16. Voice Marketing: How brands can use Interactive Print Media to build a positive emotional connection that increase desire, loyalty and engagement. In conversation with Geoffrey Stern Founder & CEO at Voice Express.

My guest today is my new friend Geoffrey Stern, the founder of Voice Express – an early pioneer of using Voice of Things and on-demand media to drive commerce. Today, 26 years later with multiple patents in his toolbox, Geoffrey’s products have been used around the world in voice enabled toys, sentiment expression, photo imaging, direct mail, packaging, and Point-of-Sale, to name a few. The company is most known for being the exclusive provider of Build-A-Bear Workshop, where they have shipped over 50 million electronic sound devices enabling consumers to express their emotions and put a smile on the face of young and old. 

Geoffrey is currently launching Connect™ – a smart-speaker in print, that will enable brands to engage their clients through an interactive voice experience in Direct Mail, Point-of-Sale and at the magical moment of unboxing. He is also working on launching VoiceGift®, the first VoiceGifting® platform that will create A New Way To Gift® and put meaning and emotion back into the gift-giving experiences. 

In this episode, Geoffrey and I discuss the ins and outs of why voice triggers emotions, and how brands can use voice experience to build stronger emotional connections with their customers.