Observed Signal · Dec 10, 2021 · Trend Analysis · Source: CMSWire · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Audio's Growing Role in Digital Marketing: Smart Speakers and Earbuds
Ahmed Bouzid, CEO of Witlingo, argues that audio has become a major marketing channel comparable to mobile and social. The article cites adoption data: as of April 2021, 50.2% of U.S. consumers owned a smart speaker, while earbud shipments were projected to reach 310 million units in 2021, up 33% year over year. Bouzid frames smart speakers and earbuds as liberating users from visual and manual interaction, similar to how smartphones freed people from fixed locations. This opens new brand engagement opportunities in situations where eyes and hands are occupied. He predicts future calls-to-action in TV, radio, print, and packaging will let consumers engage with brands simply by speaking. The piece is an opinion and trend analysis rather than a corporate announcement.
Provides market adoption data and strategic analysis on audio/voice marketing, but is an editorial analysis with no concrete corporate or transaction event.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- As of April 2021, 50.2% of U.S. consumers had a smart speaker at home, according to the Business Insider Smart Speaker Report.
- Canalys expected the smart speaker market to grow by at least 21% from 2020.
- Earbud shipments were projected to reach 310 million units in 2021, a 33% year-over-year increase.
- Amazon Echo and Google Home drove mainstream smart speaker adoption beginning in 2016.
- The article was authored by Ahmed Bouzid, CEO of voice and audio startup Witlingo.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“Smart speakers burst into the scene in earnest in 2016, when the Amazon Echo and Google Home saw an unprecedented rate of adoption compared ...”
“Smart speakers burst into the scene in earnest in 2016, when the Amazon Echo and Google Home saw an unprecedented rate of adoption compared ...”
“The surge in demand is the same reason why the smartphone quickly went mainstream with the arrival of the iPhone in 2007....”
“Dr. Ahmed Bouzid, is CEO of Witlingo, a McLean, Va.-based startup that builds products and solutions that enable brands to engage with their...”
“According to the Business Insider Smart Speaker Report, as of April 2021, 50.2% of U.S. consumers now have a smart speaker at home....”
“We are already seeing this happening with the latest TV sets that one can buy in Costco....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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