Adobe unveiled its suite of Experience Cloud connected car capabilities this week. It said the features are a response to demand from the automotive industry and consumers. Adobe will utilise in-car entertainment platforms to generate actionable data-driven insights for brands.
As the driver, this will give you more personalised control over the in-car experience. Since the car will understand you better, infotainment features like the music player will offer advanced suggestions reflecting your recent choices.
Adobe’s making no secret of its real intentions though. The company’s embarking on a bold plan to show you even more ads, now in your car.
Since its cloud platform will now have access to the vast data pools created by connected cars, it’ll give brands greater targeting abilities. Brands will be able to interpret information about your drives, such as average drive time and location, to deliver “truly personalized experiences.”
This means things like targeted audio ads when you’re streaming online music or restaurant recommendations for places on your route. When you interact with the car, by using a voice command or pressing a control, the input will be logged in the cloud for the automaker to analyse.
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Adobe said connected cars will offer brands an “exceptional” opportunity. It noted that U.S. consumers spend an average of 55 minutes each day in their car. Previously, this time has been dead space for advertisers with no opportunity to deliver targeted material. As autonomous tech takes over and cars gain Internet connections, brands will have a new platform to deliver their messages on.
“In the automotive industry, in-car digital services are opening up new revenue sources and pushing brands to become true experience businesses,” said Amit Ahuja, vice president of Emerging Businesses, Adobe Experience Cloud. “With consumer expectations at an all-time high, content has to be informed with data insights to satisfy individual preferences. As car rides transform into immersive, personalized digital experiences, Adobe gives brands the tools to be exceptional no matter where they engage the customer.”
Since all the number crunching will take place on Adobe’s Experience Cloud, Adobe will also tap into the data it learns about you from other services. Privacy is a top concern though, with Adobe conceding to Bloomberg that it will have to give thought to the issue. Consumers are used to having their cars as an ad-free space and are already overwhelmed by the prevalence of online ads. Extending targeting to the roads might not be popular with customers.
Adobe said Experience Cloud integration is already making its way into cars. 10 automakers are using its technology for analytics and to receive customer feedback. When something goes wrong with the infotainment system, the car automatically reports the crash to the cloud.
For the first time, brands and manufacturers can access the data generated by cars as they move along highways. Whether this is a good thing is still up for debate.
