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Samsung System Tailors Ads To Its Audience
angry tapir writes "Samsung has developed an outdoor digital advertising system that tailors ads based on its audience. There are three main components of the system: an LCD display panel, a dual lens camera and a processing computer, which runs the company's proprietary facial recognition software. If the technology identifies several female members in a group, then it can target advertisements at them, for example. Even if the group is mixed, the technology can identify whether onlookers are children or adults. If they're adults then maybe a wine ad could run whereas an advertisement for toys might play for kids."
Long-time Samsung fanboy speaking here, but I do NOT want advertisements to see my face. Reading my e-mails is where I draw the line. At least Gmail can't tell whether or not I'm wearing pants.
I'd rather you rationally disagree than irrationally agree.
If they're adults then maybe a wine ad could run whereas an advertisement for toys might play for kids
And if it's a mixed group of adults and kids, it shows an ad for drinking wine out of plastic sippy cups?
... and then they built the supercollider.
Say it recognizes specific types of people. Would you really want ads for adult dating sites popping up if it thought a bachlor was strolling by? Or it could detect "that time of the month" and started advertising feminine products. Or how about it pops up porn ads when it only senses adult males in the vicinity.
I'm wondering what's going to happen when somebody sues because the ad content offends them. A woman that hates girly things or perhaps a black person that likes golf, or possible a gay man that gets sick of the inappropriate ads for jewelry for the wife.
This sort of technology may be an advertiser's wet dream, but it's pretty screwed up.
I'd rather pick my laundry detergent based on the results of independent testing, than based on who advertises the most. Why doesn't the world work that way? Consumers would be much better off.
How long until someone comes by and paints over the camera lenses disabling the tailored ads?
I can see this being a big waste of money that will hardly ever work correctly, and just being an annoying method of delivering ads when it is working.
You'd think advertisers would have learned by now how to avoid embarassing themselves. Clearly, they have not. Every year there are advertisements that fail to account for cultural values, context, or placement, and wind up sending an unintended message. Sometimes it's hilarious, sometimes its tragic. You've all seen the jars of Gerber baby food, right? The one with the big baby face on the front? Turns out when they first tried to sell it in rural segments of Africa, it wouldn't sell -- like at all. Turns out that the majority of the population in those markets is illiterate and so the products contained pictures of what was inside the jars and boxes. Well, the locals thought Gerber was selling, achem... baby. Needless to say, the packaging was updated shortly thereafter.
Here's the problem with advertisements where people are aware they are being targetted: What if the machine makes a mistake? What if it identifies the 18 year old male who's captain of the football team with a couple of his female friends and the machine decides that there are three females in the party instead of two, and spits out an advertisement for tampons or makeup. Perhaps even doing an impromptu photoshop with their faces and a "before and after" shot, with directions to the nearest makeup counter? Well, he might need some coverup then... To hide his suddenly very flushed appearance.
The problem with mechanical identification of any physical trait in a human being is that it won't ever be 100%, because the meanings associated with those traits are context-dependent. That is to say, the correlations are the problem, and it's true whether it's a matter of sex, race, or age... And when people are aware they are being targeted by those factors, and especially when its misread, and very especially when others are aware of this -- it can have significant social reprecussions. In marketing, context and placement means a lot -- and the only thing saving people from taking it personally is the very fact that they know it's targeted impersonally. When that changes, marketers are going to be in for a real surprise.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
someone messes with the stats and gets it so old church going ladies get exposed to gay porn star ads or just plain old goatse?
Oh sure, they think they're REAL clever with their little "recognition" algorithms, but let me just ask you this one:
What happens when the midget convention comes into town, huh? What do you do THEN, smart guy? WHAT DO YOU DO THEN?
and add a mask too?
Truth is, a little harmless digital stereotyping never hurt anybody. I look forward to living in a future where the advertisements on the street are video screens and they adapt their message to who they think is walking by. That's the kind of world people wrote about in science fiction decades ago, or put into movies like Blade Runner. This kind of thing has been dreamed about for decades, and thanks to the hard work of thousands of people, is finally possible.
Sure, it's not really that "useful" a technological improvement...kind of evil almost...but it sure is cool.
