CRS 2018: Get Smart!

As I was prepping this column, which will preview the upcoming Edison Research study at Country Radio Seminar (CRS), a Google search of “Smart Speaker" turned up north of 2.8 million results.

Yup, they're kind of a big deal.

But, we all knew that, right? All Access has been covering their growth, and radio's development of skills for the devices, for some time now. In May of last year, in this space, I spoke with Jacobs Media's Fred Jacobs and Futuri Media's Daniel Anstandig, both of whom shared their thoughts on how the smart speaker could be radio's biggest opportunity in years.

Edison Media has been paying careful attention, too, studying these gadgets in great detail for more than a year. They'll present findings of a study – titled "Country Radio Is At Home With Smart Speakers," and targeted specifically for Country radio – on Tuesday, February 6th. I mentioned this session two weeks ago in a broader preview of CRS, but I believe the topic deserves singular attention in light of the exploding market for smart speakers and Edison's ongoing research of them.

Earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Edison shared results of a project done for National Public Radio (NPR). The predicted growth of Smart Speakers has come to fruition and then-some, with one-in-six Americans (16%) now owning a smart speaker. That number is up 128% from January of 2017, a figure based on a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,010 persons 18+.

A few additional findings from the Las Vegas presentation include:

• 30% say the Smart Speaker is replacing time spent with TV

• 71% are listening to more audio since getting a Smart Speaker

• 66% entertain family/friends with the Smart Speaker

Speaking of smart speakers, I talked to one about all this: I spoke with Edison VP/Research Megan Lazovick, who will co-present the study at CRS, for more information as it applies to Country radio and its users, and what CRS attendees can expect to learn during their presentation. She told me the plan is to start with a broad look at this category as they share more of the NPR project, but Lazovick promises a deep look into data points for Country radio. As I said, Edison has long been curious about Smart Speakers and already has a track record of valuable studies. "We actually have three surveys on Smart Speakers," Lazovick said. "An online study in spring; a follow-up, supplemental study in fall; and we did a quick one after Christmas, so we could get a feel for how Smart Speaker ownership is increasing. It's a lot of data. We'll take everything we've learned and put it into the Country radio sphere."

I asked if the age-old perception of Country users as late adapters still applies, given the enormous growth of this technology in the past year alone. "Digital has definitely taken over and become more mainstream," Lazovick explained. "They seem to have caught up; the amazing thing about the Smart Speaker is that it doesn't matter if you're slow to try new tech – it's designed to be easy – ask it a question, it gives you an answer; it tells you what to do."

As has been the case in recent years at CRS, Edison will use a lot of video – shot in the homes of research participants – to demonstrate day-to-day behavior, rather than anecdotal findings alone, with Lazovick telling me, "We really loved observing children with it. Adults want instructions, but kids just ask Alexa questions in a very natural way. It will be fascinating to see how this technology grows up with the kids."

Without asking for a spoiler – or, to reveal the big reveal – I wondered what the study's big payoff might be. There is a belief among radio programmers that Smart Speakers can restore radio to the home – and, specifically – to the nightstand, two locations the smartphone captured from us years ago. Does Edison concur?

"Absolutely," says Lazovick. “[Edison SVP] Tom Webster has been presenting this data for a year now – he likes to use the term 'Social audio.' This device is in the living room and in the house. For the first time since the 50s, people are sitting around listening to the radio together. It's making audio the center of the home again. It's exciting to see people stop listening to their personal devices – taking their ear buds out, and listening together – with a conversation about 'what are we going to listen to?' We watched families interacting with the devices and having fun with them, which is really exciting for anybody in the audio world."

We all know that sometimes technology can be a shiny object people obsess on – and, potentially, tire of. So, I asked Lazovick if Edison believes the Smart Speaker is a piece of technology that's here to stay?

"I think voice assistance is here to stay. That's the wow part of this technology," she believes. "It's the new interaction, and you're going to see this tech appearing in many more devices and places, like the car. That's the reason you want to make sure you are part of it; when it goes to new places, you go with it. If you sit and watch any of the video we've prepared for CRS, you'll walk away knowing they have a real connection to these devices. It's a meaningful technology to them; it's not a distraction, it does something for you. You can have a new gadget and get bored with it, but because this device does so many little things for people, it's not something that will go away very quickly."

I asked about any conclusions Edison is prepared to share with Country radio, which – like every other format – has been busy getting educated and building out specific skills designed to spur more listening occasions.

"Well, I can tell you that we did talk to some people who have been working in this space… developers," said Lazovick. "NPR has really been great about getting their content on these to get their news as the default news provider on Alexa. They have some best practices to share. We'll include that in our presentation. One thing we hope to highlight is who's doing it well, and how you can emulate them. The other thing I think is exciting is getting the creative minds into the space – and who is more creative than radio? There's tons of potential for promotion staffs, and for radio minds to come together and think of fun things for this space."

Speaking of creative radio minds, part of this 90-minute session is a panel discussion immediately following Edison's findings. Emmis/Indianapolis VP/Market Manager Bob Richards will lead that discussion, which features Cox Media KKBQ/Houston PD Johnny Chiang and a representative from Amazon, whose “Alexa”-equipped Echo Smart Speaker brand is the leader in this product category. The group will share reaction and observations about the findings, then talk about ways radio can maximize the opportunity for rebuilding listening occasions in the home, with emphasis on what skills can best accomplish that goal.

Again, the Edison study is set for Tuesday, February 6th, beginning at 9:30a (CT). CRS happens Monday February 5th through Wednesday, February 7th at Nashville's Omi Hotel. For more information on the complete agenda, or to register, visit their site here.