Blackberry-maker RIM has filed two patent applications recently. Why? It could be a new method to deliver "adaptive" advertising based on data extracted from nearby Blackberry users.
From blog Unwired View:
When traffic is moving fast and drivers have no time to pay attention to billboards, or there's a dense crowd on the street so you are distracted and less likely to pay attention, the billboard may just blast a huge logo and slogan of the advertiser at you, to catch any peripheral attention it can get. When traffic slows down in a jam, and you are sitting bored at the wheel waiting for a car in front to move the next few meters, grateful for any distraction, the same billboard will give you a detailed information about the service, prices, benefits and stuff.
There are two separate patents. One is "Adaptive roadside billboard system and related methods" and the other is "Adaptive pedestrian billboard system and related methods."
ReadWriteWeb says the next step is for billboards to begin collecting "more personal information than simply crowd-aggregated data, such as the types of cars being driven," in order to further customize the advertising experience. But, as the article rightly suggests, that same step "treads on thinner ground in regards to privacy than simply the density and speed of traffic."
BlackBerry (Research In Motion) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile... [more]
Knowlton Thomas
Knowlton is the Associate Editor of Techvibes.
A Vancouver-based writer and author, Knowlton has been published in national and has also appeared on television and radio. He has written two ebooks are more are in the works.
Previously, he was an editor for New Westminster weekly The Other Press and served on its board of directors.
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