In Norway, advertisements directed towards children are banned on TV and radio. Unfortunately this is being circumvented by basing the broadcasting network abroad.
I just hope this type of advertising can be dealth with by modifying the laws. If not, maby a big hammer will do the trick.
In Norway, advertisements directed towards children are banned on TV and radio. Unfortunately this is being circumvented by basing the broadcasting network abroad.
I just hope this type of advertising can be dealth with by modifying the laws. If not, maby a big hammer will do the trick.
Zeus, and this is why I would love to move to Norway! Seriously, do you guys have room for tech nerds?
So I guess they won't be marketing this in fundamentalist Islamic countries where the gals wear burqas?
In Norway, advertisements directed towards children are banned on TV and radio.
What kind of commercials are shown during Saturday morning cartoons?
And what is the problem with advertising to kids? It's not like they have any money. The final arbiter, at least for what I consider "children" (under 13yo), is usually the parent, so where's the actual harm?
Is it the possible negative feelings that the kid will have when the parents refuse to buy the latest Go-bot reconfigurable robot toy? That's the kind of child-coddling, PC rule that is bringing society to its so-called knees.
I guess you think advertisers should learn from pretend made up stories?
http://www.snopes.com/business/market/babyfood.asp
So how are the kids going to buy the products? What toys will the parents buy to surprise their kids?
I like looking at other things. If they only showed me things I already knew about the ads would be pointless. I already know if something in my field is good or bad and they only want to target those ads to me. What I don't know is what exists in other areas that I don't stay current on. How do they know if I'm looking to move into a different market group or if I'm buying something for a friend?
One problem that i see, is that it can be very easy to game the system.
Let's say that the advertisers pay a fixed monthly payment. If I were an advertiser and my advertisement were run every time that three women are in front of the screen... well, I'd hire three actresses so that they stay in from of the screen: my ad would be shown lots of times, and adds of my competitors would never be shown.
If, on the contrary, the advertisers have to pay for each time his ad is shown, and my competitor's ad is shown when the system detects three men... well, in this case, I'd hire three actors to stay there, to force my rival to pay, pay and pay.
Like the fraudulent clicks in AdSense, but in real life.
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I really don't want this thing advertising bed sheets, wrestling, ammo and tractor pulls to me every time I walk by.
The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
maby not
weinersmith
If it's a mixed crowd all the porn ads could cause problems
"Let's say that the advertisers pay a fixed monthly payment. If I were an advertiser and my advertisement were run every time that three women are in front of the screen... well, I'd hire three actresses. . ."
Wow, that sounds expensive. Ok, here's an idea - if you want your ad shown continuously, just hire a traditional billboard/sign? You're really making things too complicated. The point of such an advertising system is to, on the one hand, reduce costs for you as the advertising client, while increasing the overall revenue for the sign company (because each time an ad is shown, it's supposed to be *more valuable* -at least, I'm sure that's the hypothesis behind such schemes, though I tend to question the validity of that idea - so the sign company can charge more per ad, while potentially charging most clients less than they otherwise would have to pay).
"If, on the contrary, the advertisers have to pay for each time his ad is shown, and my competitor's ad is shown when the system detects three men... well, in this case, I'd hire three actors to stay there, to force my rival to pay, pay and pay."
That's a possibility, but now consider the costs of hiring groups of actors to stand in front of the camera for many hours a week - and lets assume that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of such signs scattered throughout a major city like NY, LA, or London. So, you're going to hire thousands of "actors" for many hours a week (you wouldn't necessarily have to keep them there all the time, just during 'peak' times, but that's still probably 20 or 30 hours a week *per sign*). How many millions of dollars did you budget for this denial of service campaign, when your competition is probably only paying a few thousand dollars a week for advertising on all those signs.
I'd love to have you as my competition, because you would obviously mismanage your companies resources so badly, it'd be easy to compete against you. I'd drive you out of business making you pay for actors till you were broke.
The main argument I've seen is that it's a form of brainwashing, since young children are much more impressionable and susceptible to persuasion than older people are. Not specifically that it will force their parents to buy them a particular toy, but that it allows companies to try to mold future consumers to their liking.
