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New Ad Technology Tracks Consumer Movement

Posted by michael on from the wallets-with-legs dept.

mingrassia writes "Over at CNN: New technology tracks consumer movement, flashes messages and calls out to passersby. Meet the Human Locator. It's a new technology developed by Canadian ad agency Freeset Interactive that purports to detect when humans are near, track their movement, and then broadcast messages directed at them on a nearby screen. Conspiracy theorists can relax, however. The Human Locator can't yet identify, say, obese pedestrians and then bombard them with images of a cheeseburger and fries."

11 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Hey, I saw this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Minority Report. Next thing you know I'll have to change my eyes.

  2. or yet... by vistic · · Score: 5, Funny
    The Human Locator can't yet identify, say, obese pedestrians and then bombard them with images of a cheeseburger and fries.
    ....or yet identify a slashdot geek and advertise case mods, acne cream, video games, and dating services.
  3. real-world popup ads :( by terrymaster69 · · Score: 5, Funny
    So they've finally found a way to bring pop-up ads into the real-world...

    I guess it was only a matter of time. Now I need some kind of pop-up blocker!

    Hmm...maybe a tinfoil hat will work??

    1. Re:real-world popup ads :( by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hmm...maybe a tinfoil hat will work??

      How about a baseball bat?

  4. No big deal by MiKM · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't see why this is revolutionary technology. This could have been done for years, with basic motion-detector technology. I also don't see why this would make ads any more "localized" than any other print billboards. I don't see why people would mind a billboard talking to them either, it's not as if they haven't heard any other recorded voices being played back.

    Anyways, this technology seems redundant and pointless. Researchers should spend their time working on something useful than coming up with a billboard that lights up when you pass.

  5. GRETINGS!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    YOU DO NOT KNOW BE MUT PLEASE TO INTRODUCE myself. i mean know harm to , and god willing, only good shall come from this video screen. i am alandra seko seso, of the african republic of....

  6. Fine by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 5, Insightful
    You know, I read this, and immediately got pissed off. Then I realized something. If a company wants to make that special effort, wants to go that extra mile, just to PISS ME OFF, thats fine. Let them waste their money. When a company pisses me off, I remember that company, and not in a good way. Yeah, they got brand recognition all right, just not the kind they wanted.

    I will just make sure I go that extra mile to avoid buying their products, and make sure I inform people of why.

    So to all /.ers who will get up in arms over this...don't. It is inevitable that this technology will be developed. They will use it to intrude on our lives. But remember, ultimately you have a choice (until the law states otherwise) about whether or not they get your dollars. And if they don't, they just wasted all that cash on something that will just lose them customers.

    If you really want to do something about it, write to the company (and the ad agency they use) and let them know that you will be buying the product of a competitor who uses less intrusive, annoying advertising. Its as simple as that, and you don't have to stress about anything.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Fine by JanneM · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Unfortunately, it doesn't really work that way. Negative or not, they did get brand recognition. You may think that company X are rear orifices for advertising laundry detergent Y in this way, but at least you remember detergent Y.

      Three weeks later, as you are standing in the aisle, choosing a detergent from the fivehundredmillion varieties dumped upon us, you will react emotionally to the sight of detergent Y. You do not have an emotional reaction (positive or negative) to the others. Of course, it been three weeks, so you don't actually remember why you have a reaction. The negativity was most likely attached to the company, not the brand, and since you don't really recall the connection to the company, the negative attributions are mostly gone. All you remember is that you have emotions for detergent Y and not for the others.

      Guess what? You are more likely to buy it.

      --
      Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
  7. Say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Hello, Sir. You look like a man who nees a larger penis!"

  8. great by t_allardyce · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If companies (walmart for example) are willing to sell data such as who bought which product containing rfid tag x then the advertisers just need to scan for certain rfid ids and figure out what to try and sell the person. Just remember its your duty to make sure these sorts of databases are filled with the most useless crap you can think of!

    --
    This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
  9. -1, Flamebait, but... by penguinoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Capitalist America, adds watch YOU!

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways