Recently, I read an article that made a strong case for monetizing Alexa and offered predictions for how Amazon may do so. One line stood out to me:

“It’s in Amazon’s best interest to monetize Alexa. Brands are looking for marketing alternatives to Google and Facebook, as well as new opportunities to reach consumers.”

Amazon has made a game of taking over, dominating, and in some instances decimating entire industries. Without ever being profitable, they’re on the verge of being the first company to reach a market cap of $1T. Why? Because love them or hate them, Amazon makes its customers’ lives easier. They offer convenient solutions for customer needs.

The Alexa—and similar products—are targeted at consumers like myself who have little interest in encountering advertisements when we try to update our shopping list. Or when we ask for the weather. Or when we get our daily news updates.

Brands and marketing professionals need to ask one question more often: who is this product or experience for? At the end of the day, who needs to be satisfied in order for a product to remain relevant and desirable?

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of aggressively pursuing revenue, or to get swept up in your team’s big idea and dive down the rabbit hole before validating the need. Believe me, I get that. But customer expectations and desires should never be secondary. After all, they are the source of a brand’s power.

So, is monetizing Alexa in Amazon’s best interest? Maybe. Maybe not. How they approach monetization will determine that. But customer needs should be at the center of that conversation.