第1486期:The future of advertising

Imagine a future where our streets are filled with ads 200m tall; where billboards change before our eyes to give us personalised messages; and where companies track our every move as we walk through a city, pinging our phones with special offers as we near their shops.

想象一个未来，我们的街道上布满了 200m 高的广告；广告牌在我们眼前发生变化，为我们提供个性化的信息；当我们穿过城市时，公司会跟踪我们的一举一动，当我们靠近他们的商店时，我们会在手机上发送特价商品。

In fact, all of these forms of advertising are already being tested. Let's take the first of these ideas. Back in 1982, science fiction movie Blade Runner envisaged a futuristic cityscape where giant adverts stretched the full height of skyscrapers. And UK company Lightvert are now doing something very similar; with one crucial difference.

事实上，所有这些形式的广告都已经在进行测试。让我们来看看这些想法中的第一个。早在 1982 年，科幻电影《银翼杀手》就设想了一个未来主义的城市景观，巨大的广告延伸到摩天大楼的整个高度。英国公司 Lightvert 现在正在做一些非常相似的事情。有一个关键的区别。

Instead of making immense physical adverts, their commercials are beamed straight into consumers' eyes. They do this by attaching a strip of reflective material onto a building and projecting an image onto it. This image then 'bounces' out into the world. When you pass directly in front of the image, you see it. It appears to be huge and suspended in mid-air, but others can't see it – it's only visible from one location. Lightvert claims this form of advertising is unobstrusive and can "unlock" large amounts of "high-value advertising real-estate".

他们的广告没有制作大量的实体广告，而是直接进入消费者的眼睛。他们通过将一条反光材料贴在建筑物上并将图像投影到其上来做到这一点。然后这个图像“反弹”到世界上。当您直接从图像前面经过时，您会看到它。它看起来很大，悬浮在半空中，但其他人看不到它——它只能从一个位置看到。Lightvert 声称这种形式的广告不引人注目，可以“解锁”大量“高价值广告地产”。

But not everyone is sold on the idea of living in a world of endless ads. In Moscow, for example, a new form of advertising targeting motorists has split opinion. Drivers approaching a particular digital billboard in the city are shown adverts for a new kind of Jaguar car, but only if you are driving a different make of vehicle. Sensors in the billboard detect what kind of car you are driving, and send you an ad based on that information.

但并不是每个人都相信生活在一个无止境的广告世界中。例如，在莫斯科，针对驾车者的一种新广告形式引起了分歧。接近城市中特定数字广告牌的司机会看到一种新型捷豹汽车的广告，但前提是您驾驶的是不同品牌的汽车。广告牌中的传感器检测您驾驶的汽车类型，并根据该信息向您发送广告。

While this may seem invasive, it's actually the saftey aspect that has concerned some observers. Researchers in Sweden have shown that digital billboards attract our eyes for longer than other kinds. In fact, they distract us for over two seconds, a length of time which studies have proved to be dangerous on the roads.

虽然这似乎是侵入性的，但实际上一些观察者关注的是安全方面。瑞典的研究人员表明，数字广告牌比其他类型的广告牌吸引我们眼球的时间更长。事实上，它们会分散我们两秒钟以上的注意力，研究证明这段时间在道路上是危险的。

Finally, we have "proximity marketing", where shops detect where you are on the high street and send tailored adverts to your phone. Devicescape is one company trialling the use of Wi-Fi as a means of tracking customers. Their technology could work anywhere, whether in "a supermarket, a concert hall, or a bus," says Owen Geddes from their marketing team. What would customers see? "It could be a discount offer to use in the shop the person is visiting, or a piece of content such as a movie trailer," says Mr Geddes. 

最后，我们还有“邻近营销”，商店可以检测您在大街上的位置，然后将量身定制的广告发送到您的手机。Devicescape 是一家尝试使用 Wi-Fi 作为跟踪客户的手段的公司。他们的技术可以在任何地方工作，无论是在“超市、音乐厅还是公共汽车”，他们的营销团队的 Owen Geddes 说。客户会看到什么？Geddes 先生说：“它可能是在人们正在访问的商店中使用的折扣优惠，或者是电影预告片等内容。”

词汇表

ad 广告，advertisement 的缩写
billboard 大型广告牌
to ping 推送，发送消息提示
to near 靠近
to envisage 展望，设想
futuristic 有未来感的，超前的
cityscape 城市景观
to beam 发射，发出（光线、电波等）
in mid-air 在半空中
unobstrusive 不显眼的，不突兀的
real-estate 房地产
to be sold on 看好，认为…是好主意
motorist 开车的人
make 型号，品牌
sensor 传感器
invasive 侵入性的，侵扰的
to distract 分散（注意力），使分心
proximity （地理位置）临近
tailored 量身定制的
discount 折扣