Google Doing Electronic Billboards

January 18, 2007


Google wants to control all advertising, and, according to some patent filings, it looks like they are definitely moving in that direction. According to an article from Clickz, a patent filing from Google on technology to let local stores tie their stock computers to a Google powered ad network, means they are definitely thinking beyond newspapers and radio advertising. This filing covers systems and methods to allocate advertising space in a “network of electronic display devices.” So, this could cover billboards, ATM machines, kiosks in malls, about any digital display, heck why not TV’s in some stores where companies could show ads for some of their stock currently in the store.
If patent filings are anything to go by, contextual advertising powered by Google will start appearing on digital billboards in a shopping mall near you.
The idea is to tie billboard advertising in local malls to actual products for sale nearby, much like the company’s flagship Google AdWords/AdSense network that handles contextual advertising on the Internet.The patent filing, first reported by New Scientist magazine, describes a way for retailers to put categories of products up for purchase in the vicinity of a display device.
If the filing is a sign of things to come from Google, kiosk-type billboards, ATM machines and other digital displays in malls and hotel lobbies could start hawking products directly from a nearby retailer’s inventory.Nowadays, advertising in these screens are limited to looped, poster-type advertisements of movie promotions and other nearby events but, in Google’s eye, the ads could be pulled directly from a merchant’s stock control system. Source: Google Patent Filing Hints at Digital Billboard Ad Network
We are currently being flooded with advertising everywhere, my current broadband Suddenlink, formerly Charter Communications, has started placing banner ads alongside the web mail interface. This really pisses me off, I am already paying for this service, I don’t want to be shown ads because they can, if it was free I wouldn’t mind it, but not when I pay for the service. If Google had already rolled out the ability for everyone to pull in all their email from POP accounts, I wouldn’t be using the web mail interface at all. I will be dropping that email address and I will tell them where to stick when they make me move to the Suddenlink address. I called a customer service rep and he said our marketing guys said we should, so they did and they can’t remove them, so they can shove them where the sun don’t currently shine.
The ATM ad make me mad to, charge me for withdrawals from non-network ATM’s, charge me fees for using their own ATM’s and now they want me to look at ads after I get my money out? What kind of crap is that, just gimme me card back and my receipt, and stop ruining my life. Chase can shove those ads as well, I haven’t called them yet to let them know I will be switching banks, but I will when it happens.

Source: Jimmy Daniels.com