Targeting Ads To Drivers

Can you really target potential buyers while they are still inside their cars? A new system says yes, and they are proving it by targeted ads according to the radio station playing in cars as they pass by.

by Kristina Knight

“The smart part is not only the radio monitoring device but also the way we build them,” says Smart Sign CEO Tom Langeland in a statement. “You get the flexibility of changing an ad right away, whenever you want to change it."

SmartSign Media in Sacramento has developed the Smart Signs that allow advertisers to target consumers as they drive by the digital billboards. The billboards gather information about the passengers in cars according to what radio station is tuned in. The billboard ad message can then be instantly changed according to the demographic profile. In profile is based on the age range and income of the majority of people listening to that radio station.

Once the ad changes, the sign can offer coupons and special offers to those in the cars. The signs can also pull pages off the Internet for display and can ask consumers to reply to ads via text message.

The digital signs can be place on pylons at the entrance to malls or stores so they can be displayed in areas that traditional billboards would not be allowed.