Vehicle recognition software for billboards

The world's first interactive billboard will go live tomorrow in Australia, providing a window to the future of outdoor advertising.

The new digital billboard on Melbourne's Airport Drive uses vehicle recognition technology to tailor messages according to the type of car people drive.

In what could be described as a case of preaching to the converted, in this case the 50 square-metre billboard will show a 10-second Porsche advert only when a Porsche drives by.

Using a camera and IBM software to detect the types of vehicles passing by, it will display an ad that reads "It's so easy to pick you out of a crowd" when a Porsche approaches.

“It’s appropriate that Porsche is part of this world first highlighting the award winning excellence of the Porsche brand," said Porsche Cars Australia Director of Marketing Toni Andreevski.

"The power and flexibility of digital technology today is a real winner for high value brands to reach just the right audience.”

The ground-breaking new Porsche billboard, which plugs the latest 911 Turbo, will be live between January 10 and 14.

John Purcell, Commercial Director of Operations and Technology at oOh!, said the world-first concept, developed specifically for Porsche by oOh!’s Creative Services team, demonstrates new ways digital billboards can be used to create a unique customer experience for brands.

“A camera located 300 metres from the billboard analyses the approaching vehicle make and model in real-time to identify if the car is a Porsche. Once a Porsche is detected it triggers the tailored message to be displayed as the Porsche is approaching,” he said.

“Over one week, this particular billboard will reach up to 200,000 travelers as they make their way to one of Australia’s busiest airports. It’s another great example of oOh!’s unmissable capabilities in reaching audiences.

“oOh!’s broader digital strategy is not just about upgrading our current sites into digital billboards, it’s about creating solutions to help clients find creative ways to engage with their customers.”

Experts say the technology — which recognises the exterior of vehicles, not their drivers – will usher in a new wave of targeted outdoor advertising beyond digital billboards that can be programmed to spruik products in particular types of weather or at certain times of the day, such as coffee in the morning and alcohol at night.