GE conjures up digital brand magic with "LABracadabra"

Stephen Whiteside

This event report outlines how General Electric, the industrial conglomerate, tapped Amazon Alexa on a program which encouraged children to undertake scientific investigations at home.

In December 2016, General Electric launched LABracadabra – a do-it-yourself science program for kids that also let the brand experiment with a unique admixture of ecommerce, online video, and voice-activated tech.

The initiative's main objective was to feed children's enthusiasm for scientific inquiry. And its first step towards achieving that goal was crafting a slate of digital videos showing viewers how to create "lava lamps", "foaming fountains", and "lemon volcanoes" using household items (think: bottles, food coloring, and antacid pills) and a couple of essential tools used in the lab (most importantly: goggles).

"What we tried to do was build...

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