AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” Actor Chosen to Voice Fintech Mobile App

Fintech developer Marygold & Co. has tapped Elwood Edwards, known as the voice of AOL’s You’ve Got Mail greeting, to perform a similar role on its new mobile app. Marygold app users will hear Edwards when the app sends them a notification, replacing You’ve Got Mail with You’ve Got Money.

Iconic Internet Voices

Edwards submitted a recording of his voice saying the iconic line and a handful of other messages to AOL more than three decades ago. His wife, who worked as a customer service representative at AOL, still in its infancy, told him to submit, and the rest was 1990s Internet history. The voice, familiar to anyone who went online during the dial-up era, will now serve a technology far beyond the capacity of the many AOL CDs that seemed to be proliferating in magazines. Marygold & Co.’s mobile app is designed for secure banking, including sending, receiving and otherwise moving money. Edwards will be the voice that tells users about transactions, saying “You’ve been paid,” “You’ve reached your goal,” or “You’ve sent money,” in addition to the payment received notification. “When Marygold & Co. first approached me with the opportunity to be featured on their innovative app, I saw this as an incredible opportunity. Reflecting on my journey from AOL to Marygold & Co., I feel very excited to evolve from being the voice of new technology, like dial-up internet, to a transformative fintech solution that helps shape the future of banking, Edwards said in a statement. “The fact that my app will manage my debit card directly to make any necessary transaction very simple, in my opinion, is my favorite part. “Managing my money on my phone is absolutely no barrier for me. Banking, I think, will be positively affected by what happens with the Marygold & Co. solution – and not just because my vote is on it.”

Financial planning

Edwards adds a new twist to the idea of ​​voice in banking and financial services, but the general concept has exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. Typically, this means that an entire AI assistant communicates in speech or text. Companies with a hand in the field are eagerly sought after by potential investors and acquirers, and their popularity is only growing. That is the reason for the start of banking conversation with AI FinnAI’s acquisition of Glia and Gupshup’s purchase of Active.ai and its finance-focused portfolio. The same explanation stands for investors writing an $85 million check for financial AI startup Personetics. As major banks adopt AI, people are becoming increasingly comfortable with the technology. Wells Fargo launched a virtual assistant in 2021, similar to US Bank, which has a voice assistant for its mobile app. And Bank of America’s virtual assistant, Erica, is now hugely popular, tripling interactions in the past year to 104.6 million.

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