Siri is a voice-controlled personal assistant that first appeared on the iPhone as a standalone app from a start-up company of the same name. Apple didn’t waste time in acquiring Siri, which is now available in pretty much every Apple product. Its intelligence and abilities have grown over the years, as has the voice acting and voice over industries. But there’s one thing you must be curious about – “Who is the voice of Siri?”
There hasn’t been any confirmation from Apple, but it’s become evident over the years that the person who voices the original Siri is Susan Bennett. She’s an American voice actress who provided the voice behind voice assistant, although she isn’t contracted by Apple. Instead, she recorded the voice-over for Siri in July of 2005, even before Apple bought Siri.
Today, Susan Bennett’s voice is in the hands of millions of people around the world. Her voice also paved the way for Apple to be one of the leaders in the voice market.
The Siri Voice
The original Siri voice is that of a woman. Siri’s voice is robotic with a pitch a little lower and not evenly spaced like the natural way people speak. It’s not a normal speaking voice that you’d expect to hear from a person. Today, Siri’s voice is available in different languages and even has a male version. The Siri voice also now sounds more human than that of a robot.
What Does Siri Look Like?
It’s hard to say what Siri looks like. It’s not as if Apple gave a concrete description of how she would appear if she were a real person. But if you were to look through the Internet, plenty of Apple users share their take of how Siri actually looks like. But if we’re talking about the person behind the voice, Siri would be a brunette, older, but indeed a capable woman.
What Is Siri’s Real Name?
Siri’s real name, or rather her voice actress’s real name, is Susan Bennett. She’s a seasoned voice actress and was also a former backup singer. She was the original female American voice of Siri when it was first introduced on October 4, 2011, on the iPhone 4S. She was Siri’s main voice until September 18, 2013, when Apple rolled out the iOS 7 update.
Susan Bennet is Not the Only Siri
If you are using Apple devices outside of the US, you know there are other variations of Siri. There are male and female voices and different versions all over the world. It’s hard to track down all of the people who voice Siri, but we have identified three – Susan Bennett (the US female version), Karen Jacobson (the Australian female version), and Jon Briggs (the British male version).
All three are accomplished voice actors. Some people would probably recognize Jon Briggs as the person who voiced The Weakest Link. On the other hand, Karen Jacobsen is known in her home country as the “GPS girl.” Meanwhile, Susan Bennett has also done a lot of voice-over work for Delta Airlines, AT&T, McDonald’s, Coca Cola, and many more.
Voice Acting and How It’s Steadily Used in Marketing
Susan Bennett, Karen Jacobsen, and Job Briggs are all voice artists who utilize their voices in various ways. Voice-over or voice acting can also be used in different ways besides voicing virtual assistants like Siri. Today, it is also increasingly used in the field of marketing. The fact is that your customer is online. This means your marketing strategy must focus on social media and search engines, covering not only text and video but voice as well.
Optimizing for voice is what you should be doing right now.
Before, it was text, then videos. Now, marketing circles are onto the voice market, expecting it will grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years. But it’s not that far in the future anymore. It’s already here, as evidenced by the popularity of voice devices. There’s Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant that uses voice-overs in communicating with users.
If your audience is using a smart device, there’s a good chance they’re already using voice to communicate electronically. It goes to say that now is the perfect time to optimize your brand for voice. Now is when you should adopt tactics and strategies so your brand can reach audiences that use voice devices. Many brands are already using voice marketing, from ordering coffee to hotel booking.
Ways that Voice Over Acting Can Be Used in Marketing
You can use voice-over in marketing in several ways. One example is voicing a virtual assistant like Siri. If you’re making an app, adding a voice command feature is now more essential than ever. In that case, you’ll also need a voice artist like Susan Bennett to lend their voice to the VA. With voice technology now changing the face of SEO, voice artists are sure to have more voice-over gigs than ever.
Corporate Voice Overs
A corporate voice-over is a professional production, a piece that gives your brand its final voice signature. The right voice-over is crucial here because the particular voice you pick will represent your brand and company. It has to be a voice with your desired tone and pitch that successfully reinforces your brand image. Companies can essentially use voice-overs in two ways – internal and external purposes.
- Internal Corporate Voice Overs
This involves creating instructional and informative videos for your employees. Examples of these include onboarding videos that provide an overview of your company, training videos, and internal video communications. You’ll definitely need a voice artist with a clear, authoritative voice for internal corporate voice-overs.
- External Corporate Voice Overs
This includes voice-overs for advertising and public announcements. As such, you will need the right voice artist to give it a tone that connects the business with the public. Whether you’re sharing information about your products or how-to videos about your services, the right voice-over can help make your ad succeed.
Commercial Voice Overs
This a voice acting job involving different advertising forms and is essentially the same as external corporate voice-overs. They fall into four broad categories – radio commercials, television commercials, in-store commercials, and internet commercials (like explainer videos). Voice is one of the essential parts of these commercials.
On that note, the voice artist must fit with the tone of your brand as well as your products and services. Whether authoritative, lively, or young, selecting a voice-over talent depends on your target audience and demographic. Whatever voice style the voice artist use, their job is to promote the brand, product, or service and influence an audience.
Voice Overs Can Help Almost Every Industry
Voice overs are effective in almost every industry. They work on radio, televisions, the Internet, podcasts and vlogs, and even smartphone applications. Any industry that relies on advertising can use voice-overs in various aspects of its marketing strategy. You can use it traditionally in commercial videos or audios, voice search strategies, and voice-enabled chatbots.
Either way, your choice of voice artist and the script direction of the voice-over project result from the director, ad agency, marketer, or business owner’s careful planning. When you decide who will be the person to voice over your ads or apps, you want someone with a voice that can effectively reach your audience.
How Can an Effective Voice Over Enhance a Brand?
Voice overs are a crucial part of a brand strategy because they make all content more presentable. A voice actor who can add varying accents, tones, expressions, and styles to a video or audio that makes it more appealing than simple text with music. It can make your content more lively and engaging. More importantly, the right voice will give your brand a personality that speaks right to your target audience.
It creates an identity
You want your brand to have an identity. But logos, ads, and commercials only provide a visual stimulus to your audience. If you add sound on top of that – a distinctive voice that your customers will remember – it will stick more to your audience and create a lasting image.
It sets your brand apart
The competition is stiff, so you need an advantage to set you apart from your competitors. Voice overs are an excellent way to do that. The best voice acting gives your product or service a voice that increases your brand visibility, so more customers come to you. And isn’t this your goal for any marketing campaign?
It delivers an authentic message
An outstanding voice-over resonates with your audience. Professional voice artists sound natural, so anyone who listens feels that the brand message is more authentic. Compared to other mediums, it is also easier to sound believable and sincere using a human voice.
It can breach into a new market
As you know by now, podcasts, audio conversations, voice assistants, and many other forms of media are becoming more popular. If you want to conquer this new market and get your message across, you need to utilize this medium. Adopting voice in your marketing strategy is the key.
Let Bunny Studio Take Care of Your Voice Over Needs!
“Who is the voice of Siri?” “How can voice acting grow your brand?” We hope that this article provides the answers to your questions. Voice-overs or voice acting is an aspect of marketing that many often overlook. But with the increase of voice technology, more and more marketers focus on improving their voice strategies. This means hiring voice artists as well.
Do you need a voice-over for your brand? We can help you with your needs. Don’t hesitate to hire a voice artist from Bunny Studio today!
