Wednesday, February 18, 2009

When you watch these ads, the ads check you out

That is the title of an article about a very interesting new video system. Here is the link: When you watch these ads, the ads check you out. Here is the intro:

"Watch an advertisement on a video screen in a mall, health club or grocery store and there's a slim — but growing — chance the ad is watching you too.

Small cameras can now be embedded in the screen or hidden around it, tracking who looks at the screen and for how long. The makers of the tracking systems say the software can determine the viewer's gender, approximate age range and, in some cases, ethnicity — and can change the ads accordingly.

That could mean razor ads for men, cosmetics ads for women and video-game ads for teens.

And even if the ads don't shift based on which people are watching, the technology's ability to determine the viewers' demographics is golden for advertisers who want to know how effectively they're reaching their target audience."

It is not surprising that this is happening. Since we can mute our TVs, fast forward over commercials when we record shows, etc., alot of advertising is not viewed. So they are trying new ways to get our attention. I'll really get scared when they can recognize that I'm an economics professor.

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