• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 2, 2023

Vizio and Home Depot have created a branded, shoppable holiday series being featured in the top-of-screen hero area of Vizio’s home page through the end of the year.

Vizio currently has 17.6 million active screens in U.S. homes.

The “Merry & Bright” series is hosted by singer and former “American Idol” contestant Jordin Sparks. It includes three, 10-minute episodes and shorter videos offering tips on holiday home decoration and DIY projects, all using Home Depot-available products integrated into the content. At the end, Jordin reveals a home transformed for the holidays.

Viewers can purchase the products by scanning in-episode QR codes that direct them to a “shop-the-look” page on HomeDepot.com, where they can readily add the items to a virtual shopping cart.

The Home Depot activation is part of Vizio’s push into branded content partnerships, which kicked off in March with a show sponsored by sports betting service BetMGM offering food and entertainment tips for home sports-viewing events like NCAA March Madness.

“The shift to streaming is allowing brands to think beyond the traditional :15- and :30-second spot and really become the entertainment,” said Katlyn Wilson, director of branded content sales and strategy at Vizio. Home Depot “is taking advantage of these opportunities to deliver emotion-led storytelling, centered around Vizio’s audience interests, like holiday content and DIY.”

DIY and holiday content are two of Vizio’s most-watched genres.

“This partnership exemplifies how shoppable technology is expanding the role of brand storytelling from an upper-to-mid funnel tool to driving immediate commerce action and sales impact,” added  Brandon Helrich, group director at OMD’s The Content Collective.