Captivating an Audience

Video

Ads That Follow Your Every Step

Large motion-triggered advertisements like those in this video could be coming to Washington's Metro system.

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"It's eye-catching. I've never seen anything like this," he said.

Advertising officials are hoping for similar reactions when the motion-triggered ad is installed at Farragut West. The technology relies on an infrared beam projected onto a screen or surface. When a person passes through the beam, the action registers in computer software. The software brings up a different image, making it look as if the image moved, said Payne of Monster Media.

Metro engineers need to ensure that the equipment can be mounted safely in the ceiling and that enough electricity can be supplied before the projection system can be installed at the 18th and I streets entrance at Farragut West. Payne said the company is also planning to install interactive ads at BWI and Dulles airports.

Anything new is going to make an impression on riders, said David Meerman Scott, author of a recently published book about marketing and public relations.

But there may be a flip side.

"There is a danger that it will be more annoying to them," he said.

Special correspondents Karla Adam in London and Ako Yamamoto in Tokyo and staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.