VoiceLabs Launches Sponsored Messages Interactive Voice Ads for Amazon Alexa
VoiceLabs, a provider of voice experience analytics, has released Sponsored Messages, a new voice-driven ad format enabling companies to reach consumers in their homes through their Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.
VoiceLabs believes Sponsored Messages will be the first ad format that consumers will understand and accept on voice assistant platforms like Alexa. Sponsored Messages take advantage of the deep artificial intelligence of Amazon Alexa. Users can interact with the brand message, add the advertised products to their Amazon shopping carts, request information, and give feedback to the advertiser, all by voice, through one interface. Sponsored Messages helps advertisers learn from consumers which products they prefer in an interactive, real-time, audio format.
VoiceLabs also works with developers to integrate Sponsored Messages into Alexa skills and built online monetization analytics on top of its product analytics.
Sponsored Messages also offers Alexa-optimized Audio Advanced Insertion, and Continual Optimization.
Sponsored Messages have been in the testing phase for the past few months, with millions of consumer tests yielding positive consumer feedback and brand engagement lift. Some of the early adopters included Progressive Insurance, ESPN, and Wendy's.
"Wendy's is focused on bringing our brand voice to innovative new touch points with consumers, and we are thrilled to be the first QSR to leverage VoiceLabs' Sponsored Messages to reach consumers within their Amazon Alexa experience," said James Bennett, director of media and partnerships at Wendy's, in a statement.
In addition, top-tier Amazon Alexa developers Federated Media, XAPPmedia, TWiT.tv, Appbly, and many independent Alexa skill developers are participating in the launch of Sponsored Messages VoiceLabs has more than 1,300 voice developers on its platform.
"I have been working hard developing Alexa Skills for over a year, and I can finally support my efforts. Building on Amazon Alexa has been a labor of love, but essentially grew into a part-time job as my Skills became popular. If Sponsored Messages didn't come along soon, I would have had to shift my development efforts to another platform or even consider shutting down my Skills entirely," said Nick Schwab, a leading Alexa and Microsoft Cortana skill developer, in a statement. "The hardest part about it was the more popular my Skills became, the more money and time I had to spend to support them, with no prospect of recouping on my investments. Today, this major issue is solved with VoiceLabs' Sponsored Messages."
VoiceLabs partnered with nativ.ly, a company that specializes in connecting top brands with emerging advertising opportunities.