Good Idea: How-To Videos in Home Depot

Home Depot and Avot Media are partnering up for a mobile video initiative that delivers home improvement how-to videos to your cell phone while you’re in the store.

The program is being tested with a product called Fast Attach, a device that lets you install hard-wired ceiling fans and light fixtures. Shelf displays in Home Depot provide a SMS code that shoppers can enter to receive a link that initiates a streamed instructional video showing how to install the Fast Attach.

This is a smart idea. Mobile video’s track record has been lackluster, with only 6 percent of U.S. cell phone subscribers watching mobile video in March, according to M:Metrics. How-to videos won’t move the needle on that stat, but providing relevant content (“Hey! Installing that looks easy!”) in the place where the consumer can actually take action is a perfect use for this type of video. Plus, it’s a contextual way for the advertiser to get a message across. And it potentially boosts revenue for all three parties.

The service is being rolled out across more than 100 Home Depots in Florida by June 3, and Avot hopes to extend the program to other advertisers and retailers. Grocers, food and recipes seem like another natural fit for this type of tech.

Hat tip to MediaPost.