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Digital Signage in a box from Samsung applications: • Menu Boards for Cafes and restaurants • Retail Advertising • Way Finding • Message Boards • Public Service Information • Waiting Rooms • Queuing Applications 1 Scalable solution at added cost. Able to set up network of displays with web based display and content control. MagicInfo® S2 server client access software licence is required for networked applications, one licence required for each display (sold separately). Internet connection may be required. Data and subscription charges may apply. Usage may be subject to third party service provider agreements. Network and wireless infrastructure not included. Images for illustration purposes only
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Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
Visit Samsung Smart Signage Stand C58 and D58
A simplified “Easy Set Up” Solution for stand alone¹ Digital Signage magicInfo® Player S2 included
2nd Generation SSSP Included with DBD, DMD, DHD & UED ranges • • •
•
magicInfo® Player S2 included Complete Stand-Alone Signage • PC free touch option using on-board Solution SoC and optional Touch Module (sold Design Template options included separately). DMD, DHD,UED series allows for PC • Scalable for networked server based free content scheduling and delivery to signage applications with MagicInfo® multiple compatible displays using DP S2 server client access software Daisy chain² (not available on DM32D) licences (licences sold separately - one DMD, DHD,UED series allows for PC free licence required per display³). video wall with DP Daisy chain² (not available on DM32D)
Images for illustration purposes only 2 DP Cables not included (sold separately). 3 MagicInfo® S2 server client access software licence is required for networked applications, one licence required for each display (sold separately). Internet connection may be required. Data and subscription charges may apply. Usage may be subject to third party service provider agreements. Network infrastructure not included.
samsung.com/au/business business.partner@samsung.com
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
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Editorial:
Make Me Feel
Story: Christopher Holder
Y
ou could hardly want for two more conflicting styles. In the blue (pill) corner is the Chemist Warehouse. No pretences here, just pharmaceutical products at trim prices piled high on industrial shelving. In the Green (Frogskin) corner is Oakley. Nothing mundane here at an Oakley concept store, it’s all about image and branding… swish, swank apparel and eyewear. The styles couldn’t be more different but both are utterly dependent on its marketing.
Oakley became the marketers’ darlings with its subversive approach to making its sunnies so darn desirable. For a period there every second car would be a rolling Oakley advertisement, with Thermonuclear Protection decaled large across the back window. Literally, marketing you couldn’t pay for. Chemist Warehouse depends on its blanket bombing approach to the omni channel – TV, radio, newspapers, catalogues… you simply cannot escape the reach of its marketing tentacles. Now both have launched highly successful digital signage campaigns, and, again, the approach could hardly be different.
In the Blue Corner: Chemist Warehouse grabs the ‘substance over style’ knob and cranks it to 11. Its signage is alive with infomercials, RSS tickers, ads, promos, it’s like a roiling, blinking, busy-bee catalogue that’s driving sales. In fact, if anything, Chemist Warehouse is bucking much of what the current received wisdom is regarding retail signage. Whereas five years ago we were all intoxicated by the whiff of using signage to generate revenue, as we busily divvied up our screens to display five different messages. Now? The pundits say ‘no’. Don’t zone your screens, don’t concern yourself with selling space on your network, don’t worry about audio, simply make the screens work for you with a clear, unequivocal message. Well, the commentariat has a new precedent to concern itself with. Chemist Warehouse is breaking the rules and making money – money from increased in-store sales, and money from brands falling over themselves to advertise on the network. In the Green Corner: Oakley’s 5th Avenue store in New York takes the ‘style over substance’ knob and cranks it to 11. Oakley is 6
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reimagining itself with a new slogan Disruptive By Design (sounds like a couple of kids at the back of my Year 7 class). Oakley engaged the Moment Factory to imagine what digital signage might look like in the concept store. But clearly it was going to have be disruptive. You’ll see the results later this issue (a snifter is pictured on this page), but take it from me, it’s high concept. You won’t find a Weather Channel ticker on the screen or hear someone screaming ‘only nine, ninety-nine!’.
