The new Bidooh advertising platform uses facial recognition to target ads, allowing businesses to book ad space in real-time and display campaigns on any electronic billboard around the world within minutes
A Bidooh digital advertising board, which can change the ads it displays through real-time facial recognition technology
Adverts in busy locations can be customised to new audiences through facial recognition technology created by Bidooh – which has now launched its own cryptocurrency to sell marketing space.
The digital advertising platform, based in Manchester, describes itself as a “real-time, real-audience” platform that uses blockchain technology to verify advertisers and store data on the demographics of people passing by a screen in places such as shopping centres and high streets.
Its GPDR-compliant technology, which allows any screen with an HDMI port to be adapted into a Bidooh advertising board, was inspired by the Tom Cruise sci-fi film Minority Report – where the futuristic tech allows screens to change depending on who is viewing them.
In a bid to further modernise the industry, Bidooh has also launched an initial coin offering (ICO) pre-sale of its new cryptocurrency, DOOH Token, which will be used by businesses to pay for their ads.
Abdul Alim, co-founder and CEO of Bidooh, claims that the start-up’s new method of “out-of-home” advertising has the potential to “revolutionise” the $34.8bn (£26.8bn) digital advertising industry.
He said: “Out-of-home advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry that is overdue for innovation.
“By providing real-time advertising – analysed and verified on the blockchain – Bidooh is presenting the future of digital billboard advertising.”
How Bidooh works
A Bidooh advertising screen is able to determine the age, gender and the brands of clothing that passers-by wear through its facial recognition technology
The digital advertising platform then sends back real-time data on the demographics of each viewer in order for companies to better target their advertising.
It claims the quick and simple process, which takes 60 seconds to display the advert and provide data analytics once a business has created an ad through the Bidooh app or website, will democratise the industry and improve engagement.
The platform is not restricted by any minimum spend or long-term commitment, allowing advertisers to be flexible and for companies with smaller budgets to use Bidooh.
In a statement, the company said: “Industry regulators consider the process of purchasing outdoor advertising space to be slow, outdated and inefficient.
“With Bidooh, any business – no matter how small or local – can become an advertiser and any screen can become an advertising screen by plugging a Bidooh Box into the HDMI port.”
IntrDOOHcing its own cryptocurrency
The newly-launched DOOH Token uses the Ethereum blockchain technology and will be redeemable for ten seconds of advertising space on the Bidooh platform.
Mr Alim said: “The DOOH Token sale will provide the impetus to advance our partnerships, further develop our platform and roll it out at speed.”
Using a blockchain-based transaction means that additional information on the ad space can be stored, such as a campaign’s performance metrics and the number of people the ad reached, as well as the payment details.
The ICO will be launched on 31 October and will make it 28-times cheaper to purchase ad space through their digital advertising platform than normal payments.
It currently costs $28 for 2,000 ten-second adverts but $1 worth of DOOH will buy the same amount.