Title | AUSSIES, GET ALEXA. BECAUSE ALEXA GETS AUSSIES. |
Brand | AMAZON ALEXA |
Product / Service | AMAZON ALEXA |
Category | C02. Use of Audio Technology / Voice Activation |
Entrant | HOST HAVAS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Idea Creation | HOST HAVAS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Idea Creation 2 | ONE GREEN BEAN Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
PR | ONE GREEN BEAN Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Production | HOST HAVAS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Jon Austin | Host/Havas Sydney | Executive Creative Director |
Matt Ennis | Host/Havas Sydney | Creative Director |
Gwen Thomas | Host/Havas Sydney | Jnr Creative |
Al Ferrier | Host/Havas Sydney | Head of Production |
Simone Gupta | One Green Bean | CEO |
Hannah Stalder | One Green Bean | Head of Creative Services |
Rebekah Allison | One Green Bean | Senior Account Director |
Molly Dodwell | One Green Bean | Account Manager |
Aimee Steadman | One Green Bean | Junior Project Manager |
Courtney O’Shea | One Green Bean | Account Executive |
Bridget Patterson | One Green Bean | Account Coordinator |
Jen Beirne | Amazon Alexa & Devices | Marketing Director Amazon Alexa ANZ |
Megan Ormbsy | Amazon Alexa & Devices | PR Manager |
Will Moore | Host/Havas Sydney | Senior Planner |
Our uniquely Australian take on the English language isn't just slang – our conversational idiosyncrasies are a crucial part of how Australians connect with each other. The problem is, it's also harder to understand for those outside the Aussie bubble; even for the world's most skilled voice assistant. To solve this, we worked directly with the Amazon Alexa product team to enhance the voice assistants' language muscle by teaching Alexa 100s of the most frequently used Australian slang, idioms, and Aussie-isms. We then linked these catch-phrases and terms to a vast array of routines, skills, and actions. Following Alexa’s Aussie language update, we recruited some of the nation's most iconic and relevant Aussies to show how Alexa could now understand "Aussie" in its day-to-day use. With more Aussie phrases being learned every day, Alexa isn't just sounding local, she's fitting right into our unique way of life.
Alexa can now recognize over 100s of unique Australian phrases from “flick it on” to switch on the lights, “bucket down” to get a weather check and even “sparrows fart” when you need to set an early morning alarm.
In Australia, it's not just how we speak; it's what we say. Our slang serves as a proud cultural identifier, and we like that those colloquialisms separate and define us. They are a crucial part of how Australians communicate with each other,
For the first time in Alexa's seven-year history, we went beyond simply giving Alexa an accent when it was introduced into a market. We taught it the phrases and words that allowed Aussies to overcome smart speaker hesitancy and communicate with them naturally and effectively, kind of like a mate.