AdAge has an article about Minority Report-style ads, such as ones currently running in NYC's Grand Central Terminal and in the subways: "The ads are projected on the floor of a venue and allow consumers to move, drag and kick things around. They're the Reactrix Step Scape ads, and they're just a part of the company's plans to make out-of-home advertising more accountable and engaging in the near future."

They're also experimenting with ones that work on walls. But the real purpose will become clear later this year, when marketers will be able to direct folks to the nearest place to buy the thing they just messed around with on the floor.

The wireless carriers are picking up on this, not just for future phone interfaces (as this nifty Software Everywhere post indicated), but for advertising. Daryl Evans, VP-advertising and marketing communications for AT&T Mobility, said in the article that metrics from the brand's recent promotion with Reactrix showed a "demonstrated ability to break through a cluttered environment, and more broadly, brought TV-like accountability to an out-of-home buy."

This all relates to location-based cell phone services, where companies look to target advertising based on your GPS-enabled location, and grew out of the desktop scene with Google Local's contextual ads by zip code.

Message: if you're out there, they'll find you and advertise to you.

(Photo credit from Pikesoft.com)