Walmart said last week that it is getting into the romantic comedy business, creating a 23-part online series called “Add to Heart” that it describes as “a first-of-its-kind shoppable commercial series featuring items at the top of holiday wish lists, making it seamless for customers to watch, shop and swoon with each scene … Customers can watch ‘Add to Heart’ on TikTok, Roku and YouTube as well as on Walmart’s owned social channels. From furniture and holiday décor to fashion from the entire cast, almost everything in ‘Add to Heart’ was sourced from Walmart and customers will have the opportunity to shop over 330 products across the experience.”
The first batch of episodes was dropped on TikTok, Roku and YouTube over the weekend, with the rest scheduled to drop on December 5 and December 8.
Walmart characterizes this series as “TikTok’s first fully shoppable holiday series. With TikTok’s Video Shopping Ads, and Roku’s ‘Ok to Text’ feature, customers will be able to shop from wherever they are, at home or on the go. Roku users can access the series through Walmart’s first shoppable branded entertainment playlist and a marquee ad on the Roku home screen.”
“Add to Heart” follows New York interior designer Jessica “as she returns to her hometown for the holidays. After losing her luggage on her travels, she visits her local Walmart, where she bumps into an old flame Javi. Between the town festivities, decorating and shopping, they start to rekindle their spark.”
Here’s the trailer:
KC’s View:
I’ve watched the first five episodes of “Add to Heart,” and I have to admit that it is sort of charming, and suggests the degree to which e-commerce can be integrated into various entertainment programs. It certainly is on-brand for Walmart to suggest that a young woman can find her true love – not to mention all the clothing and accessories she needs and wants – in a small town, as opposed to the big city.
I would suggest that maybe some gay folks will find the portrayal of Jessica’s best friend to be a little … stereotypical, and maybe a little offensive.
I think it is very smart for Walmart to be testing this out, and it’ll be interesting to see if it moves the needle. If next year Jessica is still in that small town, buying maternity clothes and shopping for basinets at Walmart, we’ll know it was at least successful enough to try again.
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