Face & Eye Tracking Advertisements Take a Look at Who’s Looking
Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? According to an article entitled, “Advertising that watches you, too” by Dinesh Ramde, there is a small, but growing possibility that video ads in malls, health clubs, and grocery stores contain small video cameras that collect data about their viewers. These high-tech micro cameras track faces by identifying distinctive shapes, colors, and speed of movement. Comparing characteristics like cheekbones, fullness of lips, and the gap between eyebrows to a database of shapes and patterns that are typified as male or female, the systems can identify with 85-90% accuracy the gender of the viewer. In some cases (but with less accuracy) the age range and ethnicity can be recognized as well. A New York company, Studio IMC, uses eye tracking software to identify the type of attention a display is attracting whether it is a passing glance, a purposeful gaze, or an intentional stare.
Advertisers can use this information to either create highly targeted “smart ads” or to collect demographic information that will tell them if their ads are reaching the desired target audience. The use of smart ads may increase as face tracking technology advances. As a form of “proactive merchandising,” advertisers will have the ability to identify characteristics about a consumer walking by and display an advertisement that directly targets them. Advertising industry analysts predict that the use of face tracking technology to collect data on consumers will increase as the value of such information is recognized. However, this raises questions about the ethicality of concealed face tracking devices. Is this hidden market research system an erosion of privacy? While privacy advocates are adamant that consumers should be notified about what information is being captured and how it’s being used, manufacturers of face tracking systems maintain that consumer identities are safe. At this point, it is beyond the technical capabilities of these devices to attach personally identifying information to the images they capture. Manufacturers insist that images are instantly analyzed and that only demographic details are stored. So next time you look at an advertisement in the mall, just know that it could possibly be looking right back at you.
Related articles:
- Eye Tracking: Investigating What Women Notice in Advertisements
- Eye Tracking Technology as Memory Aid
- Race Presents Challenge for Facial and Eye Tracking Technology
- How Eye Tracking Can Improve the Newspaper Industry
- Eye Tracking in New Interfaces
- Pupil Tracking Reveals Why Color Coding Study Materials is a Good Idea
- A Healthy Debate: Eye Tracking and an Individual’s Privacy
- Eye Tracking Study Compares Tag Cloud Layouts
- Eye Tracking: Iris Biometrics Being Used to Catalog Inmates
- Pupil Tracking in Airport Security: Can Body Language Indicate Terrorist Intent?