Of course, even for adults advertising largely attempts to perform that sort of function---the idea that advertisements are good-faith attempts to inform potentially interested customers of a product they may like is rather quaint---but we generally feel that for adults, it's their own business to deal with it.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Facial recognition algorithm is enhanced a tad (framework is in place, remember) - finds a suspect in a police investigation. Suddenly the screen is filled with big black letters: GIVE YOURSELF UP. Police are also dispatched to the location.
I don't want computers analyzing my face without my consent. I'm even less happy with the idea of a computer trying to make guesses about what's going on in my mind - its just like Clippy, only with annoying jingles and flashy graphics.
Funny may not give karma, but +5 Informative never made anyone snort coffee out their nose.
But while this may look good on paper... remember: they will have to find something to replace those ads... and being a male between the ages of 18 and dead, you can be sure that every commercial break will be like Spike TV at 3am... An endless loop of Girls Gone Wild commercials occasionally separated by advertisements for erectile dysfunction prescriptions and the latest, amazing super-duper nutritional supplement that will help you drop 50 lbs of fat in 2 days, without exercising or changing your diet*!
* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or actually do anything at all besides separate you from your money, fatty!
If i start seeing those god damn jewlery commercials that they run at xmas time when me and my girlfiend walk through the mall I will definitely end up vandalizing them eventually.
I should create a robot that has a TV and walks in front of someone so that it constantly delivers unavoidable commercials. In fact I should patent the idea just to avoid some sick bastard taking this post and implementing it.
There are forces at work in this world...
If not, maby a big hammer will do the trick.
Like the Apple 1984 ads?
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
You have:
information overload - nobody pays attention to anything in particular, but everyone is annoyed. bad for advertiser, bad for consumer.
And:
...the chances of anyone seeing anything they're interested in are tiny. bad for advertiser => bad for the world...
Advertising is another business bubble that has yet to burst, it's just taking a really, really long time.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Sure, people complain about loss of privacy and possibly being sued for ads (gay man tired of seeing ads for jewelry for the wife [but if they knew he was gay, he'd sue because they judged he was gay by his walk or something anyway...]), but I, for one, welcome our new targeted advertising. I'm tired of awkwardly sitting through ads for feminine hygiene products.
http://www.tenjou.net/
"John Anderton! You could use a Guinness!"
What a colossal waste of engineering talent and technology. So many things that could be done to better the lot of humanity, and where does the effort go? Into more and more elaborate systems that try to tap into and divine out our innermost desires in a neverending effort to convince us to buy yet more useless junk that we don't need. Everywhere I turn, there's advertising, locked-down technology, restrictions, eroding usage rights, and the wholesale measuring and selling of our eyeballs - all stuff that does nothing but make things more annoying and less convenient for the legitimate buyer.
A significant fraction of our creative talent is being wasted effectively making mazes for the rest of humanity to run through all the while measuring the responses and tweaking the rewards to further encourage maze-running. I fear for our society's future.
An ad in a magazine targets the audience of that magazine. This targets YOU. Granted in this situation it is actually targetting the audience of the display but you could make a point that in system that specifically target a certain person then you could find offense in the choices the system makes. Especially if racist/sexist choices are made.
A tampon ad in a magazine is there regardless of who reads it. But setting an ad for fried chicken for a black person and an ad for grits for a white person is bound to attract controversy.
An advertiser would be foolish to do such a thing... but well if they had brains, they would have gotten by now that putting ads everywhere only reduces their effectiveness.
Wear a football top and a skirt.
Get your fancy dress party guests to walk by the signs.
Will it recognise the gender of naked people?
Dress as an alien (outer space alien, not a mere foreigner).
Suggest that a band of midgets and dwarfs stand in front of the sign.
Dress up in a kilt.
Gay pride parade.
Anyone and any uniform - especially monks and nuns (what do you sell someone who has taken a vow of poverty?)
I am anarch of all I survey.
Well you are Norse, you guys do have some experience with big hammers.
"Anonymous could not immediately be reached for further comment." - International Business Times
I hang my head in AC shame. Dudes, we're slipping.
