How Driverless Vehicles Will Expand The Entertainment Industry and Marketing
It seems that every day we see major automakers as well as major corporations showcasing their new prototypes and models of electric and driverless vehicles. Companies like Tesla, Nissan, Google, Uber, and Amazon are believed to be in the lead, but the hunt is on for everyone.
Companies are increasingly seeking to drive and launch the ever-changing automotive industry. An industry that many believe is shifting from today’s motor oil engines to fully self-driving, electrically powered engines. This is also the case abroad, China seems to be a leader in the industry.
China purchases and produces more cars than anyone else in the world. And they have doubled the number of electric vehicle sales compared to the United States, thanks in large part to government funding and the benefits you get from buying and using these vehicles.
The emergence of self-driving vehicles was made possible because these big companies invested a lot of money and time in the industry. Trying to make the perfect model while fighting for the first place.
Driverless vehicles are almost 100% safer than vehicles with a driver behind the wheel. People are easily distracted, are often in a hurry, and make costly mistakes along the way. Today’s big companies are trying to create the perfect combination of autonomous safety features, better technology, and a more relaxing experience.
The unknown winners in all of this are the entertainment and marketing industries.
The entertainment industry
The goal of driverless cars is to keep more people safe on the road. So what will you do on your next trip when you no longer have to worry about driving or driving a car?
Some of us may sleep, some of us read or evaluate documents, but the truth is that most of us now watch television or movies or even play some system games. Technology has come this far in recent years and will continue to evolve. New technology keeps us connected to the car so we can enjoy long trips with dim lights, comfortable seats, and watch movies while we drive in the car.
General Motors has just launched its newest service called Marketplace. This new service allows you to access various services such as food, entertainment, gas, and even hotels via the touch screen in your car. GM continues the trend toward more connected cars, which we saw with the introduction of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in many new vehicles.
Marketing
With the increase in driverless vehicles, comes the opportunity to advertise directly to passengers. How can marketers take advantage?
Autonomous vehicles are currently a rarity on the roads in most of the US.
What does the future prevalence of self-driving cars mean for marketers and advertisers? For Gary Goralnick, these cars are an opportunity to serve ads to consumers in a new way. He believes that autonomous vehicles will save the retail industry.
Goralnick, who spent most of his career investing in real estate and shopping centers, is the CEO of the shop in the ride, which holds two patents for autonomous vehicle shopping and advertising.
The technology will connect GPS directions in autonomous vehicles to social media ads served on passenger devices. If someone sees an ad that looks attractive, buying from it will send a message from the smartphone to the car’s GPS, directing them to the nearest location of the ad company.
Marketing News asked Goralnick about this technology and how autonomous vehicles will affect marketing.
Autonomous cars still seem to be a few years away from being on the market. Is there a use for this technology now? Have an advertisement for shared passengers who can change their destination, for example.
It wouldn’t work as well right now for [rideshare companies] because the driver might be restricted over time and just can’t go off course at the last minute. However, this is something that could now begin to be integrated into the automated test vehicles operated by companies like Waymo.
Passengers can easily interact with a screen on those and the software could be modified to present only advertisements for destinations within the vehicle’s geographic fencing area.
This seems like a one-time bet, as most people seem more drawn to shopping online than shopping in person. Do you expect autonomous cars to change that?
The way I see it, the car will be a great computer. When passengers are shopping online, they will do so in the vehicle, as they do not need to keep their eyes on the road. And the amazing thing is that the car will take you to pick up the item you ordered and it can be from a retail store or even a warehouse.
I think consumers will adopt this quickly because it eliminates the wait for shipping and in some cases, it is even more convenient than single-day shipping.
Apart from this technology, how do you see autonomous vehicles changing marketing and advertising?
The way advertisers try to reach people in the car is with billboards and radio and hope that the driver and passenger will remember the ad. But there are so many billboards and radio spots that most of the time you forget when the person got to where they were going. Self-driving cars will be a game-changer for advertisers.
Radio advertisements can be displayed on a screen in the car and passengers can purchase the item right then and there. The car can take them to pick it up or when the product is ready to be picked up.
The same goes for billboard ads – they can get into the car as well as the car display, and passengers can buy the item right away. The advertiser will have a better chance of generating more sales…
