Google Plans to Upgrade Old Billboards in Street View
According to a new patent that was just granted to Google, the company could soon extend the reach of its advertising program in Google Maps to Street View. This patent, which was originally filed on July 7, 2008, describes a new system for promoting ads in online mapping applications. In this patent, Google describes how it plans to identify buildings, posters, signs and billboards in these images and give advertisers the ability to replace these images with more up-to-date ads. In addition, Google also seems to plan an advertising auction for unclaimed properties.
In Google's example, the software could identify the marquee and individual window posters on a theater property and replace them with new information. Through this, a theater could promote a new play in Street View, even if the actual Street View image is completely out of date.
The patent describes a two-step process for identifying potential advertising real estate in these images. Google's software first identifies interest points in the image (e.g. the edges or corners of an object) and then generates features around these interest points. Google can then augment this region of the image with a link or replace a part of the current Street View image with a new image.
What Happens When Somebody Wants to Put a Virtual Ad on Your Real-Life Billboard?
One of the most interesting aspects of the patent can be found in the following paragraph:
The link can be associated with a property owner, for example the property owner which owns the physical property portrayed. The link can alternatively be associated with an advertiser who placed the highest bid on the image recognized within the region of interest (e.g., poster, billboard, banner, etc.). Any portion of the geographic display image in which the region of interest is located can be selectable (e.g., hot-linked). For example, the image of the coffee shop can be hot-linked to an advertisement for the coffee shop.
This does open up some interesting questions. It makes perfect sense for the owner of a local coffee shop to advertise through this system, but in this patent, Google also describes an advertising auction. Does that mean that a rival coffee shop could also bid for ad space on the virtual image of a competitor's store in Street View? Chances are this isn't quite what Google has in mind, though it could definitely be a possibility. Instead, it looks like Google could potentially identify some billboards and banners in Street View images and then replace these real-life billboards with virtual ads from the highest bidders.
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Now we know whom to blame if we lose our way...'this is not the right billboard'
amazing one step closer 2 virtual reality life
the future is a win! thank you sirs for sharing this great insights. Buy some pills too.
And Google won't stop until the streetview world looks like the set of Idiocracy.
What does this mean for the owner of the original billboard? Shouldn't they get a piece of the pie?
How many views will an individual billboard get? Too few to sell. This won't fly at all.
@Tom: It'll just be another tab in your Google AdWords account, just like you bid to advertise on websites. Yes you can choose to run a display ad on a specific website, which may have too little inventory to be worthwhile, but you can also choose to advertise to all sites matching some keywords. In Street View land, you could bid to have your ad appear on all available billboards in the state of California, or within 50 miles of Chicago.
Google will make it fly.
Google is coming up with such innovative ideas, I am sure they are going to change the shape of the future completely.
Great Post, and in some situations it will be very interesting. For sure, I'm looking forward to the possibilities it offers.
Absolutely amazing.
Another reason to switch Yahoo or Bing.Realy Google is pushing too much after personilized search.
this is such an obvious use of advertising (like in video games) that it's ridiculous it was given a patent. they arent even first to do it. this concept has been around for awhile. it's like bezos patenting one click
Who actually uses Street View to do anything besides look at a building from the outside, just to get a quick idea of what the *real building* looks like. This just sounds kind of ridiculous. Unless the Street View could be augmented to be VR-like (to walk into the coffee shop and order a latte), I'll be ignoring the billboards and posters...
I'm having a hard time understanding why the actual billboard owner has ANY right to the virtual billboard that would be displayed in Street View.
Someone with more legal background should correct me if I'm wrong, but Google is under no obligation to show the billboards that happen to be captured by their Street View cameras right now.
If they wanted, they could blur out every single advertisement that appears in a Street View since they are the owners of the image(s). The owner of the actual billboard is irrelevant.
Thoughts?
#4
i lol'ed
:)
Sounds outstanding, providing of course the billboards don't get in the way of the sleek UI of Maps/Streetview...
