By Michaela Gordoni
Fridges with screens are a semi-recent trend, but the introduction of ads is all too new.
One Samsung Family Hub fridge owner, Tim Yoder, bought his fridge to control music on other Samsung gadget, pull up recipes and stream music.
He was taken by surprise when an ad popped up that said, “Shop Samsung water filters.”
“I guess this is another place for somebody to shove an ad in your face,” said the 47-year-old.
The ads are banner ads, part of a pilot that Samsung started in October.
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“As part of the Family Hub software update, we are piloting a new widget for select Cover Screens themes of Family Hub refrigerators. The widget will display useful day-to-day information such as news, calendar and weather forecasts, along with curated advertisements,” Samsung said at the time.
One customer said, “I think it’s rude for them to add something without my consent after the sale. I will never buy a Samsung appliance or device again, unless I absolutely need it.”
Samsung said it is exploring whether ads relevant to home chores can be useful to owners.
It also said when users access the net through the screen’s web browser, whole-page third-party ads can appear, which Samsung cannot block.
Owners can turn off the banner ads but only by turning off the widget altogether. So one media-industry engineer made sure his home router’s ad-blocking software extended to his fridge to fix the problem.
LG, Whirlpool and GE said they won’t implement ads on their fridges.
“Our screens are designed as functional value exchange tools, not advertising surfaces,” said Jason May, GE Appliances’ executive director of refrigeration.
“I think the company [Samsung] miscalculated the benefits versus losses,” said Avinash Collis, a Carnegie Mellon University professor.
“They should really think about this,” added Siobhan Ellis, a technology manager in the automotive industry. “It’s not just the fridge. It’s the whole knock-on effect too.”
These fridge ads won’t surprise some of you, as ads are now more invasive than ever.
Atlantic writer Kate Lindsay wrote, “Gone are the days of simple banner ads; even the sponsored Instagram posts invading my feed have started to feel quaint. Now nothing is safe from brands trying to sell us stuff. Open the Uber app mid-ride to check your ETA, and you might first have to wait out a 90-second video. Search for healthy snack in the grocery-delivery app Instacart, and perhaps you’ll see a screen-clogging ad for That’s It bars made of 100 percent fruit.”
Yes, we see it every day. Some of us are even used to it…but no one likes it.
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