September 12, 2023
August 5, 2022
Of the 100,000 or so skills, here are the best.
Alexa comes jam-packed with tons of functions and special features that you can use every day, but there are thousands of third-party “skills” that make Alexa even better. These skills are developed regularly by hundreds of different companies and are added to Alexa’s functionality by Amazon – essentially, she’s learning these skills to make your life easier!
With nearly 100,000 skills available with Alexa, and more being added daily; it can be difficult to figure out exactly what these skills are and what you can do with them. So we’ve gone ahead and listed some of the coolest and most useful Alexa branded skills!Before we get started, let’s take a minute to recognize just how cool Alexa and her abilities really are! You can purchase an Echo Dot for under $50, and with that, you can open up your whole world to having a virtual assistant that can do countless things to aid you in your life of convenience.
Yes, we’ve all been frustrated at times by Alexa not understanding us, or doing something completely different than what we asked for, but the reality is that we can walk inside our home and with just the utterance of a few words we can have music going, the lights on, dinner cooking in the crockpot and the weekly forecast being read to us. If that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is!
So without any further ado, here are some of the best branded skills available through Alexa.
Let’s say that you’ve spilled some wine on your carpet, or maybe some coffee on your shirt, just ask Alexa how to clean it out properly! With Tide’s Stain Remover skill, Alexa can know over 200 types of stains that she will help you remove. With step-by-step instructions on how to clean your spills and stains, this hands-free skill allows you to have a peace of mind and two free hands that you will undoubtedly need while cleaning up your mess.
Feeling like a drink is in order? Now you don’t have to waste your time searching for cocktail recipes on your phone – Just ask Alexa, and the Ask Patron skill will provide you with all the best cocktail recipes, bartending tips, and fun facts about the liquor. The Ask Patron skill will even consider what ingredients you have on hand and help you create a delicious drink with what’s available!
Need a ride? You can easily set up Uber’s branded skill with your Echo so you can call a ride whenever you need one! All you have to do to summon an Uber with Alexa is just say, “Alexa, ask Uber to get me a car.” and your ride will be on its way. Now that’s a time saver!
Take care of your furry best friends with the MyPetDoc skill, and never worry again about whether or not you’re doing the right thing for their health. Amazon describes the MyPetDoc skill as “the world’s first veterinarian-driven AI, provides the answers you need. You’ll have a straight-forward conversation with MyPetDoc first. Then, if you’d like more advice and guidance, you can speak with a US licensed veterinarian live. Veterinarians are available 24 hrs/day.”
Who doesn’t like pizza!? Now you can order your favorite Domino’s items with Alexa through the Domino’s branded skill. You can even track your order, or ask for the delivery to be at a specific time that day. This skill is a gift from above!
These are only a few of our favorite branded skills; there are tens of thousands of other helpful and unique skills that can help make your life easier. But what makes a branded skill a good one? First, it has to be useful and serve a common need that will entice regular use – each of the above skills listed has done just that – and with that, the company’s that developed them present themselves in a positives light and get a whole lot of priceless business and marketing by becoming an integral part of your daily life. Second, the best branded skills are simple to use. They can serve a complicated need, but they must be able to be initiated with a few words, such as “Alexa, call me an Uber.” Simple and quick is what you want, after all, that’s what Alexa is all about!
The world is changing, and businesses have to stay relevant by keeping up with it; one of the best ways to do that is by linking up with Amazon and presenting a skill that the consumers need. Each of the skills that are listed above are among the most popular and useful out there, and the company’s that created them are reaping the benefits by remaining at the top of the consumer’s minds as the leaders in their field.
If you need help developing your voice strategy, conversation architecture, skill or skill discovery campaign, get in touch – mark@podean.com
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September 12, 2023
September 12, 2023
August 5, 2022
Emily…
James comes to Podean with a wealth of marketplace knowledge having worked at Amazon Corporate for 5+ years. He worked in many different roles and groups during his time there from Seller Support to Vendor Management. From recruiting and onboarding 3P sellers to new categories, handling highly escalated executive level contacts, and managing vendor relationships he brings an inside understanding of how Amazon works. James is passionate about online retail and brings a client and customer centered approach as the Head of US Retail Operations. Before his e-commerce focused life, James worked across industries that have always focused and delivered results in customer service, account management, and inventory management.
With more than 15 years of experience Alejandro has led some of the most edgy projects in the LATAM region and has built-up high-performance teams from both agency and brand sides. Working with Havas he put together a Consumer Engagement unit for Pepsi. He led a WPP digital solution for L’Oréal and while working with Mediacom he redesigned Coca-Cola’s media team. Most recently he was a fundamental part of Danone’s media transformation into a brand salience unit. He was born and raised in Mexico City, loves being outdoors, listening to music and spending time with his 7-year-old daughter.
Danielle leads media globally for Podean. She previously led the Amazon and e-commerce division at performance marketing agency, Merkle (part of Dentsu). Danielle has deep expertise across all facets of Amazon advertising – DSP, sponsored ads, audio, out of home and beyond. She has delivered significant growth for some of the world’s largest brands including Nestle, managing tens of millions of advertising spend on their behalf.
Before Podean, Travis Johnson was Founder and President of Dentsu’s Amazon-focused consultancy, Sellwin. Prior joining Dentsu he was Global CEO of Ansible Mobile in New York, and also held CEO positions in Australia for media agencies UM, Initiative and Cadreon. He was an Adweek Media Allstar in 2017 and has won over 50 International Awards across his career.
Maddie leads our client management team and also marketing for Podean. Maddie’s team operates as an extension of our client’s teams – anticipating their needs, thinking proactively, and always delivering on time. Maddie is also responsible for all aspects of Podean marketing, from blogs and email newsletters to PR, content, and advertising.
Lizzy manages the Podean media team across any, and every, media solution offered by Amazon and other marketplaces. Whether it’s search/sponsored ads, DSP display and video, Twitch, audio or activations we have the experts to deliver. Every client that her team has worked on has seen a step-change in media effectiveness and sales versus their previous operations.
Jonathan Hawkins leads Podean’s European operations, working with clients spanning all categories. His team assists brands with every aspect of setup and optimization across the region including supply chain advice, logistics, retail operations, analytics and media management. P Before joining Podean, Hawkins was Commercial Director of Square Up media, owners of media properties including Escapism, Foodism and Square Mile. During his decade at Square Up he led editorial, content and most recently commercialisation and sales with a focus on digital products and ecommerce growth.
We have hand-picked the best and brightest Amazon talent from around the USA and the world. Our delivery team of 6 New York based, and 17 Amazon and marketplace marketing specialists ensure our clients receive the best campaign performance. They are experts in retail management, performance media optimization, but also video, analytics, AMC, voice, creative and higher impact executions.
Ashley has covered all aspects of digital marketing in his career, having led digital media for Initiative Media Australia, then managed a team of cross-functional digital salespeople at Mi9 (MSN) and was most recently the Managing Director of ecommerce conversion optimization software company, Ve. Ashley’s leadership, collaboration skills and entrepreneurial spirit drive the Australian business.
Mark is a 20+ year digital leader and before Podean was EVP at Reprise where he successfully launched IPG’s Amazon Center Of Excellence. Prior to this, Mark led mobile and innovation agency Ansible. Earlier in his career he was the Founder and CEO of Concep, an email and performance marketing agency with offices in the UK, USA and Australia.