Smart Billboards

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Posted by michael on Monday December 15, 2003 @02:07AM from the your-dog-wants-steak dept.

djdanlib writes "The New York Times ran this story Sunday about the Mobiltrak smart billboard system. It works by detecting what radio station you're listening to as you pass by a billboard, then displaying advertisements targeted at that station's demographic. It's kind of like a real-time Nielsen Ratings system for radio. And it's entirely passive, requiring no special hardware in your car - it receives the faint tuning signal generated by your radio." We've mentioned these before.

23 of 313 comments (clear)

Oh boy... by wrinkledshirt · 2003-12-15 02:08 · Score: 5, Funny

Is the Howard Stern show still on the radio these days? That could get dangerous.

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Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...
1. Re:Oh boy... by TWX · 2003-12-15 02:58 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  We're not sitting there with ten minutes of bombardment from your local automobile dealerships advertising $10,000 for your trade, commercials for anti-depression medication, ads from your local nightclubs talking about the ladies that'll be there Thursday night, etc...
  
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  Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
2. Re:Oh boy... by GreyPoopon · 2003-12-15 04:03 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Has it been that long since you viewed non-taxpayer supported television/radio?
  I recently viewed non-taxpayer supported radio, but I got bored after it just sat there doing nothing for a while.
  
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  GreyPoopon
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  Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
Imagine... by Anonymous Coward · 2003-12-15 02:10 · Score: 1, Funny

... how saucy those billboards would become if there was a Playboy radio channel!
This would be funny if by Anonymous Coward · 2003-12-15 02:10 · Score: 0, Funny

They made them find out what satilite TV station you were watching in your car, and put on an ad for that.

I'd drive around all day watching porn ;)
Hacks? by AbbyNormal · 2003-12-15 02:10 · Score: 5, Funny

Finally a way to get back at all of those stupid SUV driver!

Stuck in bumper to bumper traffic...SUV cuts you off.

Broadcast message to billboard: "Man in Silver SUV with license plate 12345 has no pants on, is currently drinking, and likes to beat small puppies".

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Sig it.
1. Re:Hacks? by four2five · 2003-12-15 02:15 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  Yes....that's the most just thing I've heard in ages. You need to contact your congress[man|woman] and get them to look into that.
  
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  -or so you'd think
Thi gives me n idea by supertbone · 2003-12-15 02:18 · Score: 0, Funny

I am going to through this idea out to the Slashdot crowd.

I would like a similar device that would allow me to detect radio station frequencies but that would also allow me to broadcast back and that same channel with in a small radius.

Why would I want that? This way I could tell the motherfucker who cut me just off to go to hell and suck my cock!
Re:Welcome to 10 years ago ... by worst_name_ever · 2003-12-15 02:21 · Score: 5, Funny

People who want to listen to the news or weather?
Oh man, you are so behind the times. I ripped all my news and weather reports to mp3's a long time ago. Now I can listen to peace treaties or car bombings, sunny weather or rain, depending on my mood on any given day! It's great!

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In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
Re:Hmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · 2003-12-15 02:24 · Score: 0, Funny

Funny how every new advertising technology begs the question, "How can I subvert this?"
It may *prompt* that question, but it does not beg it. 'Begs the question' != 'prompts one to ask'

See here
Yours, the Language Taliban
"We've mentioned these before." by hype7 · 2003-12-15 02:25 · Score: 4, Funny

We've mentioned these before.

Hmm, what's this then? Some kind of new editorial disclaimer to enable double posts? :)

-- james
National conglomorate? by garcia · 2003-12-15 02:26 · Score: 3, Funny

Does it display a table of executives slaughtering a baby when you drive buy listening to a ClearChannel or Infinity station? ;)
This would be funny if-"joy" stick. by Anonymous Coward · 2003-12-15 02:27 · Score: 1, Funny

"I'd drive around all day watching porn ;)"

Now aren't you glad cars can be driven one-handed?
WTF?... by Hayzeus · 2003-12-15 02:29 · Score: 3, Funny

Back up a little. So these Machines mentioned Before -- they're like Carriages, only without Horses? From whence do they derive their Motive Force -- some kind of Magnetikal Effect? -- Poor Dick

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Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
Re:Hmmm.... by plexxer · 2003-12-15 02:31 · Score: 5, Funny

I was thinking before I posted, "What happens when there's bumper-to-bumper traffic; how do you target every car when they move that slowly?"

Simple! If it detects traffic moving that slowly, it puts up an ad for the local metrorail system :)

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The government's moral compass is controlled by GPS.
In times of crises, they alter it to suit their needs.
I'm telling ya... by SmurfButcher+Bob · 2003-12-15 02:33 · Score: 5, Funny

... driving is soon going to be much more hazardous with the advent of new, "Pop-up Billboards".

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help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am
Let me get this straight by HangingChad · 2003-12-15 02:35 · Score: 4, Funny

I have to have a foil wallet to keep my EZ-Pass and credit cards from finking on me, an RFID jammer for my clothing tags, turn my cell phone off to keep from being tracked with the 911 locator, the FBI can use my OnStar to listen to conversations in the car and now I have to have a billboard jammer to keep everyone on the planet from knowing what radio station I listen to?
Being paranoid is getting to be more work all the time.

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That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
finally -- technology comes through by dandelion_wine · 2003-12-15 02:39 · Score: 2, Funny

I been waiting for a sign that'll fix me up with a tuba-playin girl.

Hello, this is Harris. I'm in right now, so you can talk to me personally. Please start talking at the sound of the beep
Re:Station Surfing by zeroprime · 2003-12-15 02:40 · Score: 2, Funny

I feel sorry for their passengers

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Hey! come on! try dividing it by anything!
Re:My iPod + iRock = devalued radio (wasted ads) by kalel666 · 2003-12-15 02:41 · Score: 4, Funny

What's going to happen is the billboard will sense your iPod playing mp3's and assume you've "stolen" them. A message will then appear telling you to pull over and await your RIAA overlords and cavity search.

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I HAVE CUBIC WISDOM THAT TRANSCENDS AND CONTRADICTS ONE DAY GODS
Re:Schism. by gfxguy · 2003-12-15 02:42 · Score: 5, Funny

Dumb Advertising...

1. Advertising is dumb.
2. Advertising works.
3. Marketers use adverstisements that appeal to the most people.

Conclusion: most people are dumb.

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Stupid sexy Flanders.
Threshold breaking drivers by MisterMook · 2003-12-15 02:55 · Score: 2, Funny

I wonder what would happen if you designed your "leaky radio" signal on purpose to appear from multiple car radios. Maybe a career of driving in rush hour traffic for some unlucky bastard? Guys driving around town with special getups designed to break the threshold levels of the billboards and turn the adverts to their employer's ads? Ick. It sounds about as fun as artifically inseminating sheep for a living.
Re:Spoofing the billboard by IM6100 · 2003-12-15 04:05 · Score: 2, Funny

Ah! I'll just install my antique Atwater Kent tuned-stages radio in my car, which is non-superhetrodyne!

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A Good Intro to NetBS