Booming Bots and Obsolete Apps

Business bots butting their way into conversations on social media might seem like anti-social behavior that could hurt a brand, but by following certain rules a chatbot can sweet talk its way into a user’s life. Gracie Page, creative technologist at Y&R London and digital marketing mentor at Cambridge University, predicts the fall of the app as bots engage in a little more conversation.

Above: Y&R London creative technologist, Gracie Page

With an excess of 100,000 bots reportedly developed for prime bot-serving platform Facebook Messenger, bots are one of most hotly debated topics to hit the industry in years. Smartphones are used by 81 per cent of the adult UK population, and by 91 per cent of those aged 19-44. The average British child has their first smartphone aged 10 and 68 per cent of visits to fashion retailers are on mobile [1]. The chatbot medium represents a Trojan horse into the consumer’s life through messaging platforms.

What is a chatbot?

Essentially, a chatbot is a computer program with which a human can interact to have a conversation. They’re often designed to mimic a human, although no modern consumer-facing bots have yet passed the Turing test. The term “artificial intelligence” crops up often when discussing chatbots, but the fact is they are still relatively dumb. They deliver one side of a conversation in either plain text or a richer range of media such as images, multiple-choice menus and booking systems, using real-time contextual data and geo-location information.

Unlike a human on the end of a phone or a live web chat, they’re always on – our first clue as to why they have so much brand potential. To truly understand the value of chatbots for brands, we need to contextualise this technology in a typical consumer’s daily life.

The key to launching a successful bot is to build brand affinity by helping accomplish a task or deliver some personal value such as education or entertainment. Facebook recently announced that bots would soon be coming to group chats and WhatsApp is introducing them by the end of 2018. Chatbots will not only evolve, but become increasingly relevant to consumers’ complex, connected lives as they prove useful, and as more brands get involved. The era of the app is over.

“The chatbot medium represents a Trojan horse into the consumer’s life through messaging platforms.”

The new disruptor

With so many bots developed for Facebook Messenger, we now have a solid handle on how to build them. But this is only half of the equation. Bots are among the most hotly debated pieces of tech to start permeating the industry in years, but to fully appreciate how they will disrupt the current landscape, we must consider their role from the user’s perspective.

"My golden rule for all tech usage in content marketing is simple: if it doesn’t have a purpose, don’t make it."

User behaviour

Brits are set to spend £27 billion this year on mobile [2], not least because of the aforementioned 68 per cent of all visits to fashion retailers that now occur there. In saturated digital days that start moments after wake-up (33 per cent of users reach for their phone within the first five minutes of waking [3]), people have started streamlining and nowhere is this clearer than the change in behaviour towards apps. With one in every four deleted after just one use [4], the post-app era has begun [5]. So, with mobile consumption on the rise, but decreased app usage, where is our audience? Deloitte’s 2016 study on mobile usage [3] offers clues: email, social media, messaging platforms. The two most downloaded iOS apps of 2016 were Snapchat and Facebook Messenger [7]. WhatsApp has overtaken text messaging in the number of messages sent. The phenomenon is a pan-generational one: almost half of 55-64 year olds use instant messaging weekly, and more so than regular social platforms [3].

The message is clear: the next place to engage the bombarded consumer is directly within the messaging environment. This is where they are at ease. Talking with their loved ones, marketing guards down. However, there is a huge brand safety issue here. As Cathy Boyle of eMarketer puts it: “[brands] injecting themselves into users’ conversations is not easy, and it’s often unwelcome” [8]. Invading this ultra-personal space requires tact, and a strategy for delivery of positively life-changing content.

The branded chatbot

To meaningfully connect, brands must recognise consumers want to be engaged in very few ways. In essence, brands must help consumers to save time or money, afford them conveniences, or entertain them. Although saving time and money is more typically a product job as opposed to a content one, this can be translated – in the context of content – into them being “informed” and “inspired”. Thus, the three pillars of the bot’s role become to inform, inspire and entertain.

Barriers to engagement are low, thanks to the chatbot effectively Trojan-horsing into the user’s life through the familiar messaging platform. Ease of communication with a branded bot in such an intimate space constitutes a new user behaviour and a disruptive event. In this space, the brand takes on a pure quality. A relevant message amidst a cacophony of other advertising represents a chance to build a real connection with the user (see diagram 1).

"My golden rule for all tech usage in content marketing is simple: if it doesn’t have a purpose, don’t make it."

The chatbot trinity

Chatbots can be used by brands in three main ways. Firstly, they can be transactional: such a bot might help the user get a task done. A great example of this is the KLM chatbot that assists travellers to navigate their way through the booking and travelling process. Secondly, they can be entertaining or amusing. German sweet brand Trolli has a slightly disturbing but engaging Tamagotchi-esque bot that rewards participation with candy. Finally, chatbots can be used purely for disseminating information or otherwise helping the user educate themselves. The adidas Woman chatbot is a great example of these last two functionalities.

"Everything ultimately reflects on the brand, so carefully choosing the role for this technology will make the difference between campaign success and brand failure."

Rules of engagement

My golden rule for all tech usage in content marketing is simple: if it doesn’t have a purpose, don’t make it. The two variables chatbots deliver on are value and service. And these can each take two forms: functional, or emotional.

This gives us the following possibilities (see diagram 2). The key to launching a successful bot is to build brand affinity by helping accomplish a task, or delivering some personal value such as education or entertainment. Everything ultimately reflects on the brand, so carefully choosing the role for this technology will make the difference between campaign success and brand failure.

Conclusions

It remains to be seen how the public will embrace bots, especially given the current lack of analytical data. However, the field is forging ahead. Facebook announced at its annual developer conference, F8 2017, that bots are coming to group chats soon, while over at WWDC 2017, Apple’s yearly developer conference, it was announced that iOS 11, which launches this autumn, will feature bots for business.

The more they are used, the more bots will become increasingly useful in consumers’ lives, and the more brands will get involved. The era of the app as we know it could be coming to an end.