by Ana Guzman

Every year I am beyond excited for the Super Bowl, but if you ask me which teams will be playing, there is a 90 percent chance that I won’t know. I do know, however, that the commercials will be worth the wait of an entire football season. This year the Swedish clothing retailer H&M is releasing an interactive commercial that features international soccer icon, David Beckham. I am intrigued to see the results and public reaction.

This 30-second “interactive” commercial will use the “t-commerce platform,” a shopping method that uses television networks to show products to viewers and process orders using smart TVs (televisions connected to the internet). In this case, a short pop-up on the screen will allow smart TV users to shop for Beckham’s line of clothing during the brief commercial. H&M is the first to use t-commerce technology during the Super Bowl. The t-commerce platform had its first demo at the 2014 International Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas and less than a month after its debut, it will be used during the biggest sporting event of the year. The question is, “Will this increase sales?” 

Too advanced for most

This all seems like a great idea, in theory. The reality is that smart TVs are not common yet and the number of people who will be able to interact with this commercial is small. Also, the t-commerce platform will only be compatible with smart TVs made since 2012, decreasing the number of potential interactions even more.

To shop or to watch?

It will be interesting to see how these new interactive commercials could impact the way we watch television. This new t-commerce platform has the potential to take infomercials to a whole new level, not to mention how convenient it would be to shop instantly as you watch the commercial. We can also ask about what kind of impact will it have during the Super Bowl. First, the pop-up for shopping will only be available for a few seconds during this 30 second commercial. Second, this new technology might be a disruption to those who do not want to shop. Third, will this commercial be targeting men or women? According to the Canon City Daily Record, more women will watch the Super Bowl than men. It could be difficult to sell men’s clothing during the biggest football game of the year. All these questions will be answered once Sunday comes around.

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