by Paul Katz
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Smart billboards that can tell apart the men from the ladies are on the way.
- Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research has developed facial recognition software that can separate the sexes and then program a digital board to display gender-specific ads (CNET.com 6.17.09).
- The software is in Beta but the company hopes to roll out its first system by 2010, which could include a related software program that can tell the age of passerbys … so a lady may never tell — but a billboard sure will.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Many consumers prefer advertisements that are specifically focused on their interests — as long as the ads don’t cross privacy lines and become intrusive.
- The very act of stepping out into the world is becoming an interactive endeavor, as technology is reaching out to touch consumers automatically.
RESOURCES