Brief:

• Verizon Media is running a shoppable video series with tennis star Serena Williams, who showcases items from her S by Serena fashion line. The series expands her brand's "Everybody, Every Body" content from earlier this year, and lets shoppers purchase items directly through Verizon's Yahoo Shopping platform, per an announcement.
• "Everybody, Every Body" aims to empower viewers by embracing diversity, size acceptance and inclusivity while demonstrating items from S by Serena's autumn and winter collection. Williams offers a style guide and shows off her favorite pieces from the collection in the first video. Additional episodes will air through February.
• The campaign features organic holiday content on Yahoo Shopping, including some of Williams' favorite items from S by Serena, a social promotion and a first look at the series on Yahoo. Shoppers can browse the collection on Yahoo Shopping and Yahoo Lifestyle, the online directory's section about culture. Yahoo is also offering a discount to shoppers who use the YAHOO15 code at checkout.

Insight:

Verizon Media's shoppable video series is another indicator that platforms and publishers are putting big bets on blending mobile-minded video content with commerce.

Serena Williams is a major celebrity influencer, and likely to draw viewers, while her discussions about empowerment could resonate with younger consumers who prefer to shop with socially conscious, inclusive brands. Those themes are evident in her S by Serena fashion line, which she showcases in the video series and gives viewers a chance to buy directly from through Yahoo Shopping.

"Everybody, Every Body" is the latest push by Verizon Media to showcase its video shopping features. Last month, online marketplace eBay became the first advertiser to sponsor Verizon Media's shoppable video format with a campaign aimed at helping men find the perfect holiday gifts. The integration included a Holiday Guide for Guys hub on Yahoo Lifestyle to pull together eBay's commerce features with branded content.

Verizon Media is expanding the transactional format as more online platforms integrate video content with shopping to earn commissions from transactions. Google's YouTube last month introduced shoppable ad units that appear in viewers' home feeds and search results, helping marketers to reach the more than 90% of users who discover new products and brands on the video-sharing platform.

Comcast's NBCUniversal in October rolled out ads that let viewers use their smartphone cameras to buy products featured in TV shows. Meanwhile, social video app TikTok began testing a feature to let influencers add shopping links in their posts, but it's not clear when the service will be available to its 30 million users in the U.S.