Businesses customizing ads with facial biometrics

In a futuristic turn, some advertisers have already begun customizing their digital ads to whoever passes by using facial recognition software.

So far the Venetian resort in Las Vegas, Nevada has been the first to adopt this technology in the United States. The resort has installed cameras with facial recognition technologies near their digital displays to customize restaurant and entertainment suggestions for individuals passing by.

Japan has already widely adopted this technology and Kraft and Adidas are considering using it for their new advertising campaigns.

Kraft said it is discussing a potential partnership with a supermarket chain, which it would not name, to test face-scanning kiosks with digital displays.

“If it recognizes that there is a female between 25 to 29 standing there, it may surmise that you are more likely to have minor children at home and give suggestions on how to spice up Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for the kids,” said Donald King, the company’s vice president of retail experience.

Unlike law enforcement facial recognition applications, companies are more interested in identifying an individual’s age and gender to customize its ads rather than their identity.

By digitally measuring the distance between a subject’s eyes, the width of their nose, the length of a jawline, and other data points, the software determines who is looking at the digital ad.

Intel Corp., which makes such software, said it’s widely adaptable.

“You can put this technology into kiosks, vending machines, digital signs,” explained Christopher O’Malley, director of retail marketing for Intel’s embedded and communications group. “It’s going to become a much more common thing in the next few years.”

“It’s not just clothing stores or restaurant chains,” said Joseph Jasper, a spokesman for NEC Corp., which makes display screens used for facial recognition-driven ads.

Jasper said banks can use it to target customers to distinguish older customers from younger ones who are more likely to be opening their first account.