現代社會中，廣告信息隨處可見，這一產業的將來會有什么改變？大家會不會迎來如此的一天：當大家走在城市的街道上時，一抬頭就能看到映射在天空中高達200米的廣告影像？
Imagine a future where our streets are filled with ads 200m tall; where billboards2 change before our eyes to give us personalised messages; and where companies track our every move as we walk through a city, pinging our phones with special offers as we near their shops.
In fact, all of these forms of advertising3 are already being tested. Lets take the first of these ideas. Back in 1982, science fiction movie Blade Runner envisaged4 a futuristic cityscape where giant adverts5 stretched the full height of skyscrapers6. And UK company Lightvert are now doing something very similar; with one crucial difference.
Instead of making immense physical adverts, their commercials are beamed straight into consumers eyes. They do this by attaching a strip of reflective material onto a building and projecting an image onto it. This image then bounces out into the world. When you pass directly in front of the image, you see it. It appears to be huge and suspended in mid-air, but others cant see it its only visible from one location. Lightvert claims this form of advertising is unobstrusive and can unlock large amounts of high-value advertising real-estate.
But not everyone is sold on the idea of living in a world of endless ads. In Moscow, for example, a new form of advertising targeting motorists has split opinion. Drivers approaching a particular digital billboard1 in the city are shown adverts for a new kind of Jaguar7 car, but only if you are driving a different make of vehicle. Sensors8 in the billboard detect what kind of car you are driving, and send you an ad based on that information.
While this may seem invasive, its actually the saftey aspect that has concerned some observers. Researchers in Sweden have shown that digital billboards attract our eyes for longer than other kinds. In fact, they distract us for over two seconds, a length of time which studies have proved to be dangerous on the roads.
Finally, we have proximity9 marketing10, where shops detect where you are on the high street and send tailored adverts to your phone. Devicescape is one company trialling the use of Wi-Fi as a means of tracking customers. Their technology could work anywhere, whether in a supermarket, a concert hall, or a bus, says Owen Geddes from their marketing team. What would customers see? It could be a discount offer to use in the shop the person is visiting, or a piece of content such as a movie trailer, says Mr Geddes.