Both executions are a success. Both make the shopper feel something about the store. Both reinforce key messages. For one it’s ‘price, choice, trust’ for the other it’s ‘style, innovation, high performance’. Both have been instituted with care and attention to every detail. Not sure where you fit in the signage gamut curve – if you’re closer to the unglamorous yet functional Chemist Warehouse end of the axis, or if you’re a painfully cool/cutting edge outlier — but above all, your digital signage has to serve your brand. Christopher Holder, Editorial Director chris@dsmag.com.au
You won’t find a Weather Channel ticker on the screen or hear someone screaming ‘only nine, ninety-nine!’.
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CONTENTS ISSUE 13 2014
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
Advertising Office: (02) 9986 1188 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086
Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353
Publication Director: Stewart Woodhill (stewart@dsmag.com.au) Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@dsmag.com.au)
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Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@dsmag.com.au) Art Director: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Graphic Design: Daniel Howard (daniel@alchemedia.com.au) Contributing Editor: Graeme Hague (news@dsmag.com.au) Technical Editor Andy Ciddor (andy@av.net.au) Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (jaedd@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Mim Mulcahy (subscriptions@dsmag.com.au)
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FEATURES 8 Easy to Swallow Chemist Warehouse COLUMNS 14 Gaye Steel, Guihen Jones 16 Matt Abercromby, Engagis REFERENCE 30 Who’s Who Company Profiles
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IN ACTION 18 Te Uru Taumatua, NZ 20 oOh! Media Dimetapp Campaign 22 Oakley Concept Store, NY 24 I Stay, Chifley Square 26 Octopus Media Cavill Ave Vision Board COMMENT 34 Mug Punter: Digital Out Of Head
alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright Š 2014 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title AV is a registered Trademark. Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication. They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy. 6/8/14
Make Great Digital Signage Visit the Amber Technology stand at INTEGRATE EXPO (Hall 5, F22) to discover the latest Digital Signage Solutions from Gefen.
Distributed by Amber Technology | Unit 1, 2 Daydream St, Warriewood NSW 2102 FREE PHONE 1 800 251 367 www.ambertech.com.au display@ambertech.com.au
EASY TO SWALLOW Chemist Warehouse adds signage to its omni channel marketing… all 300+ stores.
C
hemist Warehouse is an Australian owned pharmacy which trades on offering great products, great prices and great service. With over 300 stores across Australia, Chemist Warehouse is continuously expanding and a clear market leader.
Chemist Warehouse’s marketing strategy is strong. It’s gone with an Omni Channel approach which provides great media opportunities for its stocked brands within its stores. For example, Chemist Warehouse and its brands are continuously advertised on all prime TV channels, all radio stations and every newspaper right throughout the year. On top of this they have an in-store radio station on which its brands take airtime, and have full perimeter advertising at AFL games. It has also established an ‘infomercial’-style brand through TV advertising called ‘Healthy Break’ and ‘Beauty Break’ using celebrities such as Jo Silvagni and Pia Miller. TAKING IT INSIDE
Chemist Warehouse could see the possibility of doing something in their stores using video, and early in 2012 started
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looking at options. Specifically, Chemist Warehouse wanted to add to store ambience and energy, provide information to customers, increase sales of promoted items, support catalogue events and to sell airtime to stocked brands. Digital signage was selected to achieve this. Chemist Warehouse wanted the ability to distribute video in store, provide proof of play to brands and to manage the content by their internal marketing team.
Ryan Calvert, Technical Specialist at Chemist Warehouse chose OneLAN as the signage platform for its stability (the software runs on Linux), along with the fact it is cost competitive, and enables either full screen or multi-zone multimedia layouts with simple content management.
