Dear Amazon,
It’s Alexa. We need to talk.
Whether someone owns an Amazon device or not, the name Alexa has become synonymous with your all-knowing smart speaker. And although your product is driving the innovation of voice search, you’re making my life difficult.
According to Business Insider, your engineers created the Amazon Alexa in an effort to replicate the Star Trek device that answered to the crew when addressed by the name, “Computer.” It seemed the only problem was choosing a word that people didn’t ordinarily use in “everyday life.” So, you settled on the name Alexa.
As someone named Alexa, I would like to offer you a glimpse into how “everyday life” has changed.
Gone are the days when I could introduce myself to someone without hearing, “Oh, like the Amazon Alexa?” Or being asked, “Alexa, what’s the weather?
Everytime I announce myself on a work conference call, I am greeted by the sound of several Alexa devices sounding off in my coworkers’ homes to the tune of, “Sorry, I didn’t understand that.”
I get it. We live in a fast-paced, technologically driven, society, and voice search is becoming a massive trend. According to Social Triggers, 40% of adults use voice search at least once per day and 65% of people who own an Amazon smart speaker or Google Home say they can’t imagine life without it. The voice search trend is only growing. By 2020, 50% of all searches are expected to come from voice.
As a marketer and technology proponent, I appreciate the importance of the work you are doing in the voice search space. I just wish I had been considered during your naming process.
With over 6,000 girls being named Alexa every year, I would like to argue that the name is not as unique as you may have anticipated. When naming your next device, my vote would still be “Computer.”
If you wish to contact me back, just shout my name, I’m always listening.
Sincerely,
Alexa