It may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie but technology is progressing to the point where when one watches an advertising video in the mall it may watch you back.
Small cameras embedded in the screen or hidden around it can now track who looks at the screen and for how long. Makers of the tracking system claim the software can determine the viewer’s gender, approximate age and in some cases ethnicity and can change the advertising video accordingly, according to a report by Dinesh Ramde.
That could mean razor ads for men, cosmetic ads for women and video game ads for teens, says Ramde.
The technology is also a goldmine for advertisers as the ability to determine viewers’ demographics will enable them to determine the effectiveness of the reach of their ads.
Technology is still a ways away from identifying individuals and remains in limited use, but manufacturers declare the system can accurately measure gender 85 to 90 percent of the time while other measures continue to be refined.
This means that the system is capable of displaying an ad for a group of men but will switch to a minvan ad when women and children join them.
The idea of smart advertising videos, however, does not please everyone. Some opponents to the use of the technology argue cameras that study people contribute to an erosion of privacy. The use of the technology without the consumer’s knowledge also raises the hackles of privacy-protection advocates. Although manufacturers claim that nothing is ever stored and no identifying information is ever associated with the pictures, skeptics want privacy protection built in to the technology stage while it is still in its infancy.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Privacy should always be protected. We love video but we also love our privacy