Just before bringing the Jonas Brothers on stage to celebrate an upcoming content partnership, Samsung made a curious announcement to attendees at their NewFronts presentation in New York City on Tuesday.
The manufacturing giant is developing a pilot program with select advertising partners to run “personal ads” on the doors of Samsung refrigerators that come with screens.
“As we begin to think towards the future, we envision a world where Samsung Ads brings your brand message to every screen in the connected home and beyond to drive all new levels of engagement and impact,” Travis Scott Howe, global head of new product solutions at Samsung Ads, said on stage.
Better than birds of a feather?
Speaking later with AdExchanger, Howe clarified that the program is still very much in early days. The idea is to incorporate several testing phases to get feedback from advertisers and customers, which will help determine what types of ad formats prove effective.
In fact, Samsung has already started soliciting advertiser feedback, VP and Head of Ad Sales and Operations Michael Scott told AdExchanger.
The announcement stuck out during Samsung’s NewFronts session given that the company’s head of R&D, Jeong Seung Moon, told The Verge last month that there were “no plans regarding the inclusion of advertisements on AI Home screens” embedded in other smart home devices.
The Samsung executives at Tuesday’s NewFronts, however, said that their ultimate goal is to do right by and provide value to their consumers. By which they mean the owners of their appliances, mind, not advertising clients.
“We believe that there’s a role for appropriate advertising on that screen to actually influence what you’re discovering and what your consumption looks like,” said Howe. “That is the value proposition going into it.”
