Hello,
I've recently heard some of your radio commercials for your TomTom navigation systems, and I'm slightly confused as to what's happening during the course of the journeys featured.
The gist of each of the adverts is that, after a faux-pas during an in-car conversation, the driver of the vehicle accesses the satnav which then announces "There's an alternative route that's 'x' minutes faster" (where 'x' is the period of time the satnav is saving by choosing this route). Here's where my confusion begins...
If the driver was making his own way to the target location, but then decided to use the satnav to compute a new route after saying the wrong thing to his passenger, the satnav can't announce that there's a faster journey because it wasn't following a route in the first place - it cannot possibly know what route the driver intended on taking, unless it's reading the thought processes of the driver (spooky, eh?!)
Therefore, the driver must be using the satnav in each of the scenarios featured, and this also means the route the TomTom originally suggested was not the fastest one. Now, I don't know about you, but I've yet to meet anyone who uses any satnav and thinks "I'll set the second fastest route to my destination". There may well be a few drivers who like arriving later, or driving further, than they might otherwise need to, but I'm sure they're few and far between.
This, of course, begs the question - do TomTom's routinely suggest the second-best route, saving the best route for their socially inept users who will inevitably need assistance after offending their passengers? Or do they come fitted with mindreading jiggery-pokery technology, and should drivers be donning tinfoil hats before commencing their journeys?
I look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Dave
* Incidentally, for anyone that's worrying over the title of this piece, the devices don't read your minds... or do they??!!
The reply:
Dear Dave,
Ciara here from Tom Tom, Thank you for your email inquiry.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us about our new Radio Advertising Campaign.
I would like to explain a little about how the unit works and this may allow you to perhaps understand the concept behind these Radio Ads.
The new generation of Tom Tom GO Units has a Traffic Service, this is what the add is based around.
The Traffic service is provided through an in-built SIM card connected to a network or though a connected SmartPhone.
When a route is planned and you are heading towards your destination, the device will always plan the Fastest route- unless you choose otherwise (for example Eco routes/ shortest route)
As you go along the route, if there is a traffic build up at a certain point- the original route now has a delay. The device picks this up and offers a quicker route- avoiding the Traffic on the original route.
This is what you hear in the ad, this offer of a new route means that you can avoid this Traffic build up and choose a quicker route.
It just happens to be a coincidence that it occurs at these 'awkward' moments in the advert - allowing you to get to your destination quicker. A light hearted situation to explain the benefit of using a TomTom.
I hope this helps with you understanding the concept of the ad but also on how our devices work.
It was a pleasure to help, let us know if you need any further assistance and we will endeavour to help.
Take care in the meantime!
With Kind Regards,
Ciara
So there you have it - it's not some miracle mind-reading technique, it's just avoiding traffic jams at exactly the same time as the driver puts their foot in it... ;)