This stinks, big time. If I pay for advertising space, then I expect that to be reserved for my use. Take the big advertising area on St. George's Island in Manchester where the following image was posted. If Man United could bid on that space via google and prevent the city image from being displayed - then it would ruin teh whole campaing. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00050/cit1_516x350_50413a.jpg
Of course, I've used football clubs just to exaggerate the problem, but the same is true of any rival/competing companies.
Digital images of billboards on a service like Streetview isn't a reliable land marker for directions, so why not give the opportunity.
There are some locations I could see purchasing for clients - strategically located near event venues and tourist attractions... Times Square, anyone? Could Google alter the streetview image even further to "errect" a digital billboard for an advertiser who identifies one they'd like to commit to buying?
If the impressions are low, then it should be low cost as well; but definitely a neat new revenue stream for Google!
I think you're looking for the word "marquee", not "marquis", which refers to a French title equal to "Marquess", as in "Marquess of of Anglesey"
@Nick - thanks. Funny thing is, Google made the same typo in the patent (that's probably where I got it from).
Are you sure the patent issued? My search suggests it was just published: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=%28%22Claiming+Real+Estate+Panoramic+3D+Mapping+Environments+Advertising%22.TTL.%29&OS=ttl/%22Claiming+Real+Estate+in+Panoramic+or+3D+Mapping+Environments+for+Advertising%22&RS=TTL/%22Claiming+Real+Estate+in+Panoramic+or+3D+Mapping+Environments+for+Advertising%22
I didnt think it would be long until Google tried monotonising Google Earth/Maps. Im suprised they havent let people add their adverts anywhere before now.
I think the auction aspect could refer to businesses buying streetview ad space on unused building space in streetview. This could mean that the coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising. perhaps ...
Wrong patent, muchacho.
You linked to one about "An information retrieval system uses phrases to index, retrieve, organize and describe documents."
Another reason to switch Yahoo or Bing.Realy Google is pushing too much after personilized search.
Leave it to Google to do MORE advertising in every product they offer. I think it's a great idea and I'm sure they'll make it a reality.
I think its a great idea. Google always provides some new ideas and i think they are gonna change our future.
Street View on a smartphone would then be something of a surreal experience, with different and perhaps conflicting info displayed on the Street View world view versus what you can see with your eyes.
I think now at this moment 'google' rule the virtual world. They are always giving us some new services and trying to give the best service. Thanks for sharing.
But of course that wouldn't bring in $$$ for Google.
I think your logic is flawed; If I had a child conceived by IVF, would that child be the property of the developer of that treatment?
Can you provide links to other articles you have written on other sites? I would like to see the level and quality at which writers need to be writing about on google could soon augment old billboards in street.
This could mean that the coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising. thanx for the post.
Google is creating innovative technologies to prove how they can change future through their creations. But this idea of virtual billboard doesn't quite look right esp for business owners.
his could mean that the coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising. perhaps ...
I think its a great idea. Google always provides some new ideas and i think they are gonna change our future.
That it's ridiculous it was given a patent.They are not even first to do it. this concept has been around for awhile.
Google is under no obligation to show the billboards that happen to be captured by their Street View cameras right now.
This could mean that the coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising.
Could Google alter the streetview image even further to "errect" a digital billboard for an advertiser who identifies one they'd like to commit to buying?
I don't much about it. But I think, Google is under no obligation to show the billboards that happen to be captured by their Street View cameras right now.
This just sounds kind of ridiculous. Unless the Street View could be augmented to be VR-like,I'll be ignoring the billboards and posters.
Nice article,The coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising. perhaps ...
you can choose to run a display ad on a specific website, which may have too little inventory to be worthwhile, but you can also choose to advertise to all sites matching some keywords.
This could mean that the coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising.
I would like to see the level and quality at which writers need to be writing about on google could soon augment old billboards in street.
This could mean that the coffee shop owner could have his ad up in streetview but auction off part of his outside wall to another business to use for their advertising.
This just sounds kind of ridiculous. Unless the Street View could be augmented to be VR-like, I'll be ignoring the billboards and posters.
Google is creating innovative technologies to prove how they can change future through their creations.
They are not even first to do it. this concept has been around for awhile.
This just sounds kind of ridiculous. Unless the Street View could be augmented to be VR-like, I'll be ignoring the billboards and posters.
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