Creating a New Brand Asset to Increase Differentiation in Online Retailing
Bol.com and ReadSpeaker: Voice Branding
Bol.com, the leading Dutch retail platform was looking to customize its presence on voice assistants through voice branding. Voice branding is a new and innovative way to tailor and use a voice that is unique to a brand, representing it in all online interactions including website, in-home smart assistants, smartphones, etc.
After their first launch on the Google Assistant with a standard voice provided by Google, bol.com decided to start exploring the possibility of a custom-made voice, to create a brand asset that would identify and differentiate its brand from other online retailers and platforms, across channels. As it was a branding related initiative, measures of future success would include recognition and perception of the brand, consumer attitudes and top-of-mind considerations, instead of uniquely considering an increase in sales (and profits).