Amazon has recently received a patent for a "System and method for providing advertisement based on mobile device travel patterns." The technology for tracking people’s location is not new. There are many apps on smart phones that utilize the GPS locaters within our phones. Amazon’s patent goes a little farther, however. Essentially, it tracks where you’ve been, your movement patterns (if you will), where you are, and predicts where you’re going to go next. It then allows for advertisements to be sent to your phone based on these predictions.
For instance, it’s 6 pm and you’re on your way home, it can predict that you might be interested in restaurant ads. Coupons for restaurants located on your route home then appear on your phone. Or if you’ve just visited a computer store, advertisements for software stores (real or online) can be sent to you. Next, it can factor in information about you, such as your demographic profile, and tailor its advertisements accordingly. For instance living at a certain address might indicate a certain income level. If you’ve recently visited the Men’s Warehouse, you might get a coupon for the closest Brookstone store. The patent also covers something out of the mall scene from Minority Report, where personalized advertisements can be displayed to you on screens or billboards as you pass by. It seems that many young people are more comfortable than their elders with their personal information being disclosed to others. With sites such as Facebook and Twitter, participants can broadcast real-time information about where they are and what they’re doing, or even thinking. So perhaps the new generations of smart phone users will welcome this next step up the technological ladder. Many of us, however, might find it unsettling to walk by gym and have a billboard announce, "Hey John, you’ve been hitting the burger joints pretty hard, and you haven’t been to your gym in a month! Isn’t it time to hit the treadmill? Your gym is too far from your house, and the one on your right is closer and will offer you $10 off the initiation fee if you sign up in the next hour!" Yikes.