Something that was not included in our GPS, however, were localized ads. Granted, we were a group of starving musicians looking to find sustenance for as little money as possible, but if an interesting display ad jumped on our screen, our road-weary eyes just may have sparkled. Hence, I wasn’t that surprised by the findings of NAVTEQ’s research demonstrating the effect of GPS-enabled, location-based advertising.

In a sampling of 757 users of NAVTEQ ad-enabled GPS devices, 19% of respondents who recalled seeing a specific ad clicked through to find nearby retail locations. In addition, up to 6% of GPS users actually visited a business location after seeing an ad on a GPS device.

But wouldn’t consumers be annoyed by ads popping up when they were trying to figure out where to take a left? Seventy-two percent didn’t have any problem with that. Have to say, I think I’d be all right with it too — especially if the ad told me where to get the best cheeseburger for the least amount of cash… No one wants to be a starving artist.