Report: Target ads target TV-driven sales

Target Corp. is turning TV into an immediate sales driver with a new omnichannel ad campaign.



According to ClickZ, Target is partnering with Shazam, an online music app that has been expanding its functionality, to capture sales from consumers as they watch TV. Target is running TV ads that ask consumers to “Shazam to Shop Now.”



Consumers can then immediately open their Shazam app, point their mobile device camera at the Shazam logo on the ad, and pull up a shoppable page featuring many of the items from the ad. Target ran a similar promotion that let consumers use Shazam to have access to a shoppable page featuring items from an 11-page spread in the September 2015 issue of Vogue.



"We learned very quickly on social media that our guests want easy access to shop the products that they see while they're still top-of-mind," Target spokesperson Joshua Thomas told ClickZ. "Shazam removes some hurdles that may have existed in the past."



While the Target ads do not currently offer one-click or tap shopping, Shazam does offer Apple Watch and Android smartwatch versions of its app, meaning this functionality is possible.



TV and magazines have always been critical customer engagement tools, and Target’s Shazam direct sales strategy increases the potential ROI of TV and print advertising by a substantial amount.



Given that new developments in interactive TV, such as Apple TV, are now making it easier than ever before to make purchases directly from the TV itself, the need for the additional step of using a mobile app may fade. And print media continues to migrate online for consumption via tablet or other mobile device. Shazam to Shop may be the next new thing, or merely a waystation on the road to expanded TV and digital media commerce.