Ad tech firm Teads has launched the world’s first chatbot to operate within an outstream video ad, with Tommy Hilfiger the first brand to run its TMY.GRL chatbot using the technology.
While Tommy Hilfiger has been able to run its ground breaking chatbot through Facebook Messenger in the past, Teads’ technology now allows the brand to extend this reach into a premium publisher environment through its outstream video ads.
Teads’ technology has enabled Tommy Hilfiger to integrate a chatbot into its outstream video ads to extend its reach beyond Facebook Messenger. The bot is accessed via a call to action laid over the video creative, which encourages users to engage.
This call to action is dynamic based on the time of day, eg. saying ‘Good Morning – Chat to us’, thanks to the integration with Teads Studio.
Tommy Hilfiger’s chatbot, developed in partnership with msg.ai, lets consumers globally explore pieces from the brand’s new collection by asking questions that help identify the customer’s individual tastes and required sizes. To purchase products suggested by the chatbot, customers are transferred to tommy.com, where the items will have already been placed in their basket.
View a sample video of the chatbot in action here (full Vimeo link)
The video advertising integration has been developed by Teads Studio, the creative team formed following Teads’ acquisition of Brainient in 2016. The initial campaign will launch in English on both Teads’ inRead Landscape for desktop and inRead Vertical on mobile devices.
Bertrand Quesada, CEO, Teads said “We’re thrilled to be working with Tommy Hilfiger and pioneer the next example of conversational commerce. Outstream video ads provide a superior user experience over other video advertising formats, and adding this extra level of personalisation makes them even more powerful. This is an example of what can be created when a visionary brand and truly cutting edge technology team up. We expect this to be the first of many such campaigns as other brands discover the opportunities of chatbot integrations with their video ads.”