Why Brands From Barbie to Uber Are So Hot on Chatbots

Richard Smullen says a painfully long wait for a Delta Air Lines customer service rep inspired him to join the world of artificial intelligence. One night about a year ago, having grown tired of waiting for a phone operator to change his flight, he turned to the airline's mobile app—only to find he had to scroll through pages upon pages, unable to get what he needed. In the middle of a formal dinner at the time, he decided it would be faster just to message his sister and have her do it for him. It took her two minutes. "I had kind of an epiphany moment, and this idea arose," he explained. Smullen founded Pypestream, a 50-person firm that makes automated messaging services for companies around the world. Its mobile platform, which launched this past December, has already amassed 3,500 clients in 50 countries, ranging from utilities like Washington Gas to publishers like Billboard. Pypestream joins a growing number of startups using automated messaging to help consumers do everything from hailing cabs to paying bills. Some say these services, known as chatbots, could be the biggest digital to-do since mobile apps. The bots are forms of artificial intelligence that create personalized one-to-one interactions. "I think you're going to see a bot explosion," predicted Beerud Sheth, CEO of messaging platform Gupshup. "I think it's safe to say that this is the year of the bot. All the technology pieces are in place." That explosion is expected to get even more fuel next... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2016-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #agency executives #perfect storm #risk losing #adweek magazine

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Why Brands From Barbie to Uber Are So Hot on Chatbots'


Why Brands From Barbie to Uber Are So Hot on Chatbots

Richard Smullen says a painfully long wait for a Delta Air Lines customer service rep inspired him to join the world of artificial intelligence. One night about a year ago, having grown tired of waiting for a phone operator to change his flight, he turned to the airline's mobile app—only to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #agency executives #perfect storm #risk losing #adweek magazine


The 2019 Publishing Hot List: The Print and Digital Media Brands Paving a Way to Profitability

Media is dying? Don't tell that to the winners of this year's Publishing Hot List. Whether legacy media outlets or digital upstarts, these publishers are creating groundbreaking work, finding new revenue streams and otherwise nimbly adapting to an unstable landscape. Even as the president... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-10-21 00:00:55 UTC ]
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Uber CMO departs and brands storm Cannes: Monday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up here.   What people are talking about today: Just a month after its IPO, Uber’s COO Barney Harford and CMO Rebecca... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-10 10:26:30 UTC ]
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To Improve Chatbots, Brands Need to Combine Automation With Human Oversight

Sephora is becoming something of a chatterbox. The beauty retailer regularly converses with customers, whether that's by sharing prom tips with teens on the social media platform Kik, or helping shoppers book in-store appointments via Facebook Messenger. This type of interactive exchange--in... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brands and publishers turn to actors and comedians to give chatbots personality

Increasingly, companies like Google are hiring writers to give their AI a more human edge. Companies building bots for platforms like Facebook and Kik can’t really compete with the resource of these tech giants. But giving bots a personality is becoming more of a competitive advantage, companies... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kik Is Launching a Shop for Users to Interact With Chatbots From Brands

Kik has launched its own chatbot shop, further opening the floodgates to users who want to engage with messaging apps from brands and publishers arriving on the Canadian messaging platform. Starting today, Kik's Bot Shop will begin allowing users to download bots for entertainment, customer... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Russell Brand v the Sun: war of words hots up

Red-top brands comedian a hypocrite, Jack Dee criticises Crewe and Jimmy Carr tells Ross Noble not to knock Mock the WeekThis week's comedy newsThe gloves are off in Brand versus the Sun. On Saturday, the never-knowingly-underexposed comedian wrote a piece for this paper accusing the Sun on... Continue reading at The Guardian

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TOC: Interactivity and branding hot topics at Bologna

The rise of interactivity, the building of brands and a revolutionary switch to systems which let... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Summer 2020 YA Books: Your Reading List Is Hot, Hot, Hot

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A book for every Barbie in Barbie.

Hi Barbie! Are you looking for a good book to read? Maybe to take to the Beach? And/or to bring with you when you go to the movies this weekend? I promise, it’s going to be right up your alley. And also pink, for outfit coordination purposes, of course. You’re welcome. Bye Barbie! Stereotypical... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-02 16:49:03 UTC ]
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Brand RX part two: The state of brand safety one year later

It's been a year since we've surveyed our audience about the state of brand safety in digital media. Since then, marketers, publishers, social platforms and tech providers have worked overtime to help brands avoid unfortunate adjacencies. Complete the survey and you'll receive a $5 Starbucks... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On-Brand, Off-Page: Magazine Brands Aim to Build Social Communities

Both Domino and Seventeen look beyond their pages to interact with audiences. The post On-Brand, Off-Page: Magazine Brands Aim to Build Social Communities appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If Magazine Brands Are So Valuable, Why Are There So Many Non-Branded Offshoots?

Publishers take deeper dives into targeted topics, looking to appeal to millennials, expand ad inventory, and drive names into their databases. The post If Magazine Brands Are So Valuable, Why Are There So Many Non-Branded Offshoots? appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hot Dudes Reading Instagram is now a hot book

People who love to see hot dudes reading â€” and really, isn't that most of us? â€” love the wildly popular Instagram account dedicated to capturing them in the act.  Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Everyone’s Reading Books About Hot Faeries Now. This Bestselling Author Has Been Writing Them for Decades.

The Prisoner’s Throne author Holly Black reflects on the rise of “romantasy” novels, explicit sex scenes, and BookTok. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2024-03-18 21:31:31 UTC ]
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Winter Institute 2024: Booksellers Discuss Building Indie Brands and Bridges

The first day of the ABA's annual conference tackled topics including the basics of bookselling, marketing and media strategies for booksellers in the digital age, and how publishers can make booksellers' lives easier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Brands Thrive on Consistency. Retailers Need Something Else

Breaking the rules: That's how many branding experts viewed Barnes & Noble's new, idiosyncratic approach to its store designs as it mounts a comeback and tries to fend off the likes of Amazon. "Unpredictable and dynamic" is how CEO James Daunt described the new... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-02-07 19:31:31 UTC ]
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Why publishers are hesitant to add their chatbots to OpenAI’s GPT Store

OpenAI's new chatbot store opened on Jan. 10, but digital publishing companies haven’t been all that eager to dive in head first just yet due to their own limited resources and the lack of clear audience and revenue growth opportunities. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2024-01-26 05:01:00 UTC ]
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How brands are combining audio and video formats to boost digital campaign success

Rachel Brooks, associate director of business marketing, global, Spotify Digital media consumers seamlessly transition from audio to video throughout their day — listening to a favorite playlist during a workout or commute, then tuning into video content when relaxing in front of screens at the... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-12-14 15:56:06 UTC ]
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For the cold and short days ahead, check out these 24 hot new books published today.

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