Alcohol Brands Launch Skills for Digital Assistants

The US branch of French luxury alcohol brand Moët Hennessy has launched a new educational 'skill' on Amazon's voice-controlled digital assistant Alexa.

Bottles and Bubbles allows users to learn more about Champagne and party hosting across six topic areas. These include the basics of Champagne tasting, food and Champagne pairings, and Champagne-inspired playlists and ambient sounds to match the drinking experience.

Similarly, French alcohol conglomerate Pernot Ricard has created a skill for the e-tail giant's new digital assistant device the Amazon Show, which incorporates an integrated screen. What Cocktail? suggests cocktails that can be made with the ingredients the user has at home via video recipes, as well as 'hacks' and drinks for special occasions.

"Voice-activated products are changing how we interact with technology," Pinot Ricard's head of digital Sille Opstrup told British trade magazine Drinks Business. "And with voice-led searches already up to three times quicker than text-searching, and experts predicting 50% of enquiries will be made this way by 2020, now is the time to start connecting with audiences using this platform."

For more on how to effectively utilise the digital assistance space as a brand, see Advertising In the Alexa Era, part of our Invisible Marketing Industry Trend. See also Expedia Partners With Amazon Echo for another recent example of a clever branded Alexa partnership.

Meanwhile, Activating At-Home Foodies explores new kitchen tech and cooking behaviours, and DIY Mixology tackles amateur cocktail culture.