You Can Now Remote Control Your Hyundai Via Google Assistant

What Happened
If you happen to be both a Hyundai owner and a Google Home user, now your car is ready for voice command. The South Korean carmaker announced on Thursday that it has officially enabled the Google Assistant integration with its BlueLink connected car system, as promised at this year’s CES. This update allows owners of recent Hyundai models to remotely control several aspects of their vehicles. For example, users can ask Google Assistant to start their vehicles, set climate control, send directions to the on-board navigation, or unlock/lock the vehicle among other functions.

What Brands Need To Do
This is not the first time Hyundai has integrated its connected car system with a voice assistant. In November 2016, the company extended its BlueLink app to support voice command via Amazon’s Alexa. Now with this Google Assistant integration, Hyundai is further committing to make its vehicles useful with voice-activated conversational interfaces, which opens up new possibilities for them to connect with customers at home. As automakers experiment with smart home device connectivity to expand the reach of their services, other brands should take note and start exploring this space to reach customers beyond mobile as well.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building Alexa Skills and chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. So much so that we’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The “Miller Time” Alexa Skill we developed with Drizly for Miller Lite is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a conversational customer experience, supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related client opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Barrett ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.


Source: 9to5 Google

Hyundai Extends Alexa Integration To Its Connected Car App

What Happened
Back in August, Hyundai became the first mainstream auto brand to integrate with Amazon’s digital assistant service with an Alexa skill for its Genesis models. Now, the South Korean automaker is extending the Alexa integration to all Hyundai models compatible with its Blue Link connected car app. With this expansion, Hyundai owners can now ask Alexa to carry out most of the remote control functions that Blue Link app serves, such as starting/stopping the car, setting in-car AC temperatures, and locking/unlocking the doors.

In related news, Hyundai is also teaming up with a car-sharing startup WaiveCar for an ad-supported car sharing pilot program in L.A. that allows interested consumers to drive the IONIQ, Hyundai’s first electric vehicle, for free.

What Brands Should Do
With this Alexa integration, Hyundai has found a way to plug their connected cars into the smart home space and open up new possibilities for them to connect with customers at home. As automakers experiment with smart home device connectivity to expand the reach of their services, other brands should take note and start exploring this space to reach customers at home as well.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 


Source: Engadget & TechCrunch

Hyundai Develops Alexa Skill For Remote Car Control

What Happened
Hyundai has become the first auto brand to bring Alexa integration into cars as it launches a new Alexa skill to remotely control a variety of car functions on its Genesis models. Available on the Genesis G80 now and soon on the G90 models, the integration allows car owners to speak their commands to Alexa-enabled devices at home to perform tasks such as lock and unlock the car, set the AC temperature, or even honk the horn.

In related news, the automaker is partnering with Amazon for an on-demand test drive program. During this weekend and next, Prime members in Los Angeles and Orange County can request a 2017 Hyundai Elantra be delivered to their door for a test drive.

Why Brands Should Care
With this Alexa integration, Hyundai has found a way to plug their connected cars into the smart home space and open up new possibilities for them to connect with customers at home. Similarly, Volkswagen struck a partnership with LG earlier this summer to connect its vehicles to smart home devices and other gadgets. As automakers experiment with smart home device connectivity to expand the reach of their services, other brands should take note and start exploring this space to reach customers at home as well.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 


Source: AdAge

Top 10 reasons CES matters

The Lab team is heading to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week to roam the showrooms and take part in the massive gadget brain-exchange. We’ll be blogging live through the weekend–and here are 10 reasons you should stay tuned:

1. It’s like Paris’ Ready-to-Wear event of the year–but instead showcasing gadgets in Vegas. While there will be far more geeky men than hot models in pretty get-ups (I’ve already heard that a fellow digerati femme was one of only 10 women on her plane to Vegas), this is the place to look for what technologies and consumer electronics are coming down the line in ’09. THIS is the place where dreams are made, battles are won, hearts are broken. Okay, perhaps I’m pushing it. But, if you have any desire to keep abreast with technology, stay tuned (preferably here) for all the latest and greatest advances in consumer tech.

2. We might finally learn if this is the year the Internet will kill the TV star. (Check out the WSJ’s round up of reasons how it might). It likely won’t–but this year even a scaled back CES promises some amazing new solutions for watching video and TV via the Internet including two of my favorite new devices: New player ZeeVee is presenting their ZvBox which turns computers into an HDTV channel on your TV set; WhereverTV allows consumers to watch hundreds of international television shows on your television via the Internet (sign me up!)

Stay with me, I’ve got 8 more reasons CES is THE consumer event of the year: Continue reading “Top 10 reasons CES matters”