Does Your Brand Need a Voice Skill?

It's now or never

An interview with:
Doug Robinson
CEO
Fresh Digital Group

Skills—the apps of the voice world—are built to provide a particular utility for users, but they're also changing the advertising paradigm for marketers. Doug Robinson, CEO of Fresh Digital Group, a marketing agency specializing in smart speaker skills, spoke with eMarketer's Sean Creamer about the benefits of investing in a branded voice skill, which brands got it right and the future of voice. Robinson was interviewed as part of eMarketer's July report, "Marketing Beyond the Screen: Using Voice Technology to Boost Brand Engagement."

eMarketer:

What was your motivation for breaking into the voice space?

Doug Robinson:

About a year and a half ago, voice assistants started becoming ubiquitous in consumers' homes. Unlike screens that need users' full attention, voice-based skills are a multitasking utility. We're all living a 28-hour day within 24 hours, and voice-based devices can give users a piece of that time back. The opportunity to remove friction from a user's daily routine motivated us.

Fast forward to today, and we've built about 600 skills that are live on Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana.

Interview conducted on May 22, 2018

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