The billboard that knows who you are
Is it just me, or is marketing getting a bit too personal these days? As the New York Times points out, marketers are now delivering custom messages to consumers via digital billboards that are controlled by RFID technology:
"Each day, it seems, marketers go further in their quest to deliver messages so engaging and personalized that one cannot help feeling special. The latest step will be seen today in four cities when Mini USA begins delivering custom messages to Mini Cooper owners on digital signs the company calls “talking” billboards.
The boards, which usually carry typical advertising, are programmed to identify approaching Mini drivers through a coded signal from a radio chip embedded in their key fob. The messages are personal, based on questionnaires that owners filled out: “Mary, moving at the speed of justice,” if Mary is a lawyer, or “Mike, the special of the day is speed,” if Mike is a chef."
Apparently, Mini users are looking forward to these billboard messages, viewing them as fun, playful and whimsical. Likewise, marketers love the idea, since it will reinforce the "tribal feeling" that the brand creates. As the head of North American operations for Mini Cooper suggests, "People buy Minis because they really want to have more fun in their days. We want everything about our marketing to fit that."
[image: Mini-Cooper Billboard]