Advertisers have discovered a new frontier of intrusiveness

[BurtWorm]

http://adage.com/article?article_id=122491



Hear Voices? It May Be an Ad

An A&E Billboard 'Whispers' a Spooky Message Audible Only in Your Head in Push to Promote Its New 'Paranormal' Program

By Andrew Hampp

Published: December 10, 2007
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- New Yorker Alison Wilson was walking down Prince Street in SoHo last week when she heard a woman's voice right in her ear asking, "Who's there? Who's there?" She looked around to find no one in her immediate surroundings. Then the voice said, "It's not your imagination."

Indeed it isn't. It's an ad for "Paranormal State," a ghost-themed series premiering on A&E this week. The billboard uses technology manufactured by Holosonic that transmits an "audio spotlight" from a rooftop speaker so that the sound is contained within your cranium. The technology, ideal for museums and libraries or environments that require a quiet atmosphere for isolated audio slideshows, has rarely been used on such a scale before. For random passersby and residents who have to walk unwittingly through the area where the voice will penetrate their inner peace, it's another story.

Ms. Wilson, a New York-based stylist, said she expected the voice inside her head to be some type of creative project but could see how others might perceive it differently, particularly on a late-night stroll home. "I might be a little freaked out, and I wouldn't necessarily think it's coming from that billboard," she said.

Less-intrusive approach?

Joe Pompei, president and founder of Holosonics, said the creepy approach is key to drawing attention to A&E's show. But, he noted, the technology was designed to avoid adding to noise pollution. "If you really want to annoy a lot of people, a loudspeaker is the best way to do it," he said. "If you set up a loudspeaker on the top of a building, everybody's going to hear that noise. But if you're only directing that sound to a specific viewer, you're never going to hear a neighbor complaint from street vendors or pedestrians. The whole idea is to spare other people."

...




Spare me! :eyes:

[BurtWorm]

1. kick

[rug]

2. This is more intrusive.

[BurtWorm]

10. At least you get to wipe your ass with an ad like that.

Wiht this kind of ad, they're wiping their ass with you.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. I really don't see a huge problem.

One could argue that it'd be noise pollution. But it can only be heard, at least in this case, in one isolated section of a busy sidewalk where I presume loitering is already forbidden.

[Stephanie]

5. Are you serious?

They are pointing a sound device at your HEAD while you are innocently walking down the street? What about the mentally ill, the elderly? Some elderly can't tell a real phone from a tv phone. What are they going to make of this. I tell you if I walk into one of these sound traps I am going to find that device and kick the shit out of it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Well, yes.

We I turn on the TV, it's got a sound device pointed at my HEAD. When I turn on the radio in my car, there are several sound devices pointed at my HEAD. When I listen to my I-pod, I take to sound devices, stick them in my EARS, then point them at my HEAD.

What about the elderly? Well, we figured out fire, eventually. And we were awfully scared of steam engines, for awhile. But we got over it.

[Stephanie]

9. Read it again >

"The billboard uses technology manufactured by Holosonic that transmits an "audio spotlight" from a rooftop speaker so that the sound is contained within your cranium."

I turn on the tv, I choose when to listen to the radio. I don't want ads BEAMED INTO MY HEAD.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. Read it again with out falling for bad scientific journalism.

It's just a regular speaker, with a narrow, focused beam.

It doesn't employ some sort of magical woo woo technology.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

22. "Some elderly can't tell a real phone from a tv phone."

Listen here, whippersnapper. Everytime the doorbell rang in the Domino's "Get the door; it's Domino's" ad, I'd get up to see who was at the back door.

My brother had a neighbor who had a pet bird. The bird, which was a cockatoo or something like that, had learned to imitate the ringing of a telephone. Well, they don't ring anymore, but you know what I mean. The rendition was flawless. I'd be talking to the neighbor outside and hear his phone. "Hey, your phone is ringing," I'd say. "No, that's my bird."

[Stephanie]

4. that really is awful

Bloomberg has allowed some horribly intrusive advertising on our streets. The video signage above the subway entrances? Notice you see that in Chelsea but not on the UES where HE lives. I'd like to smash those screens! The taxi tv screens? HATE THEM. I think Bloomberg has a conflict of interest - he sells advertising on his network, he gives the city away to advertisers as mayor. Is he courting favor?

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I've seen this in sci-fi films. Didn't expect it to happen in my lifetime tho

[MisterP]

12. p-pleased to meet MEET you!

http://maxheadroom.com/mh_home.html

[coffeenap]

8. The Alpha-Wave intercom. (??) nt

[I work for workers]

11. That is awsome. I would pay much money to have a speaker using this technology.

Picture how much fun it would be for games, pranks, and yes, advertising.

