Internet TV has been hyped as the next big thing for ages now – and now maybe it is.
Korean TV maker LG has tied up a deal with video advertising company YuMe to add an advertising capability to its new internet-connected ‘Smart’ TV sets and signed Toyota US as its first customer.
Toyota is promoting its new Camry model (in recent years usually the biggest-selling saloon/sedan in the US) with what it calls its biggest marketing campaign so far. This will include Saatchi & Saatchi LA’s new ads for the 2012 Camry when viewers browse the LG set’s app store or use its search screen.
Internet TVs are expected to make their big sales breakthrough this Christmas with some pundits predicting that they will take ten per cent of the TV market. The price differential between smart TVs and ordinary sets in the US has fallen from about $400 to around $100.
LG, Google and Sony all have products on the market and Apple is expected to unveil a new version of its offering soon. But LG and YuMe seem to have stolen a march in uncorking marketing revenue.
Toyota has improved the Camry models in terms of fuel economy and enhancement in the hybrid power-train. Asides from these changes, it is playing safe with newest version of its lineup.