AUSSIES, GET ALEXA. BECAUSE ALEXA GETS AUSSIES.

Short List
TitleAUSSIES, GET ALEXA. BECAUSE ALEXA GETS AUSSIES.
BrandAMAZON ALEXA
Product / ServiceAMAZON ALEXA
CategoryD05. Cultural Insight
EntrantHOST 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

Credits

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

Write a short summary of what happens in the radio or audio execution or campaign.

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; bringing Alexa’s new language skills to life.

Script & Translation. Provide a full English script and translation of any audio.

Alexa can now recognise 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.

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

When Alexa enters a new market, it's given an accent to make it feel more accessible and local. But simply giving Alexa an Australian accent isn't making Alexa a true voice assistant. 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. Sure, we can speak to a voice assistant, but we can't speak naturally. We can't use the cultural colloquialisms that make us truly Australian. And so we went beyond simply giving Alexa an Aussie accent and taught it the phrases and words that allowed Aussies to overcome smart speaker hesitancy and communicate naturally and effectively, allowing for a brand experience that proved Alexa gets Aussies.