XAPPmedia found a new voice in 2016 with the creation of our new Alexa skill development tools. We’ve helped a wide variety of clients, from authors to energy bar brands, find their own voice by developing custom Alexa skills for the growing voice web audience. We also expanded our interactive audio ad business with new deals in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. Read below to learn more about what we’ve been up to this year.
1. The Investors Podcast Taps XAPPmedia to Create the First Alexa Skill with Episode Discovery Scan Feature
We Study Billionaires is the first podcast Alexa skill using Amazon’s AudioPlayer interface and the Scan Feature developed by XAPPmedia to deliver an interactive voice experience for listeners of the number one ranked stock investing podcast, The Investors Podcast. This is the first podcast to allow users to browse audio content with an audio title Scan feature that enables quick content discovery and selection using only voice interaction. Read more here.
2. Rise Bar Partners with XAPPmedia to Bring Nutrition and Inspiration to Amazon Alexa
Energy bar company Rise Bar partnered with XAPPmedia to develop an Alexa skill. The new Alexa skill is called Rise Above and enables consumers to access product information and learn more about the company through voice interaction. It also has some added features such as healthy lifestyle tips and inspirational quotes. The XAPPmedia team also worked with Rise Bar to develop a distinctive, on-brand Voice Persona™. Read more here.
3. Triton Digital Offers XAPPmedia’s Interactive Audio Ads on Slacker Radio
Slacker advertising partners now have access to XAPP interactive audio ads through Triton Digital. XAPP interactive audio ads enable listeners to connect with brands through voice-activated calls-to-action. Voice-activated engagement provides listeners with choice and convenience when interacting with an ad, resulting in a better ad experience while delivering higher conversion rates for advertisers. Learn more here.
4. 6 Podcast Strategies to Grow Audience and Revenue – White Paper
Earlier this year we published a white paper that explores why the download model that gave podcasts their initial success now hinders their growth. We outline two critical challenges, three opportunities and six recommendations for podcasters. If podcasters can fully embrace streaming, consumers and advertisers are ready to listen. To read more and download the full white paper on the future of podcasting, click here.
5. Alexa Is Growing Fast. Are You Missing It?
Mary Meeker of KPCB devoted more than 10% of her widely-followed Internet Trends 2016 report to voice computing interfaces. In the 2015 report, voice assistants didn’t merit a single mention. What changed? Meeker pointed out that four million Amazon Echo units have shipped since launch and sales are hitting a nice growth curve. The question is how brands and organizations will take advantage of this new technology. Read more here.
6. XAPPmedia Partners with Audioemotion and Audio.Ad
This year XAPPmedia partnered with Audioemotion and Audio.ad to connect mobile listeners to interactive audio ads and content in Spain and Latin America. Audioemotion, the market leader in Internet audio sales in Spain, announced the integration of XAPP interactive audio into Audioemotion’s advertising network. Audio.ad will exclusively commercialize in the region XAPPmedia’s interactive audio format that allows online radio, music streaming and podcast audiences to interact instantaneously with brands by simply speaking in response to prompted offers. Click the links above to learn more.