On 14 February, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) revealed a complaint it had received about an advert for Amazon's Echo Dot, which featured individuals using the platform for a myriad of different functions.
In one of these, a man's voice intones, "Alexa, reorder Purina cat food," with Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, responding by saying, “I’ve found Purina cat food. Would you like to buy it?”
The complainant, according to the ASA, said that his/her Echo Dot had similarly placed an order for cat food once the ad was played, challenging that the statement “Alexa, reorder Purina cat food” was socially irresponsible.
Technology Safeguards
In response to the complainant's claim, Amazon responded by saying that it has "technology in place to prevent its ads from interacting with the devices of their customers", adding that customers would also need to confirm a purchase in order for it to be completed.
Amazon added that the complainant’s device did have a purchase order for Purina Cat Food for the day that the ad was seen, which had been immediately cancelled by the customer.
Clearcast, an ad clearance service for agencies and advertisers, also cited Amazon's advice that "that there was technology in place to stop audio from the ad setting off Amazon devices in viewers’ homes", saying that, as a result, such a broadcast was not socially irresponsible.
The ASA chose not to uphold the complaint, satisfied that enough safeguards were in place to ensure that an advert could not order an item on a customer's behalf.
"We understood that it would not be possible for a purchase to be made without the account owner’s knowledge, even in instances where technology, intended to stop ads interacting with devices, had not been effective," it said.
New Era
In this new world of voice-activated technologies, Amazon is not the only game in town. While Google Home and Apple's Siri no doubt have similar safeguards in place, the fact that, in this instance, Alexa did indeed respond to a voice on an advertisement, hints at a potential new angle for advertisers, albeit an intrusive one.
Alexa and other voice-activated devices have been developed to take the stress out of everyday living – daily schedules can be devised, reminders set, and shopping lists compiled using the system.
With this in mind, it's not uncommon for Alexa users to use phrases like "Alexa, reorder Purina cat food" when putting together their shopping list.
While Amazon might have safeguards in place to ensure that its advertising doesn't act out of turn, could other advertisers borrow a line from the tech giant and incorporate virtual ordering into their broadcast adverts?
After all, in a voice-activated world, brands may need all the help they can get. The nature of the interface means that, in many cases, the brand and its identity 'disappears' into the channel.
As Michael Jary of OC&C Strategy Consultants said at the PLMA Roundtable last week, "When you say, ‘Alexa, order more laundry powder,’ who chooses the brand in that instance?"
At the same time, a study by Wavestone has indicated that 52% of voice-activated speaker owners would like to receive information about deals, sales and promotions using the service.
A Step Too Far
Today, it's likely that blind, automated ordering would be viewed as a step too far by customers, while advertising authorities would also take a dim view.
Then again, weren't we similarly suspicious of ATM machines when they first came out, or Internet shopping?
Given the rate at which new technology is adopted, who's to say that we won't have a voice-activated device in every home by the end of the decade, and be well accustomed to voice-activated marketing?
One unintentional order for cat food may have lasting consequences for the future of advertising.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
