Sources are saying that Google wants to bring the battle of the digital assistants up another level by convincing some of the biggest brands to create branded videos in the form of How-To tutorials that users can access through Google Assistant. Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo devices are still top of the market right now, but Google is hoping that its Home and other Assistant-powered devices will get an edge with this new project.
Google is planning to make the announcement at the upcoming I/O developers conference this coming May and of course they would want to already have some sample videos to show the attendees. The how-to videos are about step-by-step instructions on how to do things. For example, if a user asks “How do I make grilled cheese sandwich?”, a cheese or appliance brand can answer it with a branded video. They are reportedly pitching this already to beauty, DIY, and consumer goods as they are the brands that would benefit from such an arrangement.
While they will not charge brands initially, it will probably become part of their monetization of Google Assistant and its Google Home smart speakers. It may also be an indication that they are indeed looking into releasing a tabletop smart screen that will have access to Assistant, YouTube, and Photos, something similar to Amazon’s Echo Show. They may also play in the Assistant-powered smart displays that Google is creating with Lenovo, LG, and other OEMs.
Currently, asking Google Assistant a how-to question will lead you to the “featured snippet” box on its search results. Having a how-to video at the ready will make the branded content more relevant to users and brands will be able to push their products more. Let’s wait and see if there will be an announcement next month.
VIA: CNBC
