This is really a "still on the drawing board" idea from South Korea and I know it’s meant to be a whole new generation of traffic lights, but come on….you’re a marketer. What would/could you do with it?
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I hate to say this but since I would know these are fake computerized people it would be very tempting to move my car up to hit them…. in a video game sense but on a large scale. Well actually my wife would fuss at me but I could see it be a major temptation for some people. I could see all kind of video game possibilities opening up;
Frogger, Pac-Man (wouldn’t it be fun to drive around and pick up virtual pellets with your car?) Advertisers could sponsor fruit you could pick up for points.
Pole-Position – Pretty obvious
GTA – I hope not!
WOW, Patrick, that’s pretty “Death Race 2000” of you. Kind of morbid… Funny, but I do wonder how people would react.
I see a push for “sponsorship” within the displays. “42nd & Park Ave. is brought to you by Pepsi… Drive Into A New Generation…”
Cool idea. I’m interested to see where it goes from here.
Great find, Drew!
Keep Cooking!
Andrew
Hi Drew
Geo-based advertising – particularly for car parks that you can never find a space in in cities. Or directions to events. If it could be synched to in car sat nav it could display points of interest/places to eat on the way. Admittedly only applicable for the first car in the queue but hey.
Hey Drew – I saw this on Springwise and thought about the same question.
Off the top of my head, I’m with Nicholas on the geo-based advertising.
Some good copywriting might lure you to the bakery around the corner… something explaining how you’re a right turn away from the best muffins in town, encouraging drivers to stick their heads out and take a whiff if they don’t believe it.
Otherwise… maybe some car horn karaoke? In which case, I wouldn’t want to live above an intersection.
Either way, good luck on the AOC!
How about something useful to the drive, like a map of where they are. Local businesses could sponsor different maps (with a nice shiny star or flashing icon to indicate themselves on the map). The sponsor could change on a regular basis… and even send a coupon to the car’s GPS/telematics system or driver’s cell phone.
Cool idea; it will be fun to see what happens. I hope it doesn’t just become a billboard, though – customers will get disgusted with that and tune it out.
Couple of quick things I saw:
1) Emergency vehicles – in some cities, emergency vehicles can hit a button to turn stoplights red, improving safety and response times. A special icon / message would alert drivers to their approach.
2) Football – would allow players and fans in the stands to more clearly see the line of scrimage.
3) Inside games, even capture the flag. Any game where a person must run through a boundary to achieve an objective.
I think this type of thing has gone to far. The people who are coming out with these weird and spacey ideas need to slow down and give their heads a shake. A lot of people are still having to come to terms with the Blackberry.
We love the ideas the other commenters placed on here! Geo-advertising does seem best and hopefully not too many people would be TOO tempted to drive up and hit these computerized folks!
Patrick,
I had the same thought…”wouldn’t it be fun…”
Of course, if they were really marking a cross walk, there would be real people behind the hologram ones. This would make the game a little less fun!
But imagine the fundraiser you could have if you shut down the streets and did exactly what you suggest — a virtual video game.
Drew
Andrew,
Agreed…sponsorships or “this road kept clean by” sorts of messages would be a natural.
It would also be cool if it synched with your GPS. “Yes, Andrew, you have finally found the bakery!”
Drew
Nick,
I do think there is something there — the appeal of being able to have a device in your vehicle and somehow being able to trigger information/directions has a lot of promise.
I love the idea of it pointing you to open parking places! That would save a lot of swearing on my part!
Drew
Cale,
Can you see a whole row of cars — windows down and people’s heads sticking out to smell the fresh baked bread? What a great visual.
Drew
Becky,
Well, if it is triggered by a red light, so it appears across the road as drivers sit there — it could provide information (temperature, traffic ahead) or it could have a little :60 movie to keep us entertained.
I also like the idea of it providing specialized information based on some setting we’d have tied to our car.
Interesting stuff!
Drew
Mary,
Yikes…none of us even thought of it not being on the street — bravo to you for thinking outside the given example.
You’re right — there are just as many options inside as you and everyone else came up with for the street applications.
Drew
“Home job site,”
You are very right. Many people either don’t have a need for or refuse to try some of the new technologies out there. Nothing wrong with that. Each to his own.
But, I doubt that’s going to stop those who want to innovate the next hot thing. I think there’s room in the world for both, don’t you?
Drew
Mr/Ms. Brick Marketing,
Agreed — my readers are a very creative lot! I have long said the best part of my blog are the comments!
Drew