Speak Easy

There has always been something that gets in the way of our relationship with technology: the keyboard, the mouse, the screen. We’re now ready for the most natural and intuitive form of interaction—the voice. It’s time for humanity and technology to Speak Easy.

Speak Easy is a trends and insight report, carried out in equal partnership between J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group London and Mindshare Futures, which explores voice technology and its implications for brands.

The rise of a voice-activated world will allow us to get closer and more intimate with technology. Voice interaction will redefine not just how we live our lives, but the digital advertising landscape and how brands reach consumers.

This report includes:

• A survey of 1,002 UK smartphone owners aged 18+ and 100 Amazon Echo owners from SONAR™, J. Walter Thompson’s proprietary consumer research tool.
• A neuroscience experiment of 102 smartphone users and Amazon shoppers conducted in partnership with Neuro-Insight using Steady-State Topography (SST) brain imaging technology.
• Qualitative research consisting of a self-ethnography project of 31 UK respondents and two focus groups with 12 of these participants.
• In-depth interviews with experts across sectors including artificial intelligence, neuroscience, marketing, sound design and radio.
• Extensive desk research that synthesizes global case studies in a host of categories.