Am I supposed to hide my face in public if I don't want advertising targeted to me? Oh, wait, in most places you get arrested for hiding your face! Where is my choice? Am I supposed to stay home to avoid it? I don't like this and don't want this -- and I don't think I'm alone in this.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
What KIND of an LCD Display Panel are we talking about? If you mean a 'Liquid Crystal LCD Display Panel', just say so!
Or preferably, 'Liquid Crystal LCD Display Screen Monitor Panel Panel', if you actually care about whether anyone understands you (I added an extra 'Panel' in case someone misses the first one)!
What will they advertise to women in a burqa? Fabric softener?
Not racist, not flamebait, just pointing out flaws.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
While it is interesting to see Samsung doing it too, there are no news...
TruMedia and Quividi systems have been capable of this for some time now.. (> 1 year).
There are other companies doing it too.
...dog as if it were a child. ...small woman with a stroller as if they were a dwarf with a dog, so that it looks like the woman were a dog. ...hairy hardcore ex-con biker with long hair as he were a black woman, trying to sell pantyhoses and high heels.
etc.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
What will happen if a furry convention comes to town?
Alarmist and hyperbolic: check!
Poor grasp of the issues: check!
Completely one-eyed assessment of the situation: check!
OK, the "obey" tag is cleared for use!
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
Disney, perhaps in anticipation of such laws elsewhere, or in response to consumer discontent, are already dealing with in their own way. No ads. But you see, there are Disney characters on that channel...ALL the time...
xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
I believe that there was a study done that found something like 40-60% of all sales of children's stuff happened because of begging done by the children. The ad agencies even did studies on how to increase begging.
If you haven't seen it, the documentary The Corporation is very illuminating. It's rather leftist, but contains some very interesting information about how aggressively companies advertise to kids.
Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
Here is the reason this is going to be annoying: consider TV in general. Commercials on TV are already targeted, as far as targeting is possible. They guess "this type of person watches this type of channel at this time slot" and choose the ads based on that.
And thus we see the same damn marketing campaign over and over and over and over, and this is annoying as hell, because even if the targeting was right, the commercials themselves are still the jarring attention-grabbing things they always were, because, hey, you might only ever see that one once so it has to get your attention! Except you end up seeing it 30 times and it started to grate after the third time.
What this sort of clumsily tells us is that once you break the commercials down into narrower categories, a few companies dominate each one. It's like there's not enough competition (either overall, or just in the ad-buying process) to fully populate each category. Or, alternately, the ad-men are over ten years behind adapting to the times. Better targeting is going to mean the same total pool of commercials gets sliced into even more, smaller categories.
And what *that* tells us is that, basically, if smartscreens are all over the place delivering targeted ads, we are each going to be followed around all day by *the same damn ad repeated over and over and over and over*. You won't be able to escape it! Maddening!
wasn't this tried in japan for beer machines. epic failure if I recall
I think this would be a tremendous advantage by not immediately altering the content. If the system is capable of determining viewer attention (ie do they even look at the ad), then its a fantastic feedback mechanism. The ad agency can tell what ads are noticed and which are ignored. The second part of the equation of which ads engender brand recognition or result in an increase in sales is another hurdle.
Personally face recognition is a bit harder. Anyone have a cell phone? How long before the advertisers start watching for cell phone signals and correlate them with a specific person or demographics. What about all those rfid enabled cards out there. It may not need or want or even be legal to identify you individually, but it could certainly determine what your demographics are. If the room is full of low income males, throw up a Budweiser ad. If it's older more affluent males then the ED ad. If minorities are present then show the multi-cultural version of the Microsoft ad. If its all white Pollocks then show the ad with the black guy photo-chopped out.
We can infringe copyright as much as we want and it'll all be legal?
Sounds good.
What kind of commercials are shown during Saturday morning cartoons?
Traditionally? Feminine hygiene and household cleaning products. That was the case while I was growing up in the 80s anyway, don't advertise to the kid, advertise to the mum.
That's not new. There's facial recognition systems running in every airport and Tim Horton's coffee shop in the country. Oops, did I say that out loud? On another note, can you even imagine a world without advertising? I can, and I like the idea.