Walmart and NBCUniversal (NBCU) are set to launch an enhanced shoppable ad experience during this year’s Thanksgiving night NFL broadcast. This partnership marks a pivotal moment, as Walmart Connect ventures into linear TV for the first time, bringing closed-loop measurement capabilities to advertisers.
On November 28th, viewers enjoying the live sports action can expect more than touchdowns — they’ll also get a seamless shopping experience. Using on-screen QR codes and NBCU’s new text-to-shop feature within the “Shop the Pod” format, viewers can instantly shop for products on Walmart.com without leaving the game. This innovation provides advertisers with real-time sales attribution across both linear TV and streaming platforms, a first-of-its-kind offering from Walmart Connect.
“This is the next era of advertising — the most compelling content, an innovative viewer experience, and real, cross-platform reach and attribution,” said Alison Levin, President of Advertising and Partnerships at NBCU.
The initiative is strategically timed ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, capitalizing on the synergy between sports fans and Walmart’s core customers. According to Walmart’s first-party data, a remarkable 86% of Walmart shoppers are NFL fans — making this a prime opportunity for brands in categories like consumer packaged goods (CPG) to reach their target audience.
As part of the collaboration, Walmart’s new “Deals of Desire” campaign will also air in a special 2-minute segment during the broadcast. The 10-part series features familiar faces in humorous parodies of popular TV shows, blending entertainment with holiday deals. This “advertainment” push is part of Walmart’s larger 2024 holiday marketing strategy.
This expansion of the NBCU-Walmart partnership continues their efforts to fuse content and commerce. Walmart previously collaborated with NBCU for its Must Shop TV launch, and NBCU actively participates in the Walmart Connect Partner Lab, developing new ad solutions for retail media.
For more details, read the full story on Marketing Dive.