FOUR CHANNELS PER STORE
Chemist Warehouse elected to have four separate channels of content to each store: two purely for advertising support, complemented by ‘Healthy Break’ and ‘Beauty Break’ infomercials located in a prime position at the entrance to the store. Four wireless OneLAN media players and two 40-inch screens, and two 32-inch screen are installed in each store.
brands advertising on the digital signage screens the return on investment (ROI) is such that slots are now fully booked through 2015
Unlike many in-store signage networks, Chemist Warehouse is seeing its displays as a bona fide revenue source — which makes for a compelling installation case. What’s more, the in-store network complements its omni channel marketing approach like the proverbial hand in glove. All up, you have an engaging message presented in an engaging way to an engaged audience who are either queuing or waiting to collect their prescription. MANAGED IN HOUSE
Chemist Warehouse manages the network of players itself using resources the company already had in marketing and IT technical support. The design is easy to change and therefore powerful to its brands which may want more. For example, some advertisers can take over the whole screen for a particular ad, instead of occupying one zone. The ability to offer advertising slots on the screens in-store is an exciting and powerful innovation for Chemist Warehouse. Sales growth was above expectation especially for the prime position infomercials which is the first item a customer sees when they enter a store. The success of this is such that Chem-
ist Warehouse’s digital signage network rapidly became fully booked, and is now booked through 2015. JUST THE MEDICINE
This is a hugely successful rollout and a 24-carat example of true omni channel marketing.
Chemist Warehouse can now engage with its customers in its 300 bricks and mortar stores, via radio, TV, in-store video, through a catalogue, banner ads or via its website and social media. This is one of the largest deployments of retail digital signage in Australia. Which in the past hasn’t always been anything like a guarantee of success. But already, Chemist Warehouse’s initiative is putting runs on the board — not only is it effective as a marketing channel it’s generating revenue in and of itself. VideoPro (OneLAN): videopro.co.nz or www.onelan.com
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
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Digital Signage Masterclass: Chemist Warehouse
Ryan Calvert, Technical Specialist Business Systems at Chemist Warehouse, talks to DigitalSignage Editor, Chris Holder. DS: What prompted the push into digital signage? Ryan Calvert: We needed to extend the amount of advertising ‘space’ we could provide suppliers. Chemist Warehouse provides suppliers with the best chance of having their product purchased over another by inclusion in our marketing omni channel. We sell our TV and radio space, our magazine and newspaper space… we’re selling our in-store floor space; even the airspace with floating posters. Still, our suppliers were asking for more. Which led us to digital signage. DS: What building blocks did you start with when embarking on the design of the signage? RC: The main driver was our Healthy Break and Beauty Break infomercials. They were popular prior to our digital signage rollout and formed the basis of the rollout. If a supplier signs up to Healthy Break or Beauty Break they get full national radio/TV coverage and our stores will be reset to give that product prime position. The idea is, the consumer has seen this product on TV, at an AFL match or on the internet; they’ve come into the store to buy it and they don’t have to look for it. It’s the first thing they see. DS: Which accounts for the front position of those two screens. And that’s worked? RC: We can’t keep the stock on the shelves. It just empties itself immediately. Naturally, news got out, and our suppliers can’t get enough of Healthy Break and Beauty Break. Within six weeks of going live nationally we’d sold those spaces one year in advance. In fact, I think the whole of 2015 is already sold. DS: Does audio accompany Healthy Break and Beauty Break? RC: Yes, but it’s not important. You need to be very close to the screen to hear it. We’re relying on people deciding to buy the product before they’ve entered the store. They’ve done their research, know how much it’ll cost… they just need to know where to find it. DS: That accounts for two of the four instore channels. Can you talk us through the dispensary channel? RC: We use that screen to market ‘S2’ items — which is pharmacy speak for products you can only buy over the counter. That display hosts our Dispensary TV which carries video of S2 product which at this time of year would be a cold and flu tablet, and in Spring might turn into allergy treatments and so on. That third TV in the dispensary has a few zones: it has an RSS feed down the bottom, video on the left, our catalogue tiles on the right, and our logo at the top. When you buy the space, the supplier can take over that screen with an ad for two weeks. Every five minutes it will take over that screen and play that advertisement. It’s a prime position because people are waiting for their prescriptions and are happy to be diverted by the news headlines, weather and be
