You can think of Orwell's Big Brother or, as you prefer, of Dick's Minority Report. Whatever the case, it's no longer science fiction, it's real. MINI Usa has launched a scary (sorry I must say it) outdoor campaign targeted at MINI owners. In cities such as Chicago and Miami they have installed digital billboards who are able to receive identification messages from the MINI's passing by. As the car is tagged with information about the owner, the billboard is able to recognize the driver and greet him/her with a personalized message.
This campaign sets a new frontier in 1to1 marketing, but it's also important to say that the drivers involved in this promotion actually opted-in to be part of the game. Fools or curious it's impossible (yet) to say. However the campaign is rising comments and polemics not only for the extremely personal yet public relationship MINI wants to establish with its clients, but also for the potential risks of such campaign in terms of driver distraction and road safety.
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