A good visual example of in-store displays that target consumers by personalized ads is illustrated in a scene of Steven Spielberg’s 2002 movie “Minority Report” where the character played by Tom Cruise is a fugitive running through a shopping mall populated by interactive ads targeted directly at him. Real-life examples include, as noted in Emily Steel’s Wall Street Journal article, the American restaurant Dunkin’ Donuts, where people ordering a coffee in the morning are exposed, based on their characteristics, to ads at the cash register promoting, for instance, the chain’s hash browns or breakfast sandwiches. Moreover, this practice has also been used in Japan, where interactive billboards have played the same role for consumer as in-store displays.
The practice of in-store ad targeting is a new dream coming true for marketers, like it was the case for behavioral targeting with the Internet at the beginning of the millenium. However, the most relevant question for managers is how will consumers react to this technology – which can help some consumers save time and money, but which can also be perceived as intrusive by others. If computerized in-store displays are to become part of your everyday life, how would you, as a consumer, react to this new technology?
Jean-Francois Belisle