Just when you think the world’s run out of space for ad placements, along comes the digital license plate.
With technology developed by a small San Francisco based company called Smart Plate, ads or images bought by companies or consumers would replace the plate number whenever the car idles for at least four seconds. What’s interesting about the idea, is that drivers will reportedly select which messages are displayed on their license plate (kind of like the ad selector on Hulu or YouTube). With users selecting ads, the new status could be the messages you chose to display versus the kind of car you’re driving.
While some drivers support digital license plates as a new funding source for the cash-strapped state, others are concerned that the ads will distract drivers. We imagine the latter argument won’t hold water though, given that drivers could already be distracted by traditional billboards. In either case, the bill was approved by California’s State Senate without a dissenting vote last month, 25-0, and is currently awaiting final approval in the Assembly.
With more than 32 million registered vehicles in California, digital license plates could be a serious money maker. If California cashes in, look for other states to follow the Golden State.
Interesting idea. I agree it could be a little distracting but don’t think that it would matter if the ad messages changed after a 4 second idle time.
One issue though would be visibility of the tag number itself. In an emergency situation it might be more difficult to see a digital license plate number.