Natan EdelsburgAmazon Echo’s Alexa is continuing to become an important part of the way we watch TV. With the device sitting in your home, designed for the couch potato, it’s the perfect way to market a TV show. To promote Amazon Studios’ launch of The Tick they worked with VaynerMedia to “extend The Tick’s superhero universe beyond the screen and into the real world.”
Found Remote interviewed Patrick Givens, VP of VaynerSmart, a division of VaynerMedia, about the experience.
Found Remote: Why was the Skill created?
Patrick Givens: People are finding new reasons to use Alexa every day. The platform is like their sidekick. When we thought about how to bring Amazon’s new show, “The Tick,” to life on the platform, bringing that sidekick role to life seemed like the perfect idea. So, we created a skill that helps people out while they do the sort of things that we all do everyday, while at the same time capturing the unforgettable personality and humor of the show.
Patrick Givens: People are finding new reasons to use Alexa every day. The platform is like their sidekick. When we thought about how to bring Amazon’s new show, “The Tick,” to life on the platform, bringing that sidekick role to life seemed like the perfect idea. So, we created a skill that helps people out while they do the sort of things that we all do everyday, while at the same time capturing the unforgettable personality and humor of the show.
FR: How was Vayner involved?
PG: VaynerMedia developed the idea for, “The Tick’s Housework Hero,” based on a brief from Amazon Studios. We planned the user experience, wrote scripts, and developed the skill in close partnership with the Amazon Studios and Amazon Alexa teams.
FR: Where did the idea come from?
PG: The Tick is boisterous, verbose, and above all a force for good. And we know people tend to use Amazon Alexa devices around the house, especially in the kitchen. To connect those dots, we decided to bring the show’s larger than life voice and persona right into people’s homes, encouraging, entertaining, and advising them through even the most mundane house chores.
FR: What are the goals?
PG: We want fans of the show to enjoy spending some time playing with this skill. There’s plenty to explore, so while of course we’ll be paying attention to the number of users, we also will keep a close eye on how much time those users spend with the skill. And even more important, we want to see those who do try it come back for more. So, we’ll be looking at return engagements as an indicator of people enjoying the experience.
FR: Anything else?
PG: At VaynerMedia, we’ve been working closely with the Amazon Alexa platform for over a year, developing innovative skills and publishing Flash Briefings for many of our clients. It was a pleasure to get to work with Amazon Studios on this skill — taking such an amazing character-driven show and helping to extend it with an interactive experience fans can enjoy on their own was a dream project. We’re continually interested in coming up with new ways to use the Alexa platform and Amazon brought expertise on the characters and connections to the show’s production team. It’s been a great partnership and we look forward to delivering more exciting skills in the future.
Grace LeDuc
