As a marketing professor, professional and enthusiast, I enjoy reading about marketing successes and blunders. Recently in Marketing News was an article about Burger King using the new Google Home Mini device to their advantage during Superbowl advertising. Basically, at the end of the commercial, they had an executive say “Hey Google, What’s in a Whopper?” and it woke up the Google Home Mini devices at viewers homes and started reciting the detailed answer to that question. Now there is more to the story, but that got me thinking, how smart is that? I love brilliant marketing moves like that one, even though the Google executives figured out a way to make the commercial stop activating viewers’ devices. You can read the full AMA (American Marketing Association) write-up here.
On another side note, why do I feel the need to be nice to my Google Home Mini? I can never say “Hey Google…” without adding please and thank you. I guess I don’t want to seem rude, but to a digital device? Barking orders doesn’t seem right to a device that wants to be so helpful all the time. No? Just me? Okay then.