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Nobody likes to see an empty storefront. If you’re a passerby or a nearby shop owner, the bare dark space could signal a neighbourhood in decline. And if you own the building, it means lost rental income. The folks at Motomedia have devised a way to help compensate for lost rent while brightening up neighbourhoods in the process. The young British company’s so-called streetlevelBILLBOARDS can be fitted into otherwise empty display windows. True enough, shopping malls and other retail outlets worldwide have long placed ads in vacant store windows. But Motomedia products go a step further by incorporating technological eye-candy. The billboards are rear-projection screens presenting animated visuals complete with sound. Videos can commence when someone walks by the window. And because the billboards are Bluetooth-enabled, additional information from the advertiser can be transmitted to a viewer’s cell phone. Some units will also allow users to arrange and move blocks of information with their hands, the same way Apple iPhone users manipulate their phone’s display with the tips of their fingers. Since Motomedia can provide clients with a network of storefronts, advertisers can broadcast their message via a single window or create campaigns to reach entire neighbourhoods or regions. Plus, sensors that form part of the billboard package can capture demographic information and reportedly even sense whether those watching are women or men, customizing their interactive programming accordingly. So far, Motomedia has set up campaigns in various UK locations for advertising clients that include recording artists, and has been approached by international brands including Baileys and Captain Morgan. Future locations for the billboards needn’t be just vacant storefronts. Airports, train stations, sports arenas, even hospitals and health clubs could benefit from the displays’ interactivity, and their ability to target up-to-the-minute content to specific groups. If you’re in the media business, or would like to be, now’s the time to contact Motomedia about distribution rights.