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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.
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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.
I guess you think advertisers should learn from pretend made up stories?
http://www.snopes.com/business/market/babyfood.asp
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.
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!
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.