Pandora wants me to talk to her ads. The company is expanding its voice control features today with a beta launch of voice-activated ads, after initially testing the feature last year. Only listeners who are already listening to ads will be offered voice-activated ads, which ask the listener to agree to listen to additional brand content. They have to say “yes” to start.
The idea is that people can interact with such ads when they drive or can’t use their hands. This is particularly important for brands that want to know if their audio ads are really getting the message across. Pandora initially partnered with 13 companies to launch the feature, including Acura, Doritos, Volvo, Xfinity, and T-Mobile.
In addition to that feature, Pandora is updating its voice mode assistant so that some users will allow them to request a specific song or album. Until now, they have only been able to request favorite stations, podcasts, or personalized recommendations through voice mode. The problem with this new feature, however, is that listeners can only make their request if they first watch a branded video. This applies to all users, regardless of whether they pay a premium Pandora subscription.
Interactive voice announcements appear to be something the industry is widely interested in trying. They are also being tested on Pandora’s competitor Spotify. The company started testing the ads last year, but in that test, every time a user listened to a voice-controlled ad, they could say “play now” and be taken to relevant content, such as a podcast or playlist. . Pandora’s offer only gives listeners a longer brand message.
As people use more smart speakers or wireless headsets with their phone in their pocket or purse, advertisers want to know how well their ads work. With traditional graphic advertising, they can monitor a click-through rate, but with audio, that’s more difficult to do. Interactive voice announcements are a way for advertisers to learn more about who is interested in your product.
Correction 7/23, 2:22 PM ET: This article originally stated that Spotify started its interactive voice ad test this year. It actually started last year. We regret the error.
