In this episode, Emily and Robert Sofia, CEO of Snappy Kraken, talk about how to have a unique voice on social media and what that really means.
066 - Audrey Hall: From Cash to Fintech - Brightwell
The Southeast Asian region’s internet economy has hit a key milestone, reaching $100 billion in market capitalization for the first time in 2019. This represents a 39% increase from the previous year. Money is moving in and out of this region in ways never before seen.
Audrey Hall is SVP, Product and Marketing at Brightwell, one of Atlanta’s fastest growing fintech companies
Audrey and Emily talked about Audrey’s mission at Brightwell, a payments technology company whose fintech solutions serve seafarers on the world’s major cruise Iines including Carnival, Norwegian, and more. We talked about the war on cash in the US and abroad, combatting fraud, and how Brightwell approaches educating users who are mostly unbanked or underbanked. Plus, the relationship between product and marketing.
Audrey Hall
is SVP of Product and Marketing at Brightwell, where she is focused on building financial products that transform global workers’ lives. Previously, Audrey served as VP of Client Strategy at 352, Inc.
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“Our purpose really is to help these underbanked, underserved communities who deserve the same access to the tools that we all have. That they are included in this financial world where You can have your dreams be possible by savings, by thinking about budgeting.” - Audrey Hall
TOPICS & TIMESTAMPS
1:39 Meet Emily’s guest, Audrey Hall
2:05: What does Brightwell do?
2:34: Brightwell is a fintech company out of Atlanta. They create financial technology products that serve the specific needs of migrant workers. Strong focus in the maritime industry. They help people send money home to their families and join the digital economy. Digital and financial inclusion.
“When we looked at payments in the cruise industry, it was kind of archaic.”
3:24: On-ship payroll payments are often done in cash. It’s risky and not cost-efficient. Brightwell offers a solution and serves people from 140 different countries around the world.
4:50: Brightwell’s clients include seafarers on cruise lines such as Norwegian, Carnival, Princess, Aida, Costa and more.
“The digital economy at large is something we’ve come to expect in the Western world.” - Audrey Hall
5:50: 2 billion people today are unbanked globally
6:05: These users offer tremendous opportunities for financial and corporate expansion, but their needs are unique and are impacted by language barriers, B2C interactions, education levels, and more
6:50: Build trust and empathy with various user groups
7:55: How do ATMs play a part in all this? ATM use is complicated and sometimes risky.
8:50: People are drawn to hard currency and the physicality of cash. Brightwell tries to help users understand why digital funds can be safer for them and their families, while respecting the ways that cash is still important for certain use cases and cultures.
9:25: Countries like Sweden are going cashless. 30% of Americans don’t use any cash in a given week.
9:40: Cash vs Digital. What are the pros and cons of each? How do you manage risk?
11:00: We’re more hesitant to offer up personal information (especially PII) these days. Companies like Brightwell work hard to ensure digital users are protected but fraud is rampant.
12:30: Real talk: Fraud can impact user experience and brand reputation. How do you deal with that?
“It’s something we will continue to iterate on and find new ways to educate users on.” “Yeah they are going to blame us, but it’s our responsibility to take care of them and make their experience the best it can be.” - Audrey Hall
14:34: Companies should be the guide, not the hero. Base your marketing and messaging around this guiding principle. It’s all about servicing the person who is using your product.
Each person who works at Brightwell is bought into their core principle and aims to put the user experience first.
15:05: Brightwell’s core principle: user first.
16:50: What is the difference between unbanked and underbanked? In the U.S. there are 55 million unbanked individuals
17:37: People depend on cash and keeping those systems in place is equally important as educating them on digital banking services.
18:19: How has Brightwell transformed itself in the last few years? Adopting more of a startup mindset.
19:20: Product testing: Brightwell works to understand the language and flow that would resonate most with clients based on their one-on-one user experience testing on prototypes (e.g. payment app Brightwell Navigator on Android and iOS)
19:50: “Focus groups are not your friend!”
21:17: Your product and marketing departments should be in constant communication. It will help you find the “why” behind your products. Collaboration is key.
22:00: What’s next for Brightwell and Audrey?
23:23: Brightwell is launching in the Philippines this year with a physical location.
26:00: Each year Brightwell is iterating and growing. Everyone there is committed to the purpose of the organization.
Audrey’s podcast recommendations: Reply All podcast episode 102 “Long Distance” and 103 “Long Distance, Part II.” It focuses on fraudsters like tech support scams based, suspicious callers, etc, and takes you behind the scenes as they track down an Indian call center that is scamming people.
