Amazon Assistant. Marketing and brand

Narcis Mirandes
Aug 22, 2017 · 4 min read

Amazon has an ecosystem of devices and technologies designed to give information. The user can activate it only with the voice.

The Amazon Assistant has different Brands: Echo, Echo Dot, Tap, Echo Look, Echo Show and Alexa. The role of each one is precise. The technology is impressive; the business structure is well-organized. However, the marketing is confusing. I will try to explain and simplify the concept behind each brand.

Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap, Echo Look, Echo Show and Alexa

- Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker that the user can control with the voice. It provides information, plays music and can connect with other devices. It is always on. The user can ask anything without the need to tap any button. They designed it to be indoors, with the view of it being plugged into a power supply to make it work.

- Amazon Echo Dot. It is like the Echo but with a smaller speaker. It is cheaper than the Echo, and you can connect it to your existing speaker.

- Amazon Tap performs the same basic functions as the Echo. The difference is that the user needs to tap a button to activate the device. It has a battery. You can use it on the go. It is a bit smaller than the Echo, and it is water resistant.

- Amazon Echo Look can take photos and short videos using only your voice. You can see yourself from every angle. It will help Amazon sell clothes. It also has the current Echo features.

- Amazon Echo Show. It also has a screen. It can show security cameras, YouTube videos and it can make video phone calls.

- Alexa is the keyword that awakens all the devices. It is the core system that powers the speakers. At the same time, Alexa is a company that provides commercial web traffic and data analytics. To be precise, the name is Alexa Internet Inc is a subsidiary wholly owned by Amazon.com.

Amazon Assistant, the Marketing

The role of each brand ranging from Echo, Echo Dot, Tap, Echo Look, Echo Show to Alexa, is well defined. There is a clear relation between technology, functionality, and name. I like the Amazon Assistant ecosystem, but, I think they forgot the user. It seems they created something fantastic, and then they tried to sell it. I prefer the Marketing point of view. First, understand how the user thinks. Then, only then, organize the company to serve that.

Let me explain it with a couple of examples.

Echo and Tap names

The brand Amazon Echo is for the speaker that only needs the voice. Amazon Tap is the device activated with a button. The separation makes sense. Even the name suggests the functionality and helps the user to make the distinction.

Be aware that they call it Amazon Tap and not Amazon Echo Tap. There is not the name Echo as it is not always on. The distinction makes sense from a technical point of view. The problem is that it is confusing for the user.

The truth is that the Echo is the star. It is different from other pdocuts because it is hands-free. That is the name that more people will remember. Amazon Tap is a variant.

The two devices are similar; they do the same, have the same aspect. The button is the only relevant difference. They try to make the user remember two different names and this drives to confusion.

Alexa, a virtual person, and a company

Alexa is the brain inside the speakers. It is the equivalent of Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant. It is the keyword the user says to make a question. It is a brand for the end Consumer: B2C.

But Alexa is also a company that gives web traffic and analytics: alexa.com. It is a Business for other Business: B2B. The two things have a relation. From a business point of view, perhaps it makes sense. For the user, it is confusing.

In a certain way, after a while, it seems that Echo has a life. Whatever is inside that device, it has personality. That does not fit with a company that makes “marketing tools help you engineer growth.” (as they say in alexa.com).

Many fantastic products, confusing brands

They have many products: Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Echo Look, Echo Show and Alexa. Each one has a name that helps to identify the main characteristic. At the same time, it is hard to identify each device. For instance, very few people remember the name, Echo Show. Many say something like: that Echo that has a screen.

Conclusion

The distinction between Echo, Tap, Look, Show and Alexa make sense for the expert. All together is confusing for the regular user. The technology is fantastic. Marketing and brand creation, not so much.

This post is part of a series dedicated to Voice Assistants. You can also call them Virtual Personal Assistants. You can read each part independently:

- Voice Assistant, the marketing behind
- Amazon Echo, the marketing behind
- Voice Assistant, the graphic


Originally published at www.mig-marketing.com.

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