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« George Saunders, American | Main | Uh, Cartoon Network…You're Supposed to Pay for Advertising. »

Nowhere to hide from outdoor advertising

The latest in really, really creepy consumer monitoring comes from the outdoor advertising industry. They are developing cameras that will be placed in billboards so that they can watch people as they read.

The cameras are designed to monitor people as they go by so the advertisers can determine how many people look at an ad and how long they look. The camera will have to be inconpicuous, I guess, but I can't help thinking about those Bugs Bunny cartoons whenever Bugs would end up in a castle, and the portraits would have eyes that followed Bugs around the room.

If the idea is to figure out what will get and keep people's attention, within five years the billboards will be nothing but tits and logos. Which makes me think that Europe got this technology years ago.

Posted by Charles Star on 06/15/2007 | Permalink

Comments

This is creepy, but maybe not so bad. If cleavage or celebrity pix or puppies with big eyes make someone want to look, then look. If not, don't. If more tits made for more effective advertising in the American market, advertisers would already be doing it to the extent they can get away with it.

Posted by: Mike | Aug 8, 2007 8:54:21 PM

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