As marketers it's always our goal to connect a brand with a qualified, highly targeted audience. We do this by focusing our creative concepts in a way that will resonate with the target, as well as defining a media mix that ensures the message is heard by the right demo/psychographic. Technology companies are aiming to take that targeting to the next level.

Enter NEC. They have developed and are close to releasing a technology that is essentially a physical display that can instantly identify a viewer's sex and age range as they walk by and serve them with ads that are relevant to them. Think of the implications of this! No more ads for a Toyota Camry being served to 17 year old males...no more 75 year old women seeing ads for Under Armour training apparel.

Speaking of that, I wonder if they will be developing modules that identify body type as well...

To take it even further, the technology includes a system in which the viewer can hold their cell phone over a special device which feeds them a URL link, coupons and other information on the products they've just seen on the advertisement.

Technology is changing the way marketers work at a dizzying pace. I love it.

Via The Times of India.

Thanks Zdnet for the image. What a classic poster.