Get Ready For Ads That Get Pumped Directly Into Your Skull

Because people don't complain enough about advertising as it is, a company in Germany is looking to make you hear advertising when you rest your head on train windows. Because the best time to get people's attention is when they're tired and trying to rest!

See this? It needs ADVERTISING.

Sky Deutschland, the German wing of TV provider Sky, is testing a marketing concept that will most likely be hated by all.

When a commuter leans against a train window, he or she will hear a message that nobody else can, asking if they're bored and want to download Sky's mobile app.

The technology behind this is known as "bone conduction." Basically a small machine sends small vibrations through the window. When your skull touches the glass, the vibrations pass through and are interpreted as sound.
Sounds like magic, works like science.

BBDO has said that if Sky Deutschland gives final approval, "we will start with the new medium as quickly as possible."

I'm usually a defender of more advertising, because I love advertising and want to see it everywhere. But this just seems like it goes a bit far. It's a great idea, but I don't see anyone wanting to buy the product that is marketed to them straight through their skull when they're trying to rest.
Even their promotional video shows people being a bit annoyed by it.


A spokesperson also said, however, that tests in Munich and Aachen had been received well, and that there were applications besides pure advertising. It could also, he said, give people public transit updates, weather, or music, though Sky says it hasn't yet decided whether to run the ad campaign. Bone conduction technology is also used in Google's Glass.

So yeah, next time you just want to rest your head somewhere, don't be surprised if Billy Mays' voice comes out of no where and tries to sell you some dish soap or something.