Jersey Barrier = Ad Space

040/365

While driving around for the holidays I noticed a lot of potential advertising space that isn't being used. On the Pennsylvania Turnpike there is miles and miles of Jersey Barriers that splits the opposing traffic. This seems like a great place to place some advertisements. Maybe for an attraction at the next exit, a Gieco image (see picture) or something else entirely. I see the Jersey barrier turning into the walls and boards at sporting events.

The ads would have to be designed in a way that it could be read normally while traveling at a high rate of speed and simple as to not distract the drive but to subliminally influence them. They would have to be stretched creating what looks like a normal image or short words (if any at all).

You could argue that this is dangerous because drivers will be looking at the image and not the road. But there are already billboards everywhere so I kindly disagree.

Auto Ad [FF]

019/365

I've noticed a lot of primetime cable shows have, what i refer to as a splash lead/follow, before and after commercial breaks. For instance CBS's NCIS has a short photo montage of the ensuing action and FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has an unmistakable bright yellow title screen. I believe editors have invented these devices for those viewers who watch the show after it's been recorded as to notify during fast forwarding through the commercials. This short clip gives the viewer enough time to realize the ads are over and to hit play on the remote. This is a great idea but I'd like to take it a step further.

This could be automated alleviating the user interaction all together. Since these splash leads/follows for are distinguishable between different shows software could be developed that recognizes the splash follow then initiates a fast forward to the next splash lead. A user would simply flash their cable box with altered firmware and commercials are automatically skipped when watching a recorded show.

Cable companies, advertisers and just about everyone (except the viewers) would be opposed to this feature and legal action would undoubtedly be taken against the developers.