In New York, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is testing digital ads on the sides of buses — and the ever-vigilant
The possibility of advertising gold says that ads can be specifically tailored toward specific demographic groups. They can alter language, cultural interest, or even the level of disposable income.
“In the morning, we can show Starbucks, and on the way home from work, a Budweiser ad,” the marketing director of the ad agency responsible is saying. The article reiterates how it’s possible to show cultural change: “For instance, the screens can show an ad for Saks Fifth Avenue while in Manhattan and change to Target in Brooklyn.” (Because, you know, people in Brooklyn can’t afford to shop at SFA…)
The obvious benefit for the ultra-Orthodox is, of course, that it’d be possible to censor (or just withhold) potentially sketchy images — such as bikini advertisements, and ads that feature predominant images of, uh, ham — when the buses pass through neighborhoods like Boro Park or Williamsburg. (Or, at least, the half of Williamsburg where bikini advertisements actually get people’s attention instead of merely disaffected sighs.)
