‘Emily in Paris‘ fans who like the title character’s fashion sense will have an easier time of finding her wardrobe, thanks to a new partnership between Netflix and Google.
Netflix subscribers can scan Emily’s styles in season four and find similar pieces by scanning her looks with Google Lens, the feature that helps users do image searches on the web. Fans who use the Netflix ad tier will also see so-called “pause ads” that prompt them top scan an image on screen that takes them to a specific “shopping” page that highlights some of Emily’s clothes and accessories. Special commericals that run will nod to Emily’s photo talents. Google will also serve as the title sponsor of the fourth season of the series and will advertise in its previous three seasons.
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“By organically tapping into the fandom of the show, and leveraging engaging formats, it offers our members a creative and entertaining experience and showcases to our partners the breadth at which we can build these unique opportunities with them,” says Magno Herran, vice president of marketing partnerships for Netflix, in a statement.
The partnership marks the first time Netflix has allowed a sponsor to “co-brand” a pause ad on the service and also the first time the streamer has allowed title sponsorships on library content.
While traditional rivals like Disney, NBC and Warner Bros. Discovery have sold commercials for decades, Netflix is relatively new to the practice, and has felt some pressure from advertisers and media agencies to demonstrate the effectiveness of its nascent ad platform, which launched officially in 2022. Media buyers have in some cases resisted its efforts, noting the company has sought higher-than-typical CPMs, or rates of reaching 1,000 viewers, in recent upfront negotiations. Netflix’ efforts have been complicated by a glut of new streaming inventory that has come into the market thanks to the launch of its ad tier and that from rival Amazon Prime Video.
With some of those dynamics in the market, media buyers say Netflix has in recent months begun to focus more intently on offers that tie a product or service more closely to the content in which ads appear, tapping so-called “product placement” or “branded content.”
Netflix has long struck alliances with marketers in bids to promote new seasons of their series. Coca-Cola went so far as to bring back New Coke for a new season of “Stranger Things,” and Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice teamed up with an array of offbeat scents for “The Witcher.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Netflix and‘Emily in Paris’to bring the joy of shopping directly to your screen. With Google Lens, you can turn your TV screen into your personal runway — effortlessly shopping the world’s fashion in one place,” says Stephanie Horton, Google’s senior director of global consumer marketing and commerce, in a statement. “Simply snap a photo with your phone, and unlock a world of style and inspiration.”
