automatically reorder diapers
when they run out. TECHNOLOGY HomePod. In the first five

82
months of 2017, six new

1 It’s simple to use voice assistants launched in $ MEDIUM/

HIGH

%
the United States.

2 It’s convenient

Aristotle
3 It’s faster than typing 41 MEDIUM
55
 H E A LT H TA P /
DR. A.I.
T H E TA S K S AT H A N D — U S AG E O F VO I C E T E C H N O LO G Y In February 2017, US-based company
HealthTap launched Dr. A.I., a smart
( % O F R E G U L A R VO I C E U S E R S I N U S VS . G LO B A L AV E R AG E )
virtual physician, on Amazon Alexa.
While it already existed as an app,
%0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 consumers can now self-diagnose
their ailments using their voice.
Doing online searches This example illustrates the rise
of interpersonal human-computer
Asking questions relationships enabled through
voice technology.
Asking a fun question

Making a call
W H AT D O P E O P L E
Playing music
U S E VO I C E
Ask for directions
A S S I S TA N T F O R ?
Find a local business
As the most mature voice
Asking for the
weather forecast market, the United States
Find information on generally scores higher than
a local business United States the global average across all
Finding information on a Global
product in which I am interested uses of voice technology.
The main usage is for online
search (69%) and for asking
questions (67%). Using voice
LOCA L B R A N D TA K E AWAYS

%
to find local businesses comes
PUSH THE BOUNDARIES With a strong appetite for technology innovation and
IT IS REALLY COOL through particularly strongly,
a developed voice infrastructure, the United States is the market in which to test

76
BECAUSE YOU DON’T reflecting the relative maturity
HAVE TO TAKE YOUR of mobile commerce among the most cutting-edge voice concepts.
EYES OFF THE ROAD. smaller businesses in the
FACILITATE MULTITASKING Long working hours and a strong driving
IT’S THE EASIEST United States.
OF US REGULAR VOICE THING — LIKE YOU ARE culture make the United States particularly well suited to the multitasking
TECHNOLOGY USERS KILLING TWO BIRDS capabilities of voice technology services.
LOVE THE IDEA OF WITH ONE STONE
BEING ABLE TO
RE-ENVISAGE ECOMMERCE More than three quarters of American regular
REPURCHASE ITEMS 38-year-old female vox-pop voice technology users want to repurchase items via voice. Consider how
JUST BY VOICE respondent, New York programmatic commerce can work for you.
T H A N K YO US
T HE I N N OVAT I O N G R O UP A N D MINDSHARE FUTURES WOULD
L I KE TO T H A N K THE E X P E RTS WHO GENEROUSLY GAVE THEIR
T I ME A N D S H A R E D THE I R I D E AS WITH US FOR THIS PROJECT.

DUNCAN HEATHER NIR MARTIN MICHAEL LU NICK

ANDERSON
Former chief technology
officer, IBM Watson Europe
Duncan Anderson was the
European CTO for IBM
Watson until recently. In this
role he led the European
technical team for one of the
world’s foremost AI/cognitive
computing efforts. He
worked with customers and
technologists of all types and
backgrounds to help bring
the promise of cognitive
computing to reality. Over
the past 15 years, Duncan
has held a series of senior
technical leadership positions
within IBM.
ANDREW
CEO, Neuro-Insight UK
With a background
in marketing and
communication, Heather
Andrew has held marketing
director roles at Nestlé and
a television channel, as well
as working as a consultant
at PwC and OxfordSM. She
is CEO of Neuro-Insight
UK, working alongside the
neuroscientists to run the
client-facing part of
the business.
EYAL
Bestselling author and
lecturer at Stanford
University
Nir Eyal is the author
of the bestselling book
Hooked: How to Build
Habit-Forming Products,
about the intersection of
psychology, technology and
business. He runs Nirandfar.
com, has founded two tech
companies and taught at the
Stanford Graduate School
of Business and the Hasso
Plattner Institute of Design
at Stanford.
REDDY
Cofounder and chief
technology officer, PullString
Martin Reddy cofounded
PullString and manages
the company’s engineering
effort. He has published
more than 40 peer-reviewed
articles, authored half a
dozen patents, and written
two books. Martin spent
five years in the Artificial
Intelligence Center at
SRI International and six
years at Pixar, leading the
development of its internal
filmmaking software.
HILL
Founder and managing
director, Radioplayer
Michael Hill is founder
and managing director of
Radioplayer, a partnership
between the BBC and UK
commercial radio. He was
previously at the BBC where
he ran several national
radio networks, developed
new digital products and
services, led major strategic
transformation programs,
and managed creative and
journalistic teams.
FANG
Vice president of Beijing
LingLong Co., Ltd
Lu Fang graduated from
the University of Science
and Technology of China in
2004. He has worked in the
audio field for more than
10 years. In 2014, at iFlytek,
he developed the first voice
smart speaker. In 2015, he
released the first speaker that
can be controlled by distant-
field voice, a totally hands-
free speaker.
RYAN
Composer, sound designer,
artist and audio specialist
Nick Ryan is a multi award-
winning sound artist and
audio specialist. He is widely
recognized as a leading
thinker in relation to the
future of sound and for
creating unique and highly
conceptual audio experiences
that push the boundaries
of audio.

