Local Tech Startup Uses Facial Recognition to Capture Consumers Interest

Filipinos spend a taxing 2 to 3 hours in traffic every day, enduring idleness and boredom while being bombarded with a sea of billboards and ads that don’t always match their personal interests.

Now a Philippine-based tech startup, AdMovPh Technologies Inc., uses first of its kind facial detection technology and location to deliver more meaningful ads and content to consumers.

The company seeks to redefine the way people perceive outdoor advertising by creating an entertaining and more personalized experience for consumers.

How? By using tablets placed inside Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) vehicles, AdMov’s technology first determines a rider’s age and gender, then uses that information to show them ads that matter more to them. Ads from beauty and makeup brands may only be shown to women, for example.

AdMov also aims to relieve stress and boredom by serving riders entertaining content. Using GPS, riders will be shown must-try restaurants, upcoming events, and nearby sales whenever they enter a specific city or location. The tablet may also show riders interesting trivia about a city, or photos of how a city looked like back in the 70s to 90s.

Moreover, this technology can even guess a rider’s emotional state based on their facial expressions, or whether or not they are bored based on eye contact with the screen. The system then revises and presents the appropriate kind of content to recapture the rider’s attention, further tailoring their experience.

With this encouraging developments, brands can easily reach a much more specific audience, unlike traditional roadside advertising, which can only target a general audience and may leave viewers feeling overwhelmed with too much irrelevant advertising. Further, the platform allows brands to target an affluent market that frequently makes use of ride-hailing services such as Grab, OWTO, and Hype.

Alongside the growing demand to improve Metro Manila’s transportation systems, the company intends to expand the applications of its services, possibly to buses and regular taxi services.