When a robot looks or acts like a human, we find it endearing and even cute, as we can clearly see that it’s not ‘one of us’. The more human-like it becomes, the more we see it in a positive light.
However, there’s a limit.
Robots can become too human-like, to a point where we feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Because no matter how human a robot looks and moves, we still know there’s something that’s not quite right. It can even freak people out. It freaks me out too, to be honest.
100% human = no worries!
90% human = nope, weird.
Even if a robot replicates a human extremely well, it still causes an eerie sensation. This phenomenon is known as the Uncanny Vally. The chart below will help you visually understand what it’s all about.
There’s some innate intuitive part of us, that’s able to distinguish between humans and non-humans.
So how is this in any way related to marketing?
Before you continue reading, I want you to watch this video.
Did that video pull at your heart strings? I’m sure you all realised at the end (or you already knew), that was an ad for Westpac bank. But there wasn’t anything throughout the video to suggest that it was a Westpac ad.
If halfway through that story, Westpac included some sort of advertising that made you think, “hold on, they’re trying to market and sell me something”, you would probably feel uneasy and not engage with the rest of the ad.
Referring to the chart above, an ad that is clearly trying to sell you something from start to finish, is the left mountain. An engaging video that pulls at the heart strings with no explicit marketing involved, is the right mountain. The valley is somewhere in the middle of these mountains, where a brand is trying to combine the two.
Although the humanoid robot market expected to grow by 40% in sectors such as retail, the Uncanny Valley may significantly affect the success of this technology.
If we don’t feel comfortable interacting with ‘almost, but not quite human’ robots, will we want to buy that brand’s products and services? Can these human-like robots deliver true, meaningful value to consumers?
I guess time will tell.
(This compilation of humanoid robots is as intriguing as it is creepy. Check it out at your own discretion. I’m not responsible for any nightmares)
Dynamic Digital 
Scary stuff, the percentage of intelligence that isn’t human is increasing! My prediction is that we will eventually have a digital and physical version of ourselves, i choose physical!
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I think robots in customer service is something that will be more accepted in the future as opposed to know. I think to many people will feel uneasy, like you said in your article, about interacting with robots. Great post!
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