Pizza Hut and Hulu have figured out the perfect recipe for a lazy night in: a streaming video ad that lets you order pizza then and there without leaving your show, much less your bed.
Later this year, the streaming video service Hulu will debut the feature that melds Pizza Hut's online ordering system with Hulu's interactive advertising. Pizza Hut will be the first brand to use Hulu's "in-stream purchase unit" that fully combines online advertising and sales.
"We want to make ordering from Pizza Hut as convenient as possible for consumers, so meeting them where they are is one of the most efficient ways to do that," says Pizza Hut's Director of PR, Doug Terfehr. "We have the largest suite of ordering channels in the pizza category, from mobile to desktop to Xbox, and now Hulu."
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While this is Hulu's first foray into in-stream purchasing, the trend is catching on across online streaming service providers. Artists such as Iggy Azalea and Sky Ferreira have released shoppable music videos and H&M premiered an interactive Super Bowl ad that allowed viewers with Samsung smart TVs to buy products and further engage with the commercial.
Hulu is reportedly eager to explore other ways it can boost interactive online advertising. This summer, Corona will air an ad that allows consumers to browse through various drink recipes. Hulu is also offering a new "360" video ad that will let users get a 360-degree viewpoint within the ad itself.
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