I can see why brands would want to be noticed via Alexa, and why Amazon would want to create another revenue stream, but as an Alexa user I would find ads to be an unwelcome intrusion. Pitching products could make Alexa’s answers suspect — am I really getting the best information or a form of reality that an advertiser wants me to hear?

Ads are great. We are surrounded by them. However, when you download an app … you expect the paid version to be ad-free and the Free version to have ads on it. In that regard, customers who have bought an Alexa or Echo should have an expectation that they will not have an influenced source rather than a trusted assistant. The challenge with voice is that you cannot easily scroll past the ads when you are in a hurry. I will be curious to see what consumers think.

If this becomes too much of an ad platform, or influenced platform, then shoppers simply won’t use it or will use it sparingly. This is a potential pitfall for each technology adoption.

To imagine the possibilities here, all you need to do is scan the list of skills on the Amazon site. You will notice there are dozens that are reminders to buy or do something.

I’m having a hard time envisioning a voice ad on Echo that doesn’t erode consumer’s trust in the device or impact the device’s utility. But, Amazon has always been a consumer-first company. If there is a way to create voice ads that do not negatively impact the customer experience, Amazon will figure it out.

I see a tremendous opportunity for ads on voice-activated speakers, but they need the right presentation. They can’t sound like radio ads. Instead, they have to be very personalized and have a purpose. Amazon should be working with advertisers now to offer them a chance to speak directly to their customers based on the customer’s needs. For example, if a customer is interested in shoes, has been looking or asks Alexa for a nearby shoe store having a sale, I would see Alexa responding with: “I don’t believe they are having a sale today, but I do know a shoe store that might have what you are looking for, would you like to hear more information?” If the customer says, yes, then a carefully worded short audio advertisement could play to the customer, but it has to address the customer by name when possible and share some products that match the customer’s interest. This should all be doable through technology. The big issue is that the customer has to have complete control over the ads.… Read more »

Ads if done right can be very helpful and create a new value offering to the consumer but recently many of the ads I hear via audio lack substance and fail to connect the brand with the messaging.

If Alexa starts yelling out ads maybe Amazon will offer a premium subscription service where the user can avoid them for a small fee.

The operative word here is “pitching.” Amazon and most other sites rank order products with preference to brands who sponsor products. Customers expect to see promoted products on the top of their search list. But if pitching means actual voice ads promoting products, that completely changes the dynamics of the Alexa experience and will certainly turn many customers off. Actual pitches for products creates a substantial risk for Amazon that may offset any ad revenue.

I have long wondered when this would happen … when a company builds and engaged and captive audience, it stands to reason that they would want to monetize it. Perhaps an opt-in model will allow Amazon to test the impact on the consumer experience, but I can’t imagine many would willingly invite ads in.

Context will make or break these ads. I definitely see the upside of asking Alexa for a tomato soup recipe and receiving a suggestion to buy X brand of tomatoes and even where they might be on sale. Doesn’t that make the consumer’s life better? I wouldn’t underestimate Amazon’s ability to beat the odds, yet again.

Mark is right that retailers will want to find ways to promote through Alexa but — oh no. Let’s not go there, please. Not every gadget is made for marketing. When I ask how to do something, I am not looking for an ad. For my 2 cents.

It is a slippery slope for Alexa. No doubt this was the commercial plan all along but commercial messages from “my personal Alexa” will anger consumers who already feel a bit annoyed with the commercial intrusion in things like Facebook. Will Amazon figure it out? They have too because Apple will.

If one is using their Echo to stream their free Pandora account, they are used to some radio-style ads already. However, as an Echo user myself, if I am going to be pitched to via my interactive assistant, I want the products to be extremely relevant to me. And I don’t mean me as a 30-something WOHM. I mean me, Jen Johnston, with all my quirks. Surely there is big data out there about the products I want to learn about — clothes, toys and household goods with natural materials (wool, stainless steel, wood, etc.) and better-for-you brands (cleaners, foods, and personal care), for example. Yet I don’t feel Amazon has cracked that code yet with me, based on the Recommended Products which are often plastic materials and mainstream brands. Perhaps Amazon Echo could turn advertising into some sort of retail discovery game where the consumer is in control instead of being forced to listen to ads they don’t find relevant. Or maybe they could let me set up a profile with the types of… Read more »

What happened to the promise of Amazon? Will Amazon Echo become a transmitter of ads like a radio or TV station? Every Echo request — “Echo, what is the weather forecast today?” — will be followed by a paid ad! Paid ad placements and incoming missives are the antithesis of individual customer experience; the antithesis of the much-touted goal of one-to-one personalization.

This could be a barricade that Amazon Echo users must endure to use Echo to shop. Wow! What happened to the Amazon mission of connecting people with products they actually love and want to buy?

I agree with various members of the team; Mark Ryski makes a great point. It’s naïve to think these devices are purely there for the benefit of their owners. Only recently we discussed the lowering of the prices of these devices for market share. The devices will be collecting data and pedaling specific messages.

I then agree also with Bob Amster and this has a real potential to drive people to turn them off. While this is this year’s hot product, it does not guarantee longevity. I can speak from my experience with my older teenage kids that had “Dots” over a year ago and independently they have both turned them off. Amazon will need to ensure all content enriches the experience — highly tricky for paid ads.

A significant segment of the population already thinks that Alexa is listening all the time and Big Brother has arrived. Then there’s the rest of us wondering why this is taking so long.

Development of the this functionality will be complex and challenging, but not without precedent. Amazon advertisers have learned what works and what backfires in that search environment.

I find it interesting that most of the people on this thread think that Amazon’s current way of prioritizing what is “said” via Alexa via their algorithm is much different than advertising. Right now- we are all only given what Amazon wants to give us and in many cases the only choice is Amazon’s branded products. Try to order batteries or baby wipes on Alexa now and see. There was a time when many people thought that paid Google search ads would cause people to move away. The main issue is whether the ads provide value to the user or not. I argue that TV and even radio ads take away value from the experience hence the rise of alternatives. But in voice like in search, If a voice ad would save me $1 from a brand like Duracell vs Amazon Basics batteries (the only current choice I have) then it benefits me. Finally, Amazon is again playing the long game. Media and advertising like AWS are high margin, easy to scale businesses compared to… Read more »