According to a release first translated by Nikkei Electronics, NEC Corp. has developed the "Digital Signage Solution," a digital signage system incorporating biometrics that determine the gender, generation, and other attributes of a person standing in front of a display (NEC produces a wide array of M Series, MultiSync 20 and PlasmaSync Professional displays, among other products). Using a FeliCa contactless IC card reader/writer and a camera mounted to a 50-inch plasma display, this face recognition technology will use the data gathered to target advertising content to the viewer.
The system is being field tested at "Odaiba Bokenoh Final," an event hosted by Fuji Television Network Inc at Daiba, Tokyo, from July 19 to August 31, 2008.
Participants have the opportunity to stand in front of a display and hold a FeliCa-based mobile phone over the reader/writer. The display then shows advertisements that could potentially suit the subject's interests, based on 15 user profiles prepared in advance, and electronic coupons can be sent back to the user's mobile phone. If users purchase products at stores using the coupons, they will receive a chance to win a prize. By analyzing the information acquired through these actions, the system can also measure advertising effects, NEC said.
NEC further states that the new system can deliver advertisements optimized by such additional factors as geography and time, and it can measure advertising effect, focusing on whether the people who saw the advertisement showed interest or whether the advertisement stimulated the viewers' purchase activity, for example.
For more information on NEC products/services, visit www.necdisplay.com.
