Engadget says a new face recognition ad will only reveal its full contents to women. Clear Channel UK used a camera which measuring key facial features such as the distance between the eyes, nose width and cheekbone shape to determine gender.
It uses a “high-definition” camera to scan people’s faces, detecting their gender with an apparent 90 percent success rate. The charity, Plan UK, is looking to raise funds to sponsor education for girls living in developing countries.
The interactive advertisement cost £30,000 and is activated when the viewer opts to see it. Men won’t be able to see the full ad, and will be directed to the organization’s website instead, to show men “a glimpse of what it’s like to have basic choices taken away.”
Once the viewer has opted in to see the ad by touching the screen, women and girls see a 40 second advert while men and boys are shown alternative content, helping to raise awareness of important global issues. Plan UK said it hoped to raise £250,000 over four months to provide access to education for girls from poor families.
Perhaps newspapers and magazines in the future will use similar gender-specific ads.
