Dive Brief:

• Google and Amazon are running two distinct yet competitive campaigns to win over interest in their respective hardware over the next few months.

• Google posted the first TV spot for Home Monday, which plays on the theme of hominess through a whistled rendition of "Country Roads." Google Home was revealed the same day as a voice-activated device integrated with the company's AI Assistant program. Home also touts a touch pad interface, a built-in HiFi speaker and modular customization options, according to a Google blog post.

• Likely in anticipation of Home, Amazon rolled out its “Alexa Moments” campaign, which includes over 100 ads that emphasize "stories that owners have shared in their reviews of the Amazon Echo," according to Marketing Land.

Dive Insight

Both campaigns arrive on the cusp of the holiday shopping season, where Home and Echo will likely compete, as home assistants are positioned to be highly desired gifts among consumers.

The Google Home spots serve as a sort of product demo, highlighting Home's many functionalities and its to-be signature catchphrase of "Ok Google," which activates the hands-free Assistant feature. Perhaps in a subtle shot at Amazon Echo, Home's product announcement page proudly proclaims it's not "just another black box" thanks to modular customization options.

“Alexa Moments,” on the other hand, is true to its name in reflecting on the facets of Echo devices fans already cherish. Amazon even claims the campaign came from the “unique, creative ways in which our customers use Alexa every day,” per reporting done by Marketing Land.

The “Moments” promo's focus on brand loyalty and praise might then act as a safety net to retain old users, while the expansiveness of the campaign, with over 100 planned ads on both TV and digital platforms, aims to reach as many potential new buyers as possible.

If Amazon is sweating anything in what's sure to be a stiff race with Google, it might be Home's complete integration of the Google suite of programs and software, as well as Home’s addition of a touch pad interface, which Alexa devices pointedly lack.