Smart speaker advertising builds deeper connections between brands and consumers and generates ‘powerful’ responses in the human brain, according to new research from Neuro-Insight.
The study commissioned by Octave Audio, Say It Now and Xaxis, compared customer engagement in a 30-60 second conversation with a voice assistant to brain responses with standard broadcast radio ads.
The investigation found that branded smart speaker ads cause a 25% increase in overall brain activity in comparison to standard audio ads.
Engaging in a conversation with an ad via a voice assistant also makes branding moments 11% more memorable.
“The findings amplify the importance of strategic, addressable audio campaigns. Optimising ad placements and smart speaker conversations enables brands to start the right interactions with the right listeners,” Octave Audio director Charlie Brookes said.
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The study also found that speaking a brand’s name back to a smart speaker produces a 30% rise in overall levels of brain response compared to that of a standard ad. Hearing a smart speaker reply is also 24% more likely to create higher levels of positive emotional response.
Xaxis product manager Tilly Sheppard added: “The research proves the ability of audio campaigns for connecting brands and listeners. To maximise audio’s power for capturing fragmented consumer attention, advertisers need to consider how to add value to the consumer journey.”
According to Neuro-Insight, smart home devices will cause more than £139 billion worth of international transactions in 2025, with conversational technology opening new ways for advertisers to market brands by making audio advertising ‘actionable’.
Say It Now CEO Charlie Cadbury concluded: “By allowing consumers to converse with brands and seamlessly conduct searches and purchases, actionable audio adverts drastically minimise friction in the consumer journey and deliver results. Brands can use actionable audio adverts to harness smart speakers’ potential for creating emotional impact and forming meaningful connections with target audiences.”
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