Porsche launches world first interactive billboard

David McCowen
January 8, 2015
The Age

A new billboard in Melbourne is capable of recognising Porsches.
Australia is set to be home to an advertising first, a billboard that tailors messages according to the type of car people drive.
The new digital billboard on Melbourne’s Airport Drive will only show an advert for Porsche when one of the German brand’s cars drives past.
The system uses a camera to detect Porsche vehicles before displaying a message that reads “It’s so easy to pick you out of a crowd” when a Porsche approaches.
A spokesman for display advertising specialists oOh Media, says the world-first campaign was made possible by sophisticated vehicle recognition software.
“This is the first time that image recognition software has been used to identify a car on the move,” he says.
“It recognises the shape and expects of the exterior of the car, not the driver.
“It opens up the flexibility to be able to create new revenue streams, in terms of being able to put a number of clients up on the main site.”
The principal behind the technology is that luxury goods providers might only advertise to those who can afford their products. Similarly, people driving old cars could one be encouraged to trade in their wheels.
Jim Macnamara is the Professor of Public Communication at the University of Technology, Sydney.
He says smart billboards that target specific customers will soon be commonplace.
“That is the direction that adverting is heading.
“In the future I think you’ll find all billboards will do that… It’s just in its infancy but we’re going to see a lot more of this.
“Billboards could put up ads that match the traffic going past. It’s all part of big data, if they know a car and its owner they can tailor the advertising to it.”
Flexibility in advertising allows companies to target their products to an appropriate audience.
Digital billboards can be programmed to plug products at appropriate times, such as spruiking coffee in the morning and alcohol at night.
The Porsche billboard will be in place from January 10 to 15.