Microsoft’s Interactive Video Advertising: Video Hyperlinks

Under MSN Movies, there is currently an extraordinary advertisement for kohls. As the advertisement is playing a small green icon will appear which indicates that there is a built-in video hyperlink (VHL) in that portion. So if you see a dress that a woman is wearing, simply click on the dress and it will direct you to that item on Kohls.com.

VHL advertising was developed by the Microsoft adCenter Labs and the technology requires users to have Adobe Flash or ActiveX installed. “Video hyperlink ads are a milestone for Microsoft adCenter Labs. As the first stand-alone product from Microsoft adCenter Labs, video hyperlink ads symbolize Microsoft’s promise to innovate and advance the entire industry to new levels,” stated a Microsoft spokesperson.

You will notice in the below screen shot that the dress in the advertisement vide on the left matches the shopping cart option on the right. After you click on all of the items in the commercial that you like, you can check them out by clicking “Buy Now At Kohls.com.”

This concept seems to be a mash-up of YouTube videos and Riya’s Like.com.