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

Bidooh board, digital advertising platform

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.

 

Abdul Alim co-founder of digital advertising platform, Bidooh
Abdul Alim co-founder of digital advertising platform, Bidooh

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.