Connect with Audrey Hall on LinkedIn and Twitter: @ansianko
Learn more about Brightwell and follow @BrightwellApp on social.
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063 - Michele Arnese: Why Brands Need Sound - Voice Marketing and Beyond
How can brands use sound to connect with customers? As voice technology becomes embedded in consumers’ lives, the sound of your brand will be increasingly important.
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What should your brand sound like on Alexa? Because this is a transitional moment in voice technology, right now there is a real opportunity to be an early adopter, especially for a vertical like FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) as we expect an $80 billion voice commerce market by 2023.
Bottom line, this is about using sound to connect with customers and strengthen your consistent brand voice.
Guest: Designed in Italy and assembled in Germany, Michele Arnese is a self-driven strategic and creative thinker with a strong entrepreneurial approach. As Global CEO and Creative Director of amp, in the field of audio branding, he's considered one of the world's foremost experts, with clients including Mastercard, Mercedes, Porsche, BBVA, Geberit, BMW, UniCredit, MINI, Triumph, The Linde Group and a range of international awards for his work with amp.
Sound DNA by amp
Topics and Timestamps:
03:00 Michele’s story from management consulting and music to founding amp a decade ago
04:10 Why sonic branding matters. First: think of James Bond as a sonic identity: this is key to the elevator pitch to convince clients of the importance of sonic branding. Close your eyes and listen to Shirley Bassey or Adele. You can see James Bond in your mind.
05:30 Sonic DNA: a core track or melody that translates to all different brand touch points such as video, commercials, transaction sounds
06:00 Sonic logo has been around a long time (famous examples include Intel and T-Mobile). Sonic DNA is a new idea: it’s about ingredients, you can combine differently to create different sonic assets for different touch points (like James Bond has different sounds for Skyfall or other editions).
07:00 Sonic branding must be more flexible and complex than just a jingle
07:15 Mastercard client work: a melody approach to the sonic DNA then developing music for very different touch points including audio visual and digital channels plus global campaigns like 2019 where we did a sonic watermark.
07:50 MasterCard New York restaurant watermark for different soundscapes
08:00 Flexibility and recognition is the payoff for sonic branding, the ROI essentially
08:15 Budget for visual brand identity with logos (think of Gap or Tropicana logo rebrands) - why don’t we question this but in sonic branding it is harder to get budget
09:00 Music is an old connection to humans (in our brains) but a new discipline for brand strategy. Brands must break through clutter. Voice assistants like Alexa and voice tech introduce an awareness for the need to be recognized in a non-visual environment.
09:40 ROI of sonic branding - amp client UniCredit’s study: client had savings in terms of music production budget and licenses and AV production (able to begin with owned material)
“The Sound of BBVA: Bringing the age of opportunity to everyone. Using the BBVA sound DNA, we developed a holistic audio identity covering all digital and physical spaces. This sonic branding project stands above and beyond the rest, serving as a benchmark for future audio branding projects.” Case study: amp - BBVA’s sonic branding
11:10 We process sound and music in the limbic system, same place brain stores emotion - this where brands want to be processed, too
11:30:
There are a lot of studies that explain the brain statistics, but if you go back to yourself, to your experience: what counts is the association that you get with the brand and the sonic ecosystem. - Michele Arnese
12:00 Michele’s research process to create a sonic mood board through immersion (example: he walks through retail store and listens)
12:30:
We create a new dimension of a brand identity. - Michele Arnese
13:00 Some of amp’s clients are in banking and financial services, also many in auto industry and FMCG
13:30 His financial sector work began with UniCredit then BBVA - this sector had a need for greater human connection between brand and customers
THE SOUND OF PORSCHE. AN ENTIRELY NEW, INTERACTIVE BRAND EXPERIENCE.
“Tasked to create an audio branding concept for the Porsche sound lab, we created an interactive sound installation featuring soundscapes and video mapping techniques.” - amp
13:50: Some banking and financial brands realized that the human connection was missing and music could help. This is why we have seen an explosion of cases [for sonic branding] in the financial industry. - Michele
14:20 Financial services is changing greatly in last five years: fewer branches and physical location, but need to instill trust and physical security. Must compensate for changing landscape of brand experience with something that can establish the connection like music.
15:20 What is the function of the Mastercard Acceptance sound (the sound indicating that payment is successful)?
15:50 Acceptance sound for credit card company is to 1) establish trust and 2) reiterate brand recognition
16:30 How does a brand apply sonic branding to voice as with Alexa or Google Assistant? Understand the translation of the brand into sonic attributes.
