TV manufacturer Vizio has partnered with Home Depot to create a standalone portal on its home screen taking viewers to holiday-themed programming through which they can also shop.
The Merry & Bright three-part sponsored series from Home Depot will feature singer and former American Idol contestant Jordin Sparks, and feature home-improvement and holiday decoration tips.
“The shift to streaming is allowing brands to think beyond the traditional :15 and :30-second spot and really become the entertainment,” said Vizio director of branded content sales and strategy Katlyn Wilson. “It’s exciting to partner with such an established and innovative brand like The Home Depot, who is taking advantage of these opportunities to deliver emotion-led storytelling, centered around VIZIO’s audience interests like holiday content and DIY.”
The portal debuted today on the 17.6 million Vizio home screens active across the United States, built into the company’s own streaming-video interface. It’s a notable step in the development of connected TVs, taking advantage of the screens’ interactive and ad-targeting capabilities, while borrowing some tricks from social media and online video.
The series will follow the transformation of a home, finishing with the sort of big reveal common in reality TV shows.
It also marks another step toward the long-sought e-commerce goal of being able to “buy Jennifer Aniston’s sweater,” i.e., buy what a TV show’s on-screen character is wearing.
Programming will include three 10-minute episodes, plus a series of shorter pieces featuring holiday tips and tricks from Sparks. The programming will run through the end of the year, and can be found on Vizio’s “Home Screen Hero,” which will spotlight different episodes each week.
Vizio, like many competing OEMs and streaming-device makers, has its own interface, with hundreds of free, ad-supported linear and on-demand channels as well as access to subscription services.
Read the full article here