[Swamp Rat]

14. "Walk into oncoming traffic."

"Your child is being raped."

Oh joy! Such FUN!! :bounce:

Just think, I could follow you around with my sound canon and literally drive you insane until you committed homicide or suicide. WHOOPEEE!!!!! FUN!!!!

[I work for workers]

16. Wow, you're kind of a jerk.

You would really invest enough time and effort to try to drive someone to suicide? At some point don't you think someone would notice you sitting there with your noiseless megaphone saying "your kid is being raped, now off yourself" and ask you what was going on?

Is you opinion of most peoples sanity so low that you think they would sooner kill them self or others then think "some asshole is following me around with one of those things they want to put on Coke machines?" It's not like these words are beamed into your brain, you hear them. Anyone else who crossed their path would hear it too.

This technology is cool as hell. I welcome its use. Picture being able to listen to your own radio station on long drives, or not needing headphones to watch an in-flight movie. There are plenty of great uses for this besides driving people to insanity.

[Swamp Rat]

18. LOL!

:rofl:

Just stay away from the rest of us with your cool, techno "pranks."

[Swamp Rat]

13. "kill yourself"

This has horrific abuse potential.

[slowry]

19. Yes, absolutely. *points device at Swamp Rat*

"get nekkid"

[Swamp Rat]

20. LOLOL!!

:rofl: "cover your eyes"

[NMMNG]

15. Bad idea

The implications for people with mental illnesses and for mis-use of the technology are too significant.

[agent46]

17. plain and simple

This is the 21st century where corporate dynasties, rising to replace the traditional nation state, battle it out for total control of the market - whatever that happens to be. Marketing has become a new kind of warfare and this is a weapon. Lots of uses for high intensity psyops. Think of the possibilities with confined prison populations for one thing. Bad mojo.
:thumbsdown:

[klook]

21. This should be illegal

Reminds me of the horribly intrusive advertising techniques described in the 1950s science fiction novel Gravy Planet (later reissued as The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth. In that story, ad agencies run the world and can beam ads directly onto your retina.

[BurtWorm]

25. I read somewhere--possibly No Logo--that some corp was once working on a project to shine its logo

on the full moon. It would be visible to anyone on earth looking at the moon.

Nice use of space and laser technologies. :eyes:

[Swamp Rat]

26. What's wrong with you BurtWorm?

It could be FUN!

We could show the Batman symbol on the moon and fuck up all the work being done by astronomers!

Just think of all the Amazonian tribes who will be scared TO DEATH!!!

HAHA! Joke's on them!

[BurtWorm]

27. That would be a wicked cool, post-post modern techno prank, eh?

;)


:hi:

[klook]

28. I remember hearing about that.

Well, it could be worse -- at least the moon is only full one day a month.

What's next? Beaming satellite radio to the fillings in our teeth? :scared:

I just want to know where to get my RFID blocker.

[HEyHEY]

23. Should be illegal, it could really fuck with the mentally ill

[kineneb]

34. yeah...already have voices, don't need more

Seriously, this would really get to me if I were not on my meds. Goodness knows what it would do to people who don't understand their mental problems.

Bad idea.

[AwakeAtLast]

24. Happened to me in the grocery store today

A coupon machine talked to me! I thought I was losing it until I saw the flashing light. Just weird.

[zabet]

29. I KNEW my

tinfoil hat was
necessary!!11!

I worry about the subliminal
messages that could be transmitted
with the ads, a whole new frontier
in mass mind control.

:tinfoilhat:

[jberryhill]

30. This would be a great tool...

...for delivering targeted messages of encouragement to paranoid schizophrenics.

One could use a tracking system on the rooftop to send soothing messages to them, that only they would hear, as they walk down the street.

What would be better would be to implant some sort of tracking device in them, so that they could be detected and therapeutically messaged automatically.

[Monk06]

31. Obey the Monitors. The Monitors are your friends.....

[Trillo]

32. This will spawn a whole industry of countermeasures.

Hearing voices in your head? You need our latest and greatest Silence Machine counter wave that you can carry in your shirt pocket. Only $5999.00. Get them while they last!

[leftofthedial]

33. good thing they're not advertising suppositories

[Ignis]

35. Oh, the awful opportunities!

Mitch: And from now on, stop playing with yourself.
Kent: It is God.

[AuntPatsy]

37. A bit of mind control being used in the guise of experimental consumer advertising?