- Ford likely views these personalized advertisements as a good money-making tool.
- The company hasn’t confirmed if this system will reach production.
- In addition to displaying ads, commercials could play through the car’s speakers.
Go for a stroll through a densely populated area, and you’ll be bombarded with advertisements. Open your phone, and you’ll be unable to escape commercials promoting products that promise to change your life. Kick back and open an old-school newspaper, and you’ll often be confronted with full-page ads. Soon, Ford could start rolling out personalized advertisements in the infotainment systems of future models.
In February 2023, Ford filed a technology patent for such a system in the US. It was only recently published and could display advertisements on a vehicle’s infotainment screen. What’s even more annoying is that it could also play ads through the car’s speakers and tailor commercials based on where a vehicle is heading and the route, historical data gathered from the driver, and even audio signals within the car.
Read: Ford Wants To Patent Ad Serving Infotainment System That’ll Eavesdrop On You
This isn’t the first time Ford has toyed with the idea of technology like this. Previously, it filed to patent a system that could use onboard cameras to recognize nearby billboards and then display related information on the infotainment screen.
Speaking with Auto News, ABI Research analyst Abu Miah said targeted ads could make vehicle owners feel like Ford is intruding on their private space, leading to negative perceptions of the brand. “In general, people do not want to be sold or advertised to in their cars,” he said.
Ford hasn’t confirmed if the technology described in this patent will reach production. According to Ford spokesperson Alan Hall, “submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business, as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property.”
The patent says Ford’s system could automatically shut off in areas where it would be against local laws or would be “undesirable,” insisting that advertisements would only be displayed “in a safe and reasonable manner.” Presumably, they would only be shown when the vehicle is stationary, although the patent doesn’t specify this.
