Brand visibility vs the rise of the digital assistant -- MediaCom South Africa’s CEO, Ashish Williams discusses the importance of brand personalisation.
The digital revolution is well underway, and brands experience increasing pressure to stand out in a highly personalised online environment. Consider this: Every connected individual has access to a dedicated, tailored personal assistant. This assistant knows every movement, daily routine and interests by heart, and can recommend products and services according to that individual’s personal expectations. Sounds like every marketer’s dream, right? Wrong.
Digital assistants are here, and although adoption in South Africa is slow, we are facing a massive uptick in terms of connected home technology. Digital Assistants like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Siri have nestled themselves comfortably in many consumers’ lives. They are already going beyond providing simple “request and response” features. And can now give us makeup advice to personalise news bulletins and suggest what could be the user’s next favourite restaurant. They’re changing the way brands engage with people. In a real way.
Google suggests the following scenario, to further iterate the role digital assistants play in consumer behaviour.
User: “OK, Google. What’s the best brand of running shoes?”
Google Assistant: “Good question. Are you looking for yourself, Sheila, or the kids?”
User: “For me.”
Google Assistant: “Based on your workout patterns, it looks like you like trail running more than asphalt. Is that right?”
User: “Yep, mainly trail running.”
Google Assistant: “Based on popular ratings, reviews, and product purchases, here are the top three brands for you.”
Notice me, Google
The marketing landscape is shifting towards brands that invest considerable time, effort and budget into Google. This is a method used to increase paid visibility online. Although effective in its own right, this method won’t necessarily convince the digital assistant to recommend that brand to its user.
Luckily, there is a method to disrupt Google’s algorithms -- and that is to be at the front of the consumer’s mind even before they decide to type into the search bar. This will improve organic Google rankings, which is far more challenging for any business, large or small. If users aren’t recognising your presence online, then their precious assistants won’t.
Laying the groundwork to reach customers via digital assistants starts with predicting your customers’ needs and knowing how you can be more assistive through the channels you’re already using. The trick is to start building assistive experiences with the customer data you have available.
Want me to want you
This is where targeted personalisation comes in. While users are busy uploading every calory they eat and every high-end boutique they visit the cloud, brands can increasingly personalise content to break through the digital assistant wall.
Consider the above example -- the user wants to buy running shoes. The assistant already knows which stores the user frequents, in which area he lives and where he prefers to run. If Brand A establishes itself as the ‘Everyman’s running shoe’ online, it’s unlikely to be on Google’s list of suggestions. On the other hand, if Brand B is recognised as ‘Trailblazing running shoes in the South’, it’s likely to be considered for this list.
This sentiment circles back to an age-old marketing motto: Understand your customer. Only now, what we need to know is far more complex and detailed than we could have ever expected it to be. Brands need to understand how Google thinks, in order to understand what customer’s want.
Published 30 October 2019
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