In August, Snap announced its plans to create voice-activated AR experiences, but the company didn’t reveal details on how those AR experiences would work…until now.
There’s a new voice-activating command joining the ranks of “Alexa” and “Okay, Google.” Snap just released its first-ever voice-activated Lens triggered by “Okay, Shazam!” The Lens was created in partnership with Warner Bros. to promote the new film, which comes to theaters April 5.
The collaboration between Warner Bros. and Snap makes perfect sense when you consider the audience each is speaking to: 13- to 34-year-old US users. Also, the voice-activated capability was the next logical step for Snapchat. The company’s AR marketing strategy, according to Forbes, saw $281 million in Q4 2017 ad revenue, which was up 74 percent year-over-year and 38 percent quarter-over-quarter. Add to that the still-booming culture of superheros, and you’ve got a master marketing strategy that gets young users excited for both the new feature and the upcoming film.
With more and more consumers purchasing voice-activated devices like Amazon Echos, Google Homes, and voice games, tech companies like Snap are jumping on board to give users the experiences they want.
“Snapchat’s incorporation of voice as an interaction mechanism is an indicator of how voice-activated marketing will enter our lives in the future—particularly in light of the increase in wearables such as smart watches, hearables, and AR glasses,” writes Forbes contributing writer Jesse Damiani.
When activated, the Lens puts the user in the Shazam superhero costume. Pumped-up music plays while the Shazam! logo appears on the top-right corner of the screen.
I took the Lens for a spin to verify that it worked. First, I scanned the Snapcode as it is seen on the Shazam! movie poster to unlock the Lens for an hour. Next, I navigated to my camera screen and pulled up the Lens menu. When I select the Shazam! Lens, the logo appears on the top-right corner of the screen as flashes of lightning appear, along with the text “Say Okay Shazam!” Sure enough, after saying the command, I’m suddenly wearing the superhero costume and jamming to guitar music!
Voice isn’t the only thing Snap is introducing to the app, nor is the Warner Bros. partnership the only business collaboration the company has made recently. Back in September, Snapchat announced the new Amazon product search tool.
