A Common Kitchen Appliance Is Now Displaying Ads — And Customers Are Not Happy
The move raises complaints that customers are unwittingly paying for a device that monetizes their attention.
Listen to this post
Key Takeaways
- Samsung has begun testing ads on the large touchscreens of its Family Hub refrigerators.
- The move prompted backlash from owners who didn’t expect their appliances to become ad surfaces.
- Samsung rivals, like LG and GE, say they have no plans to run third-party ads on their appliance screens.
Imagine walking up to your refrigerator and noticing an advertisement for Tide on its screen. Your fridge has become a billboard.
Ads have increased their infiltration of American homes, touching appliances with screens like fridges, The Wall Street Journal recently reported. One affected customer, 47-year-old Tim Yoder, told the Journal that he first noticed an ad on his $1,400 Samsung smart fridge last fall. He didn’t pay for ads — he paid for an appliance with a touchscreen that lets him control other Samsung technology, stream music and find recipes.
The ads on Yoder’s smart fridge are part of a pilot program Samsung is testing in the U.S. “I guess this is another place for somebody to shove an ad in your face,” Yoder told the Journal.
Americans have largely accepted advertising on smartphones as a reasonable trade-off for access and convenience. They have also grown accustomed to ads creeping into the physical world, from restroom stalls to taxicab screens. Yet one space has remained mostly untouched — the kitchen.
The ads appear only on select Samsung Family Hub refrigerators equipped with screens and internet connectivity. They display as a rectangular banner at the bottom of the screen as part of a widget that also features news, weather updates and a calendar.
Samsung declined to comment on the duration of the pilot program. The company is actively integrating touchscreens into home appliances, including wall ovens and washing machines, as part of its “Screens Everywhere” initiative announced last year.
Disgruntled customers
Samsung is turning off customers as it presses forward with ads on kitchen appliances. Customers are effectively paying for a device that then monetizes their attention. Will Tipton, a 27-year-old 3D animator based in El Paso, Texas, told the Journal that he was annoyed after this smart fridge began displaying ads without his approval.
“I think it’s rude for them to add something without my consent after the sale,” Tipton told the outlet.
Tipton wants to return the fridge and plans to “never buy a Samsung appliance or device again.”
Potential Samsung customers are also turning their backs on the company after hearing about ads on fridges. James Rafferty, a 38-year-old aviation engineer, told the Journal that customers paying for a top-quality fridge should have a say in how its screen is used. He doesn’t plan on buying a Samsung fridge after learning about the company’s use of ads.
The goal of the pilot program
Samsung introduced the banner-style fridge ads in an October software update, pledging to “serve contextual or non-personal ads” and uphold data privacy standards. Users can disable the ads in settings. It’s unclear whether fridge owners are widely aware of the option to disable ads.
Samsung told the Journal that the goal of the pilot program is to determine whether ads tied to household tasks can offer value to the owners of smart appliances. The company added that customer resistance so far has been minimal; the opt-out rate for the pilot remains in the low single digits.
Competitors like LG Electronics, Whirlpool and GE Appliances told the Journal that they intend to keep ads off of their devices. “Our screens are designed as functional value exchange tools, not advertising surfaces,” Jason May, GE Appliances’ executive director of refrigeration, said.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung has begun testing ads on the large touchscreens of its Family Hub refrigerators.
- The move prompted backlash from owners who didn’t expect their appliances to become ad surfaces.
- Samsung rivals, like LG and GE, say they have no plans to run third-party ads on their appliance screens.
Imagine walking up to your refrigerator and noticing an advertisement for Tide on its screen. Your fridge has become a billboard.
Ads have increased their infiltration of American homes, touching appliances with screens like fridges, The Wall Street Journal recently reported. One affected customer, 47-year-old Tim Yoder, told the Journal that he first noticed an ad on his $1,400 Samsung smart fridge last fall. He didn’t pay for ads — he paid for an appliance with a touchscreen that lets him control other Samsung technology, stream music and find recipes.
The ads on Yoder’s smart fridge are part of a pilot program Samsung is testing in the U.S. “I guess this is another place for somebody to shove an ad in your face,” Yoder told the Journal.
