Out of Home Displays Become More Interactive

Who says out of home displays are all lean back, or stand back? Increasingly, they're becoming more interactive. Samsung and Reactrix Systems plan to show off a new LCD-based interactive large-format advertising platform, WAVEscape, at the Consumer Electronics Show next week. For Samsung, this pushes a "brand-to-consumer" offering, while it enhances the tech capabilities of Reactrix' offerings.

Consumers are engaged in the ads, which become more reactive as they get closer to the LCD display. Of course WAVEscape won't be the first, or last, technology in the channel. We've seen Lexus autos crash in empty storefronts triggered by passing pedestrians, other projected ads that react and ripple as people walk by, 3D technology Philips developed for its flat panel displays, and don't forget the interaction in Boston when a Comedy Central "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" outdoor campaign triggered multiple bomb scares.

More details will likely be announced at CES next week, and afterward. What Samsung and Reactrix have already announced is an early commitment from Hilton Hotels & Resorts to use WAVEscape in its hotels, though the application may not be strictly advertising. Hilton plans to use the displays in an e-check-in kiosk installation.