Christine Maguire, general manager and vice president global media business, TripAdvisor, joins Neha Pradhan Kulkarni to chat on how impactful voice technology can be for the travel industry in the next few years. They circle their conversations around voice technology, whether it’s a new kind of sizzle or will it dramatically increase sales.
In this edition of Tech Talk, Maguire shares how voice technology can be a strategic win-win for the travel industry’s environmental initiatives. She also talks about how the travel company aligned its artificial intelligence and machine learning outcomes in a competitive market.
Key Takeaways on How To Leverage Voice Technology To Boost Business:
- Create the perfect immersive experience with voice technology for those looking for guidance.
- Use machine learning to collect data and populate a conversational tree for every user.
- Help travelers find the most sustainable form of travel using voice technology.
Here are the edited excerpts from our exclusive interview with Christine Maguire of TripAdvisor:
1. Starting from a career in accounting and finance to leading a team that won TripAdvisor the ‘Most Innovative Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Award’, can you tell us a bit about your journey into tech? What inspired you to deliver on an AI/ML technology campaign?
My financial foundation has served me well over the course of my career – from a startup like VEVO to a legacy publisher like Condé Nast, and now a global travel platform that was dramatically disrupted through a global pandemic. There is nothing like being able to work a P&L when you are running a business – especially in an industry that was heavily impacted overnight and has had a volatile recovery. At the end of the day, we are driving profit contributions for our partners, where we reach new consumers in unexpected ways.Â
When I joined Tripadvisor in 2019, I was tasked with leading the company’s global media strategy and operations – to better leverage the company’s international consumer demand in an effort to drive revenue through new digital advertising solutions. I am excited about our continued evolution to AI/ML campaigns because my goal has been to rethink marketing within the travel landscape and it has created a unique and performant way to drive innovation while capturing demand for leisure travel.
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2. What measurable impact did the use of voice technology create for TripAdvisor especially during the pandemic?
The virtual voice technology tour of a destination on Alexa provided inspiration and entertainment at a time when people were asked to stay home. Thousands of customers engaged with the skill and on average, users spent over four minutes within the immersive experience, answering approximately seven prompts. Extrapolated, this resulted in roughly 450 hours engaging with Orlando content during the initial rollout of the experience. The skill currently has a 5-star rating on the Alexa skill store and survey results suggest that users are thoroughly enjoying the experience. The Tripadvisor advertising team is also using these survey results to continually iterate and improve the experience based on user feedback.
“Similar to Orlando, with the addition of voice technology, Abu Dhabi’s destination exposure received over 1,300 hours of engagement. Additionally, 97% of users who engaged with the voice experience said that it has made them more likely to visit Abu Dhabi in the future.â€
3. Over the last two years, COVID-19 has forced the travel industry to adapt and innovate. In what other ways, can we expect immersive audio experiences to transform the travel industry and be future-ready?
The huge success of our world-first skills with Abu Dhabi and Orlando have not only demonstrated the natural synergy with voice technology but have also sparked a huge amount of interest from clients across all verticals as to how we could create the perfect immersive experience for them.Â
“With consumers asking Alexa an average of seven questions within each experience, we’ve learned how powerful conversational voice technology can be in relation to travel. People come to us for guidance on every aspect of their trip and voice technology acts as a natural extension to its conversational nature.â€
A few examples are, “Alexa, Open ‘Retail Brand’ Sustainable Adventuresâ€, powered by data, this could take users on a tour of the popular sustainable destinations in the world, the runs to do in those destinations, sustainable ways to travel there, and conversations on how to offset your carbon footprint.
“Alexa, Open ‘Auto Brand’ Road Tripsâ€, in this example, Alexa could ask the user questions to determine their road trip, including who they’re traveling with, how far they want to go, etc. Alexa then provides users with their road trip plan including top Tripadvisor recommendations and reviews. There is also the potential to build a specific in-vehicle Alexa experience with map sponsorship.
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4. In the past, the travel industry has faced waves of technological evolution and not all have been successful in delivering the promised ROI. In your opinion, is voice technology a new kind of sizzle or will it dramatically increase sales?
Voice technology is an innovative and disruptive force to the market that can ultimately drive more business. Leveraging voice technology has been an opportunity for Tripadvisor to think outside of the box and create unique experiences.Â
Leaning into this dimension of creativity, the team has been able to explore audio immersive opportunities to captivate and connect advertisers to wider audiences.Â
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5. Two of the top challenges for artificial intelligence and machine learning are insufficient skills and competing priorities. And many of your peers have not had the opportunity to implement AI yet. How did you align TripAdvisor’s AI and ML outcomes with these challenges?
Although Tripadvisor and Alexa both rely on a huge amount of machine learning, both the Abu Dhabi and Orlando skills are built on smart tech, with the best UX in mind.Â
“The amount of time users are spending in these experiences showcases how much value they’re getting. We’ve combined our intensive data collection and machine learning capabilities with discovery to populate a conversational tree that tailors the content based on the user.â€
Our core belief is to focus on creating the very best experience for our clients and consumers. And because we want to ensure we’re using smart ways to meet this goal, we continue to lead with the client and consumer as the performance of these skills proves to be a clear indicator of that.
6. Sustainability initiatives are also a top priority for the travel industry. Can you share with us how voice technology can be a strategic win-win for the travel industry’s environmental initiatives and business goals?
We know that sustainability initiatives are a top priority for travel brands mainly because they are a top priority for travelers.Â
“Conversational interfaces like voice technology, allow us to help travelers find the most sustainable form of travel for them, whilst adding tips and education on how to travel sustainability.â€
A conversational interface allows users to narrow down on what’s important to them, using more natural language. Making it easy for consumers to find sustainable travel and manage their travel sustainably will drive more adoption.
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7. Which AI and ML trends will be important for the travel industry in 2022 and beyond as it begins to wake up from the lockdown slumber?
It will be interesting to see how travel embraces the Metaverse as it presents a whole new destination for consumers. Tripadvisor is already ideating how we can tap into this new experience through content and brand partnerships. And we’re excited to see what the future entails.Â
About Christine MaguireOpens a new window
Christine joined Tripadvisor in a newly created role in April 2019 to lead the company’s global media strategy and operations, and to better leverage the company’s international consumer demand and to drive revenue through new digital advertising solutions. In a short period, she has already transformed the company’s approach to building media solutions and data-driven advertising, helping advertisers of different verticals reach the high-value travel and dining consumer on a platform with more than 460 million monthly users.
About TripadvisorOpens a new window
Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, helps hundreds of millions of people each month become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than 988 million reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.Â
Tech Talk is an interview series that features notable CTOs and senior technology executives from around the world. Join us as we talk to these technology and IT leaders who share their insights and research on data, analytics, and emerging technologies. If you are a tech expert and wish to share your thoughts, write to [email protected]Opens a new window
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