Mobile advertising with a twist.

No need to carry your mobile phone all the time to take advantage of mobile location-based advertising, just look for the nearest cab.

A new wave of billboards has taken to the streets of Manhattan. ‘Ad Runner’ billboards have been fixed to the top of 50 New York City cabs, flashing ads that change their pitch based on the cab's location. You can walk along Wall Street and see a Merrill Lynch ad and then turn the corner to catch a glimpse of the latest stock quotes displayed on top of another yellow taxi.

"This is certainly a lot more eye-catching," said Bill O'Reilly, from Adapt Media the New York based company responsible for the wireless technology behind this pilot project.

The ad runner technology is an integration of wireless, GPS, ad serving, and display technologies. Ad runner supports thousands of display units that contain a computer and GPS receiver, which enables it to display ads or messages, according to a pre-defined schedule and precise location. The display units communicate over a wireless network with a central ad server that provides advertisers with campaign management, flexible targeting, scheduling, reporting, and billing services. Advertisers can access all these services via any Internet browser.

The ad runner continuously collects data about an advertiser's message such as where and how often it has been displayed. Over the Internet the advertiser, can gauge the effectiveness of their campaign and make adjustments in real time. The ad runner system incorporates a scheduler that enables advertisers to target their audience at a specific time during the day or in a specific city zone or a well-defined hot spot—the theater or fashion district.

To date ESPN and Time Warner have signed up to advertise, and this summer, Adapt Media expects to receive authorization from the taxi and Limousine Commission to have electric billboards on more cabs.

With the heated debate over the use of mobile phones while driving, it is not surprising that Adapt Media's technology has received backlash from some observers who see these digital billboards as yet another distraction to drivers.

For more information: http://www.adaptmedia.net/news.htm

Mobileinfo Comments and Advisory: Location-based advertising on taxi cabs or moving objects is an interesting twist to electronic billboards. It will appeal to suppliers of unique services who are catering to those professionals who utilize taxis waiting outside hotels.