Interactive advertising that follows you around

Interactive advertising that follows you around…

Electronic advertising stands are appearing in shopping malls and public places across the country, but to date they’re limited to static posters that rotate or simple animations. That may be about to change, thanks to an ingenious idea by a University of Waikato computer graphic design student.

Marc McHardy has developed what he’s calling ‘the better interactive poster’, which is currently on show at the computer graphic design student exhibition.

“I wanted to do something interactive for my degree show project, and break out of the mould,” says McHardy, who’s in his final year of a Bachelor of Computer Graphic Design (BCGD) degree. “There are lots of advertising screens out there but they don’t fully utilise the technology available. What I’ve tried to do is to engage the viewer and create a stronger connection with the brand being advertised.”

Using two cameras, one above the display unit and one in the screen itself, McHardy has created an interactive advertisement for hitop sneakers that draws the viewer in and allows them to virtually ‘enter’ the 3D world of the product.

“The idea is that if we see something that reacts with us, we will be drawn in,” he says. “As you walk towards the screen, like you would in a mall, the sensor picks up the movement and a sticker on the advert peels away inviting you to step closer, and then closer still. At close range, the face detector tracks your movement from side to side allowing you to see ‘into’ the screen and explore the product in a tailored setting. It’s as if there’s an environment within the screen.”

McHardy says the next step would be to add touch screen features to allow greater interaction.

The former Waihi College student chose Waikato’s BCGD for its broad sweep. “It was the only degree I felt led into the different industries within design, such as advertising, print, 3D and interactive media. Plus the degree gives you a good understanding of the programming side of things so you can manipulate and use design in a more effective way.”

The theme of this semester’s computer graphic design degree show is E-Motion; 36 final-year BCGD students will be displaying their work at the show until Thursday [November 5].

ENDS

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