The future of advertising

[00:00.40] Imagine a future where our streets are filled with ads 200m tall;

[00:04.38] where billboards change before our eyes to give us personalised messages;

[00:09.16] and where companies track our every move as we walk through a city, pinging our phones with special offers as we near their shops.

[00:17.13] In fact, all of these forms of advertising are already being tested.

[00:21.38] Let's take the first of these ideas. Back in 1982, science fiction movie Blade Runner envisaged a futuristic cityscape where giant adverts stretched the full height of skyscrapers.

[00:33.34] And UK company Lightvert are now doing something very similar; with one crucial difference.

[00:39.45] Instead of making immense physical adverts, their commercials are beamed straight into consumers' eyes.

[00:46.35] 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.

[00:56.18] When you pass directly in front of the image, you see it. It appears to be huge and suspended in mid-air, but others can't see it – it's only visible from one location.

[01:06.27] Lightvert claims this form of advertising is unobstrusive and can "unlock" large amounts of "high-value advertising real-estate".

[01:14.51] But not everyone is sold on the idea of living in a world of endless ads.

[01:19.55] In Moscow, for example, a new form of advertising targeting motorists has split opinion.

[01:25.13] Drivers approaching a particular digital billboard in the city are shown adverts for a new kind of Jaguar car, but only if you are driving a different make of vehicle.

[01:34.96] Sensors in the billboard detect what kind of car you are driving, and send you an ad based on that information.

[01:41.60] While this may seem invasive, it's actually the saftey aspect that has concerned some observers.

[01:47.44] Researchers in Sweden have shown that digital billboards attract our eyes for longer than other kinds.

[01:53.29] In fact, they distract us for over two seconds, a length of time which studies have proved to be dangerous on the roads.

[02:00.46] Finally, we have "proximity marketing", where shops detect where you are on the high street and send tailored adverts to your phone.

[02:08.70] Devicescape is one company trialling the use of Wi-Fi as a means of tracking customers.

[02:13.74] Their technology could work anywhere, whether in "a supermarket, a concert hall, or a bus," says Owen Geddes from their marketing team.

[02:21.45] 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.