Evan Schuman's StorefrontBacktalk

This is one of these ideas that could work extremely well in a very limited set of circumstances. A whisky company opted to put up a billboard in a densely-populated and traveled urban area and wanted it to change–very significantly–with every person who saw it, tailoring to that person. The problem is that it can’t scale, requires workers on site (and workers who can craft ad copy on the fly, with literally seconds to create) and is likely quite expensive.

Still, as this video of Jameson’s truly interactive billboard illustrates, the marketing tactic can break through the clutter of a message-laden environment. And it’s hard to argue with the potential of a billboard that–as shown in the video–hailed a cab for a prospect. But could it be practical for in-store use? Maybe at a large mall? And what of the flip side: Are there consumers who would be alienated by having such a public message directed at them? And what if it was connected with CRM, allowing for personalization beyond that which can be observed? In this day of digital messages overflowing consumers’ cellphones, Web screens and shopping carts, it’s absolutely a concept not be dismissed too quickly.