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Smart Ads: The Future is Now |
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Dr. Samuel Says -
Bidness
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Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
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Wednesday, 06 February 2008 |
There's a great throwaway scene in Steven Spielberg's otherwise overrated Minority Report. As Tom Cruise's character walks through a crowded public space, dozens of holographic billboards turn to address him directly, by name, shilling various products and services. Minority Report was based on a story by sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, and like the rest of his work, is filled with oddly prophetic moments that presage 21st century trends.
At the rate we're going, a scene like this is really only about five
minutes into the future. Consider some recent topics discussed in this
very space, including locative media and holograms. The third
ingredient in this scenario is the concept of smart ads, which are
designed to pitch to the consumer very specifically by gathering
maximum contextual information instantly.
One example is Google's monstrously successful ad system, which
monitors keywords in your web searches to provide targeted
advertisements. Microsoft recently demo'd some up-and-coming
technologies in this area, at corporate HQ in Redmond. One technology
uses voice recognition to analyze video and audio clips, then generates
targeted ads based on the content being discussed. Change the topic,
and watch the ads change along in real time.
Another program analyzes video to determine the least disruptive spot
in which to drop a corporate logo or message. So, for instance, a logo
might jump from the bottom right corner to the upper left, depending on
the on-screen action. Still another prototype demonstrates how film
directors and other media makers could leverage "virtual product
placement," in which the same movie would display different placements
-- green-screen style -- depending on the venue.
Inevitably, as our network devices become smaller and more mobile (and
eventually sub-dermal), these smart ads will be piped through,
into, and around our variously wired selves. For all practical
purposes, smart ads will follow us around. It's just a matter of time
before the billboards start talking to us, one-on-one, all
personal-like…
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