Ads of the Future: 'Intrusive,' 'Invasive'

Picture talking pill bottles and constant monitoring, writes Alex Poulos
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 31, 2011 1:54 PM CDT
Alex Poulos: Future Advertising Will Be 'Intrusive,' 'Invasive'
Ads of the future could be relentless.   (Shutterstock)

If you think ads are inescapable now, just wait a few decades, writes Alex Poulos in the Boston Globe. Future generations will laugh at our primitive tech know-how; the question is “who will laugh last. And I’m afraid it won’t be the consumer,” he writes. Expect ads that are:

  • “Intrusive.” The backs of cabs will have scrolling ads, and pill bottles will have audio messages when you open them.

  • “Invasive.” Struggling towns and stores will likely team up with consumer research companies, watching customers constantly to see how they shop, dine, and have fun. “They’ll call it 'real-time data mining' or something innocuous like that.”
  • “Integrated.” “Advertising, marketing, and PR will become indistinguishable,” and forget about TVs, computers, and video games—you’ll just have an “iThing.”
  • “Interactive.” 3D ads will soon be common, but then you can expect 4D ("smell will be produced, to stimulate appetite") and 5D ("physical touch will be integrated, to soothe and excite.").
“Twenty years from now, I hope I’m laughing at this column,” Poulos concludes. (More advertising stories.)

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