MINI Put Your Name In Lights

If you drive a MINI in the US and your dealer hands you a swish new keyfob, don't be surprised to find billboards talking to you.  No, it doesn't contain some sort of powerful hallucinogenic drug – if it did it wouldn't just be billboards talking, but animals and cutlery – but instead an RFID tag that, when in range of the adverts, will tailor their message to you.

It's all part of a promotion called MINI Motorby, with a range of customised slogans incorporating personal information supplied by owners.  However, looking at the sample photo to the right, it doesn't look all that imaginative: "Motor on Jim!"?  Is that really the best they could come up with?

If you ask me, they should open up the API to developers and get some really useful slogans going.  You're not going to sell a MINI to someone who already owns one, so why not instead give them a good reason to buy in the first place – say, bringing their RSS feeds to the big screen as they drive past.  Or, even more useful, flashing up messages from loved ones: "You make my heart sing", "I miss you", "Drive safe" or "We need more cheese, Barry"

Expect to see the signs in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami, with more planned.

MINI [via Cool Hunting]