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Samsung now displays ads on its $2,000+ smart refrigerators
A new kind of advertisement has entered the kitchen. This week, Samsung began rolling out a software update in the United States that introduces ads on the touchscreens of its Family Hub smart refrigerators, which cost more than $2,000.
Owners of these high-end models were surprised to find a banner ad suddenly appearing on the large screen integrated into the refrigerator door. These same models sell for nearly €3,000 in France, and buyers point out that advertising wasn’t part of the deal when they purchased them.
Samsung stated that the October update is designed to enhance the interface and improve the AI-powered food inventory tool, which uses cameras to track the fridge’s contents in real time. However, it also introduces a new widget that displays daily information such as news, calendar events, weather forecasts, and selected advertisements.
In Samsung’s official images, the ads appear as a small banner at the bottom of the screen. The company insists that the ads are not personalized, assuring users that no personal data is collected by the refrigerators.
For now, users can disable the ads through the fridge’s settings or choose to hide specific ads they dislike — those will not reappear for the duration of the campaign. During this initial rollout, only Samsung products and services will be promoted, according to Shane Higby, head of home appliances at Samsung Electronics America. The continuation of the program will depend on user feedback, he added.
Back in May, Samsung Ads, the company’s advertising division, hinted at a pilot program that could allow third-party advertisers to run targeted ads on Samsung smart appliances. “We envision a world where Samsung Ads delivers your brand’s message on every screen in the connected home — and beyond,” said Travis Scott Howe, head of product innovation at Samsung Ads.
Samsung isn’t the first to introduce ads to smart devices — Amazon’s Echo Show screens have been displaying ads for several months.