Retailer H&M will run an ad during Fox’s telecast of the Super Bowl XLVIII next month that will mark a technology first on TV advertising’s biggest stage — some viewers will be able to buy featured merch directly from their TV remotes.
However, only a fraction of the U.S. audience for Fox’s Feb. 2 broadcast of the Super Bowl will even see the historic development. H&M will deliver the feature within its 30-second spot using Delivery Agent’s TV-commerce platform, which in this case works only with 2012 and 2013 Samsung Smart TVs connected to the Internet.
Viewers with the compatible TVs will be presented with an opportunity to buy items from David Beckham’s Bodywear spring 2014 collection of clothing available exclusively through H&M. It’s unclear how many compatible sets are currently in use in the U.S.
At the 2014 International CES, Delivery Agent plans to demo the T-commerce shopping experience with H&M. Even though the shopping app will be limited, the retailer will gain an advantage by “making their Super Bowl ad actionable and directly measurable,” said Deliver Agenct CEO Mike Fitzsimmons.
For years, the chronic example about interactive shopping on TV was letting viewers of “Friends” buy Jennifer Aniston’s sweater. (That gives you some idea how old the idea is.) Now, perhaps, David Beckham’s underpants will supersede the sweater.
Samsung is an investor in San Francisco-based Delivery Agent; other investors include Intel, Liberty Global and Grazia Equity. Delivery Agent has partnerships with NBC, Fox, CBS, HBO, Showtime, Pepsi, Visa, Comcast, Cablevision, AT&T and Verizon.
