Will you buy more gifts from Amazon if their ads make you cry?

 

The holiday season is coming.  That means it's time to roll out sentimental commercials that bring a tear to your eye.   

 

Esty, who is on a roll thanks to face mask sales, has one video featuring the familiar scenario of bringing someone new to a family holiday celebration. And another Covid-19 inspired spot where grandparents can't see their family.  Something for everyone. (Mahoney, 2020)

 

And here's one from Amazon...

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQdLD6kk960&t=1s

 

Research tells us that all decisions are emotional.  And that storytelling is particularly memorable.  So this spot should hit all the right notes.

 

Does it?  Can you identify the sponsor?  Did you have the patience to watch the entire two minute video?  How did the it make you feel?  Did it make you want to shop more at Amazon?  Why or why not?

 

Can you think of another storytelling ad that you find motivating?  How about this one from M&M's?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_jPveBfxg

 

Mahoney, S. (2020, November 3) Ecommerce Weepies: Amazon, Etsy Launch High-Emo Holiday Ads.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 4, 2020, from

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/357484/ecommerce-weepies-amazon-etsy-launch-high-emo-ho.html?edition=120314

 

 

 

 

Are you letting Alexa make buying decisions for you yet?

The number of smart speaker users is growing by 48% a year.  That's faster than any tech product since the smart phone.  By the end of 2018, 90 million Americans will have smart speakers. (Koetsier, 2018)

No longer just for techies, speakers are now being adopted by Baby Boomers (8 million users), younger Gen X women, and parents and families - including my 7 year old niece Mallory, who got one for her birthday. (Stone, 2018)

Before long we'll all be having conversations with our voice assistants.  And then, we'll be happy to let them make our decisions for us. 

Decision-making is hard work.  What makes it even harder is having too many choices.  And the Internet is all about infinite choices.  So we find plenty of short cuts to make decisions easier.  For instance we may look at only one element - say price, or we could only consider items with a 5 star rating - which indicates that others like the product.  It's what we do.

So, I wasn't surprised to read that 85% of voice assistant users have purchased the item suggested by smart speakers despite the fact that it may have differed from their initial intent.  And, 37% of voice purchasers 18-34 "always" or "often" purchase the first option selected for them by voice assistants. (Faw, 2018)

It's just so much easier to let someone else decide. 

Do you have a smart speaker yet?  If so, have you bought anything based on a recommendation from it?  If you don't have a smart speaker yet, are you planning to get one?  Will you let it make decisions for you even if they are biased?  Does it concern you that you have far less choice when you buy things on mobile phones and smart speakers than you do online?

Koetsier, J. (2018, May 29)  Smart Speaker Users Growing 48% Annually, To Hit 90M In USA This Year.  forbes.com.  Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2018/05/29/smart-speaker-users-growing-48-annually-will-outnumber-wearable-tech-users-this-year/#3da75bc05dde

Stone, J. (2018, November 9)  Smart Boomers, Smart Speakers, Smart Marketing.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 28, 2018, from

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/327850/smart-boomers-smart-speakers-smart-marketing.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=111748&hashid=qPjrjs2d4CzuoIyymSYheeVOsxs

Faw, L. (2018, August 8) How Brands Can Avoid The Dreaded Voice Assistant 'Dismissal' mediapost.com  Retrieved August 29, 2018, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/323358/how-brands-can-avoid-the-dreaded-voice-assistant.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=110385&hashid=ybq2buULrntyGS6NfbELk0afrrI