Google has proven that adding some smarts to advertising can be very profitable. The next realm of digital advertising will be in the real world – automated billboards and poster ads in shopping malls, building walls and traditional billboard locations. This isn’t a new idea, Time magazine mentioned it back in 2010. And Google patented it in 2007, and again in 2010. It has been dubbed “out of home advertising” and Google started taking baby steps in late 2015:
Advertisers might soon be able to buy billboard ads using Google’s DoubleClick technology, which will pull in historical and real-time data signals — including audience, weather, travel information, sporting events, and scores — to decide which creative messages to display, which billboards to display them on, and the best time for them to run.
The idea is that passers-by will see the most relevant ads for the time of day and location they are in. If the passing audience isn’t the right one to show an ad to, then the technology opts not to serve an ad. [Business Insider]
So the idea is there, but to be a major success it just needs some tweaking. It needs to be more widespread, more mobile. It could look like this:
If Google/Apple/someone else follow my advice and create a drone monitoring system via 5G, then they’ll most likely take the next step which lets IoT Things communicate with the rest of the world.
Joining the gang of IoT will be digital billboards. Advantages over traditional signage are:
- ads can be changed at will. Hopefully combined with some kind of colored e-paper technology
- this allows for a Google AdWord-like system serving ads where they are best received
- signs can have cams built-in, to monitor foot and vehicle traffic
- sign owners can be paid according to bids and traffic sighted
The key ingredient that is missing, that makes AdWords such a success, is the measurement of interaction. Well, augmented reality has that covered!
People wearing VR glasses (like NowSpex) will be able to interact with digital signage. It could be as easy as looking at a sign, and saying “sign menu”. They would then be presented with options such as demo videos, nearest dealer, pricing and so on. All viewed in their glasses while they stand in front of the sign, or even on hold until they sit in a drone taxi or VR cafe.
VR glasses interaction can be extrapolated to estimate the interaction of all passersby, because glances from pedestrians and views through tinted car windows is too difficult to measure.
Advertisers can be charged according to VR interactions, and estimated views from people passing the sign. Signage will only exist profitably where people respond to it.
As if that wasn’t enough of a business model, once a 3D environment that mirrors the real world is in place, the real billboards will have virtual counterparts. Double the revenue!
How Soon Will This Be Reality?
Google has already considered it, just like it has considered radio and TV advertising.
Australian company AdBix has come up with signs that respond to the demographics of passersby – although I suspect that local knowledge of who walks by will be just as useful.
Google already measures the demographics of foot traffic via people logged in to Google on Android phones.
E Ink has developed color ePaper. It looks washed out, but hopefully the technology will improve. The ideal is that a sign can run from a small solar panel, which means signs can exist anywhere.
5G mobile data transmission is due to launch in 2020, with more than enough capacity to supply signs with content.
Somebody will try it in the next few years. I predict a form of interactive outdoor signage will be stunningly successful as soon as 2022.