Is biometric profiling the future of digital signage?

Whether or not you like the evolution of digital signage, there is one significant development that is setting it apart from more traditional methods: the ability to glean information about viewers and produce metrics. The Tokyo subway system has recently installed technology seen by visitors to Screenmedia Expo at Earls Court this year which can detect and store the age and gender of passersby, and could lead to the delivery of advanced statistical information to advertisers.

While the implementers have promised that the system does not identify viewers or capture images, there are those that will finish reading this story with a sense of discomfort. The Minority Report touted the idea that, in the not-too-distant future, advertising would be intelligent enough to tailor messages to our purchasing habits and demographics. It is not too far-fetched to assume that we are only a couple of technological hurdles away from individually customised messaging becoming a reality.

The queasy feeling comes from the same set of reasons for which consumers dislike cold calls, loyalty cards and direct mail – the idea that a central database dictates to a humanless outlet a series of adverts depending on personal information that you may never have forfeited willingly. As the wide-format printing sector starts to implement variable data printing (VDP) for community-sized audiences upwards, one wonders how much personalisation consumers can take, and how much they will resist when it starts to become more commonplace. Perhaps we will pine for printed advertising.

It’s ‘function creep’ that’s we find scariest: companies developing and delivering face recognition, tracking technology and biometric profiling ask consumers to trust their judgment and assure us that the data collected won’t be misused. Understandably, privacy specialists are dubious and want an open and thorough debate – not least Viviane Reding, the EU commissioner for information, society and media – before it is too late to reverse the trend. It would only take one misplaced data set or a single prodigious hacker to unfurl a breach of privacy tantamount to leaving a government database on a train.

There are positives to recognise: electronic and analogue campaigns are likely to become more interesting as marketers avoid those which are irritating or dull. Advertising will change more proactively depending on the time of day and therefore the demographic of the users around it, increasing relevance. However, storing personal data that is collected without the permission of the passerby (or voluntary ignoramus) is a conversation that must be had in depth at the legal and philosophical levels before it becomes common practice, however interesting the marketing potential.