Brief:
- Netflix is promoting the premiere of “Lost in Space,” a reboot of the 1960s science-fiction series, with an interactive audio game on Google Home smart speakers, per a Google blog post ostensibly written by the show's Will Robinson. The game urges players to use voice commands to help the show’s key characters after their spaceship crash-lands on an unfamiliar planet.
- By saying “Hey Google, play the ‘Lost in Space’ game,” players can interact with the Robinson family who were traveling on the Jupiter 2 ship to Alpha Centauri. The game lasts about five to six minutes, has a branched narrative and multiple-choice questions and answers, per Variety. The adventure is spoiler-free and doesn’t require any prior knowledge of the show.
- Cast members recorded the audio adventure game, which was produced via a collaboration between Netflix and Google. Netflix subscribers can watch the show by telling the voice-enabled Google Assistant, “Hey Google, play ‘Lost in Space’ on Netflix.”
Insight:
Netflix and Google’s promotion of “Lost in Space” using an interactive audio game is well suited to a show that presents a highly futuristic look at how families will interact with technology like artificial intelligence.
Hollywood studios have created promotions on smart speakers for other shows. Warner Bros. and DC Comics collaborated with e-commerce giant Amazon on a “Batman” audio adventure called “The Wayne Investigation.” Fox also promoted the reboot of “24” by bringing the trademark ticking-clock sound of the show to Amazon’s Echo smart speakers that feature the Alexa digital assistant.
Smart-speaker promotions are likely to become more common as households adopt voice-enabled devices. About one-third (34%) of Americans own a smart speaker, and 50% of these device owners use their devices several times a day, per Kantar Research. Amazon is the leader in smart speakers with an estimated 66% market share, while Google is second with a market share of 30%, per Kantar. Apple this year entered the market with its HomePod device that has a limited menu of commands handled by voice assistant Siri.
