The CW brings shoppability to college football

The CW is bringing shoppable TV to its growing sports slate. Starting with the Nov. 2 ACC college football matchup between Virginia Tech and Syracuse, viewers will be directed by on-screen talent and QR codes to visit a website offering curated team merchandise and game-day gear for purchase. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here The site is the creation of Shopsense AI, which launched earlier this year via a partnership with Paramount to provide TV channels with quickly built mobile sites and apps for viewers to browse while they watch content. The offering taps into the broader excitement for advertisers to drive sales and other performance metrics in TV, where marketers have historically sought brand-building. The tech company has since struck deals with other media companies, such as TelevisaUnivision and Tastemade, and has added new offerings, such as a lens that allows users to take photos of a character’s clothing or gear and search similar products, like Google’s lens capability. Read more: What is shoppable TV While many shoppable ad products have been confined to streaming or connected TV interfaces, Shopsense AI’s mobile companion sites offer media companies options for bringing shoppable TV to content that airs on non-owned platforms or in linear TV channels, said Bryan Quinn, president and co-founder of Shopsense AI. The tech company’s previous partnerships have brought shoppable offerings to MTV’s VMAs and Univision’s Latin American Music Awards. When viewers first encounter prompts to browse Shopsense AI’s sites in programming, engagement isn’t high, said Glenn Fishback, CEO and co-founder of Shopsense AI. But on repeat calls to action, Fishback said, the engagement rate is 75% on average for the company’s storefronts. And while Fishback declined to specify purchase rates, the executive said revenue per user is multiple dollars. Previously, media companies and Shopsense AI have built e-commerce products together; The CW is the first to utilize a new capability that automates the process. By entering a prompt, such as “Build a Clemson Football storefront sponsored by Dick’s,” Shopsense’s Commerce OS platform will aggregate products that the network can add to a consumer-facing shop tied to an upcoming game. Imagery and curated collections are also customizable. A Shopsense AI spokesperson said Dick’s Sporting Goods is used in the above image for illustrative purposes, and that Shopsense AI’s partnership with The CW currently does not integrate sponsors. The CW is initially launching its Shopsense store to test consumer engagement before bringing on sponsors to participate, Quinn added. This will allow the network to incorporate gear to specific advertisers that sponsor the shopping extension for certain events or shows. It also allows media companies to sell display advertising in the app and incorporate shoppable carousel ads for the e-commerce shop across their other digital channels, such as owned news sites. Following this weekend’s football game, The CW will expand its partnership with Shopsense AI to other live sports events as well as scripted and unscripted series across the network. “By bringing shoppable TV to The CW’s ACC college football broadcasts, we’re merging the excitement of live sports with cutting-edge technology … and creates dynamic, engaging brand opportunities,” said Laura Lamattina, VP, creative director branded entertainment at The CW Network, in a statement. Looking forward, Quinn said Shopsense AI’s sees the product being a natural extension of pregame marketing for channels like The CW, whose parent company Nexstar owns numerous local stations. Quinn said this could allow Nexstar stations to add different items to its e-commerce shops to promote upcoming games by sharing tailgate gear or discounted travel for fans looking to travel to a city to watch a game in person.

The CW brings shoppability to college football

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