Ads surround us. Whether it is in the form of flashing lights or skywriting, the average American sees over 3,000 advertisements a day. Our only weapon against the torrential attack of propaganda and false promise is ignorance. But with new algorithms and technology that more accurately target the consumer’s interests, it is getting more and more difficult to ignore that pop up. Recognizing that the majority of advertisements we encounter are irrelevant, the Japanese have found a solution to such inefficiency in advertising.
The Tokyo-based electronics company NEC has created a facial recognition system that can be inserted into billboards to identify the sex and age of a passerby. Upon analysis, an advertisement “relevant” to that specific person shows up. In other words, an advertisement specifically catered towards the passerby appears, and become further specialized the longer he or she stands in front of it. Think Tom Cruise, Minority Report. Known as the “Next Generation Digital Signage Solution,” this facial recognition system, able to determine age within ten years, is an advertiser’s dream come true, a weapon in creating successful campaigns. Companies have always struggled with determining and connecting with a target audience, but this new system eliminates the guessing.
While some are concerned that this technology is a violation of privacy, I believe it highlights how advertising grossly emphasizes stereotypes. Thankfully, young consumers will not be hoarded by Medicare ads, and men won’t be faced with Tampax commercials. Statistics show high satisfaction rates from websites such as Hulu, where viewers decide which mandatory advertisements will be shown. Giving the consumer various options seems to be the key here; people like the control and specificity. But with this facial recognition system, ads are generated not by preference, but by a stereotype. When a woman in her mid twenties walks by the billboard, a sophisticated advertisement showcasing designer leather shoes will appear. For a man of the same age, a Charger sports car will emerge. Completely disregarding sexual orientation and cultural background, all of these ads will be generated to please the standard consumer who is middle class, materialistic, and most importantly, straight.
Ads engulf the everyday person. Just imagine how hard it would be for a teenager struggling with his sexuality to come out. With this new marketing strategy, this teenager would constantly be reminded of what he or she should desire. Teenage girls who see these generated advertisements will feel significantly more compelled to be as thin as Keira Knightly, wear the Coco Mademoiselle perfume, or buy the clothes Lauren Conrad wears. A fancy machine has predicted and formed our desires, which, most of the time, we think are innate. It is the perfect weapon for advertising.
Leave it to the Japanese to invent incredible technology of the future. “Next Generation Digital Signage Solution” will be a great advancement in the advertising business, but its transition into society will not be an easy one.