Picture the following future scenario. You are walking down the street and you pass by a store that you have never shopped in before and all of a sudden you hear a voice say “One Day Sale at SuperStoreZ”.
You look around for the source of the voice. There is no one behind you or around you and yet the voice persists as if it were coming from inside your own head. You think to yourself – “That’s it, I’ve completely lost it. I am hearing voices and they are instructing me to look for sales. Next stop – Arkham Asylum.”
Here’s the Good News/Bad News
Good News: You’re not crazy. This is a new technology called Hypersonic Sound Beams. I would try and describe it – but here is a direct quote from IRI Technologies that makes the technology:
“The Hypersonic Sound Waves travel silently through space, up to 300 feet away, then convert into an instant sound source whatever surface they impact. Amazingly, if you aim this magical device at a person, their head will become a speaker, and they will hear your message “inside” their head.”
Bad News (depending on your opinion): This isn’t a prototype or future technology – it is already being used. One report from Wired Magazine said that A&E is using it in New York City to promote a show on the paranormal.
As marketers, we are often at odds with where we define personal boundary. Now technology has raised the question of weather or not the mind itself can be a place to hand a billboard or run an ad.
Is this too far?
[...] Marketing has really given the phrase ‘getting into someone’s head’ a whole new meaning. Imagine this: You’re casually walking by a k-mart. Suddenly, out of nowhere, you hear a voice inside your head: “50% off all houseware at k-mart!” I repeat: from INSIDE YOUR HEAD. Should this happen to you, please remain calm. You’re not insane. It’s hypersonic sound beams developed by IRI technologies: “The Hypersonic Sound Waves travel silently through space, up to 300 feet away, then convert into an instant sound source whatever surface they impact. Amazingly, if you aim this magical device at a person, their head will become a speaker, and they will hear your message “inside” their head” I say, welcome to the future. TrendOriginal: IRI TechnologiesVia: SMA’s Blog [...]