GM Files Patent for Targeted Billboards

General MotorsGMUnited States of America, 1998 > present8 models
240 photos
has filed a patent to make targeted billboards a reality. The system monitors the vehicles navigation system for programmed points of interest and where the driver wants to go. 

If the vehicle is going to drive past a point along the route that the company want to advertise, the billboard can be changed when that car is within view to an ad targeted to that specific vehicle. Because the billboard will be electronic, it can then be changed to direct advertising to another car using the road.

To know where you are going, the system uses the OnStar and navigation data used in GM vehicles. The problem with this system is that unless GM broadened its scope, it would only work on a small percentage of vehicles. According to the Wall Street Journal, GM currently controls 17.7% of the US car market. Not all GM vehicles have navigation and not all drivers keep their OnStar subscription up to date. Although GM does not provide these data, even in a perfect situation fewer than one in five cars would be available to targeted billboards. 

If GM wants this technology to take off, it would need to partner with other automakers to create a larger number of vehicles providing the system with data. 

Source: Jalopnik