Commentary
Next In Connected Cars: License Plate Advertising
- by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, January 9, 2017
License plates are about to be turned into digital screens that display the traditional number information when the car is moving but convert to digital advertising when the car is
parked.
In a sign that the connected car is going to involve more than just Internet connectivity, a company at the auto show in Detroit this week is introducing a digital license plate.
The rPlate and information platform comes from Reviver in partnership with motor vehicle departments.
The smart license plate is an IoT platform that includes DMV registration automation, hyper-local messaging and vehicle management.
I caught up with Neville Boston, CEO and founder of Reviver, who was at the auto show to discuss some of potential of the new plates, which house a GPS, accelerometer, RF sensors and storage.
Initially targeted to fleets of cars, such as rental companies, the connected plates could become highly targeted mini-billboards. The rPlate is the same size as a standard license plate and has an anti-reflective screen.
Advertising could be sent to license plates based on location, according to Boston. For example, a Procter & Gamble brand could be broadcast to cars all parked with a certain distance of a particular store that carried that product.
“In a Home Depot parking lot, you could send ads that speak to what’s in a store,” Boston said.
Prototype plates already are operational in California and Reviver has approvals from state legislators in Florida and California and preliminary approval from Arizona’s DMV, according to Boston.
The 8-year-old company plans to launch the rPlates in Texas, Arizona, California and Florida by the end of this year.
Messages on the plates could dynamically change based on geolocation configuration. Already included in the plates are programming for emergency broadcasts like extreme weather warnings or Amber Alerts, as well as VIN-specific recall notifications. The plate also can automate the payment of toll road charges and parking fees.
Reviver works with the local DMV with the DMV having approval of the types of advertising and messaging that could be sent through the Reviver rPlate platform.
“It’s always a partnership with a DMV,” said Boston. “It’s a public-private partnership. The rPlate is about automating really simple things.”
Whether consumers will want their car to become a moving billboard, the cost of messages delivered per plate (dreading a cost-per-plate metric) and the extent of state approvals, among a host of other issues, are yet to be determined.
But in true IoT fashion, anything that moves can be tracked. And license plates are constantly on the move.
They’re just not going to remain static.
Chuck Martin is Editor of the AI & IoT Daily at MediaPost and writes the daily Connected Thinking column. He is a NY Times Business bestselling author and his latest book is “Digital Transformation 3.0” (The New Business-to-Consumer Connections of The Internet of Things.) He is CEO of Net Future Institute and a frequent keynote speaker internationally. Follow him on Twitter @chuckmartin and contact him at Chuck@MediaPost.com.
I guess the only thing tech-nerds live for is to put an ad in front of somebody.
What could go wrong here. Guy steals a car in Texas, knows how to hack the plate, BAM, now driving with washington states plates.
#2. If you're parked illegally , the meter maid needs to read the plate, not the menu at Arby's
#3 Has anybody EVER bought a car because they heard some screaming car manager declariung the sale of the century. NO.
#4 so does this give the DMV the right to power down your plate and inform the reader, the plate is expired, car involved in theft, a hit and run.
#5 will Insurance companies link with DMV for expired plates and shut it down? No that could also be done when you give up all your rights with self driving cars.
So tell me , and especially for guys, how we would care what was displayed on a license plate in the home Depot parking lot? Guys , don't shop , they are one a mission,, they hunt it down capture it pay for it , and take it home and mount it.
You're giving up your identity and privacy folks. We' are so on a bullet train to Stupidville.
Just to add one more to your roll, Mark, the video shows that the speed and location of the car can be tracked in real time.
PERFEK
As the former owner of a digital signage company, this is a ludicrous idea. Here are just some of the negatives I can think of.
a. First there are the issues with the plates. For example if the parked car is in an accident.
b. How is a parking ticket issued?
c. What is the rev share for the vehicle owner?
d. How does the advertiser know the reach his ad dollars are getting?
e. Small sign equals low impact.
f. How engaged will the target audience be?
g. How much info can I fit on the ad?
h. How will I get this idea past council and government?
ive seen better ideas go belly up because companies are built upside down. How can we make money in advertising? Let's make vehicle plates mobile banners.
Instead of. What is the most effective way to reach a target market? Now we can generate revenue from it.......
The more kooky ideas like this that pop up, lessen the overall impact Digital Advertising will have as a whole because consumers will turn off.
Perhaps when the whole world is governed by Uber Self-Drive cars, we may see mobile advertising with some impact, but I don't think this is gonna do it.
Cheers
Club Screens Screenmedia
All valid issues, David. Having just been introduced to the market, this will be a work in progress for some time, to resolve many of those issues you noted.