WE’D ALSO LIKE TO CALL OUT THE AMAZING TALENT THAT HELPED BRING THIS REPORT TO LIFE: Jane Barnes, Barneys New York, Claire Bischer, Josie
Brown, Vanessa Brown, Kate Bruges, Noel Bussey, Mary Cass, Claire Charruau, MayYee Chen, Chatree Chokmongkoisatlan, Zac Cole, Delta Sound, Juan Manuel de la Nuez, Johanna Doyle, Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Claire
Gervat, Lucie Greene, Glenn Hatton, Hunger Magazine, Leif Johnson, Olivia Jones, Aleksandra Kingo, Katie Knott, Marco Koeder, Hester Lacey, Shepherd Laughlin, Jeff Louviere, Peter Lowey, Lyric Lu, James Lucking, Gavin Lum,
Philippe Medina, Mish Mane, Alan Masferrer, Rachel Moss, Tess Mortan, Guy Murphy, Vaclav Mlynar, Hannah Nicholl, Maria Pavlopoulos, Lucas Peon, Cris Prystay, Rankin, James Ratnarajah, Michael Reeder, Bryan Riddle, David Roth,
Sophie Rhys Evans, Sennheiser, Daniel Thomas Smith, Rhoneil Tiburcio, Igor Tolkachev, Leaf Troup, Nick Tsolkas, Robert Uhlig, Jordan Walker Shuttlewood, Riku Vassinen, Davey Williamson, Imam Wiratmadja,
Will Wright and Lo Sheung Yan, 57
AB OU T US CONTAC T
MINDSHARE FUTURES ABOUT J. WALTER THOMPSON JEREMY POUNDER
INTELLIGENCE Futures director
Mindshare Futures is Mindshare’s emerging Mindshare UK
media and technology research program. The Innovation Group is part of J. Walter Jeremy.Pounder@mindshareworld.com
It focuses on the underlying consumer Thompson Intelligence, a platform for @jezp76
behavior behind future trends and global research, innovation and data
advises marketers on the implications for analytics at J. Walter Thompson Company, SILVIA SANTOS
communications. It produces annual trends housing three key in-house practices: Business director
publications, deep dive reports on specific SONAR™, Analytics and the Innovation Mindshare Worldwide
tech trends, and offers consultancy services. Group. silvia.santos@mindshareworld.com

THE INNOVATION GROUP SONAR™, J. Walter Thompson’s research ELIZABETH CHERIAN

unit, develops and exploits new quantitative UK director, The Innovation Group
The Innovation Group is J. Walter and qualitative research techniques to J. Walter Thompson
Thompson’s futures, research and understand cultures, brands and consumer elizabeth.cherian@jwt.com
innovation unit. It charts emerging and motivation around the world. Analytics @elizcherian
future global trends, consumer change focuses on the innovative application of
and innovation patterns—translating these data and technology to inform and inspire MARIE STAFFORD
into insight for brands. It offers a suite of new marketing solutions. It offers a suite of European director, The Innovation Group
consultancy services, including bespoke bespoke analytics tools. J. Walter Thompson
research, presentations, cobranded reports marie.stafford@jwt.com
and workshops. It is also active in innovation, REPORT CONTRIBUTORS @marie19a
partnering with brands to activate future
trends within their framework and execute Victoria Cook, Mindshare
new products and concepts. Silvia Santos, Mindshare
Marie Stafford, J. Walter Thompson
REPORT AUTHORS Sarah Tilley, J. Walter Thompson
Jade Perry, J. Walter Thompson
Elizabeth Cherian, J. Walter Thompson Ella Britton, J. Walter Thompson # SPEA KEASY2017
Jeremy Pounder, Mindshare 58