17:00 How to create a voice profile for a brand (attributes such as introverted or extroverted must be heard in the brand voice)
18:10 Alexa Skills for a brand: sound and voice can join together
19:10 Understand the North Star of a brand - sonic branding helps examine this
20:00 There is a set of feelings, tonalities, impacts which must be the same for the entire brand. Define the borders. Consistency is key.
20:30 How will conversation between brand and consumers change as voice assistants have greater impact on marketing and consumer touch points?
21:00 “We have said that brands are dying on Alexa. But now there is a journey for brands to get back to more connection in creating, for example, voice avatars.”
21:45 We are in a transition phase regarding branded voice experiences
22:00 Brands who’ve done their homework will succeed in voice - establishing sonic branding is first step
22:30 Opportunity exists to be first brand to define acoustic domain in many sectors: look at FMCG, blue ocean here (with $80 billion voice commerce market in 2023, fast moving consumer goods can take advantage and be first movers with sound branding)
25:00 Music Journalism Insider: News, job listings, and interviews from the world of music journalism. Edited by Todd L. Burns.
Learn more - articles:
Drawing on the findings of the Best Audio Brands Ranking, Michele Arnese discusses with Paul Armstrong in an interview for Forbes what it takes to create a killer sonic brand that delivers and delves into the implications for big and small companies. - These Are the World’s Best Sonic Brands by Paul Armstrong, Forbes
Connect with Michele:
Twitter: @brandingamp
Stay updated on voice marketing. Follow @beetlemoment on Instagram:
062 - Amit Dogra: Voice AI in Finance: Alexa at Sanctuary Wealth
What is the future of AI and voice in financial services, and why does this technology matter? Amit Dogra is the Chief Experience Officer at Sanctuary Wealth, which reached $10bn in AUA (assets under advisement) within 15 months after its 2018 founding. Sanctuary is a partner owned firm that brings together an elite group of wealth advisors under the banner of partnered independence.
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Amit and Emily Binder talked about Sanctuary's unveiling of their Alexa Skills and what it means for their business. Voice is symbolic of more than just embracing new technology.
Topics and timestamps:
03:15 Sanctuary Wealth’s focus on anti-Wall Street and anti-big bank culture, more intimate and partner-oriented: #PartneredIndependence - here’s a video from CEO Jim Dickson about partnered independence
03:45 What does a Chief Experience Officer (CXO) do? He focuses on culture, growth, and innovation.
03:50 How does a Wall Street M.O. cause client experience to suffer? It’s results-driven instead of client-centric.
Amit Dogra unveils Sanctuary Wealth’s Alexa Skills at Oasis 2019
04:15 Creating fictitious bank accounts to hit numbers (you know who) - and the corporate culture that drove this
05:15 Amazon as the ultra customer-centric company
06:30 Sanctuary Wealth’s Alexa Skill announcement in fall 2019 at Oasis: What is Amit’s team doing with voice, and why was this initiative important? Who benefits?
07:28 The audience for their Alexa Skill is both B2B and B2C: there’s corporate and internal use and also advisor to end client
09:45 If I’m a Sanctuary advisor, how do I use the Alexa Skill? Functions include internal phone/directory, corporate contact information, and archives of the monthly all-hands call (“Alexa, play Sanctuary Wealth corporate update”).
11:15 Looking at Echo devices for video calling features, Amit is excited about the Echo Show for multimodal (they deployed on the Echo Show 5, passing up the Dot because the video feature was key)
12:15 Emily: Echo Dot was successful as an affordable entry level smart speaker. Great for habit formation. But today screenless Dots or Google Home Minis aren’t as popular as multimodal voice assistant devices because people want a screen for visuals.
13:10 Results so far: adoption and useful feedback
Sanctuary Wealth unveiled personalized Alexa devices for their advisors (tweet)
14:50 New habit formation
15:30 “Advisors are leaving wirehouses and the banking industry because they’re tired of the past. But we have to give them a reason to stay with us. Doing things differently by embracing tech is key.” - Amit
16:15 You have to spell out and educate with voice at first
16:30 Voice hits the limbic system (this emotional processing center happens to also be where we store music and memory) - and we all know that money is emotional
17:35 What does Amit see happening with AI and technology in financial services and the RIA space in the next two years?
18:13 You can’t imagine the business will be static. AI will be embraced but not as quickly in financial services as other industries.
We want to be the early adopter because this is a copycat industry. -Amit Dogra
19:10 AI can change the financial services game like analytics changed baseball - as far as interaction with clients and doing business in a better way
20:10 Bonus question: What is Amit’s opinion on Jeff Bezos as a CEO?
23:00 The best podcast Amit has heard lately: Everything is Alive hosted by Ian Chillag
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