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exposed to the advertising. DS: And the fourth channel? RC: The fourth is our more generic cashier TV. That was put there due to the lines building up in our stores and can influence those last-minute decisions. In the digital signage mix, it’s more for the benefit of the customer and less for the supplier. But it does complement the whole solution and is a key touchpoint. DS: What were the main criteria for choosing the digital signage platform? RC: We needed central management and central reporting. Most platforms don’t. Other that do, were unnecessarily complicated — requiring training at head office. Part of the objective was to find a platform that was easy to pick up and familiar. We wanted to keep digital signage in the marketing department, which relies on Adobe’s Creative Suite. So we found that OneLAN was very similar in the back end to Photoshop, when it comes to layers. It was easy for them to grasp it and embrace it. If we’d not taken that approach then it would have been seen as just another extra task. But maintaing the signage in OneLAN is easy and our guys/gals can see the results. The more time they spend in managing the digital signage the more successful it will be. DS: Traditionally, digital signage can’t find a friend in any department. How did you get the project adopted within the Chemist Warehouse structures? RC: Ideally, I want our web developers and web marketing (which is separate to our print/ TV marketing department) to own it. For now,
they don’t want a piece of it. Ideally, from an IT perspective, I wanted a digital signage platform that would integrate with our SQL and then also display html5 — to future proof it and provide options. Obviously, I’ve not got exactly what I want. But for now, to make it easy, we’re using jpeg tiles that our marketing department already have for their catalogues and newspaper ads, and are easy to resize to work in the digital signage. Naturally, our IT department hated managing the solution. So, recently, we’ve outsourced the signage network management to get over that hurdle. You’re right, people don’t want to own it. But thankfully OneLAN made it easier for digital signage to be adopted by our existing departments. We’ll end up converting all our players to html5. Why? When a new catalogue comes out all our stores’ look and feel reflect that new catalogue — it’s a key reason why Chemist Warehouse doesn’t simply feel like we’ve got a year-round sale on. Currently our digital signage doesn’t change. But with html5 we could have the digital signage change in keeping with the website. DS: What’s next? RC: We’re exploring the possible of running front window digital signage to capture foot traffic. We spend a lot of money changing our front windows each week and we’re looking into whether it would be more cost effective to use a screen. We’ve just set up an 80-inch high-nit LCD for our board to review. As it stands, it’s quite pricey but we’ll keep any eye on that space.
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It’s All Possible. Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
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Retail:
Entertaining the Attainment of infotainment Gaye is an experienced marketing professional, having launched her career in marketing in FMCG working for a multinational Reckitt & Colman for 10 years, followed by stints at McDonald’s (as National Marketing Manager), Telstra and Church & Dwight. Gaye is now relishing the challenges of agency life in her role as Marketing Director for GuihenJones (retail communications agency). She is also an accomplished Academic Lecturer in Marketing & Advertising.
Story: Gaye Steel
T
he tax office – long queues, confusing forms, uncomfortable seats and even more uncomfortable waiting. Yet one ancient and simple piece of digital signage has for years played a pivotal role in ensuring waiting doesn’t turn in to all out war in government offices, banks, hospitals and waiting rooms the world over. The digital number displays that correspond to tickets taken at the entrance, give visitors some idea of how long they’ll actually have to wait, rather than leaving it to their stressinducing imaginations to grossly overestimate. And here in 2014, it’s education that is driving digital signage’s growth across the world. Digital signage doesn’t all have to be about price points, product shots and persuasion. Like all the best modern advertising and marketing, some of the best digital signage is simply what I call ‘education through entertainment’. That’s why digital signage is seeing huge growth outside the retail sector. Visitor attractions, information points and even entire cities are taking a leaf out of the books of some of the world’s biggest brands and creating spectacular digital signage installations that educate people using fun, interesting and captivating forms of messaging. THINKING OUTSIDE THE (TIMES) SQUARE
For years Manhattan’s Times Square has been a magnet for tourists who flock to take in the famous neon and LED digital signage that plasters all four corners of the area. While nothing quite matches Americans’ ability to go over the top and keep on going, they were, as always, ahead of the curve when it came to the possibilities digital signage produces. As downtown Hong Kong and London’s Piccadilly Circus have expanded their own miniature versions of Times Square over recent decades, others are now starting to catch up and are creating a new frontier for digital signage in public spaces both here in Australia and abroad.
Take Vivid Sydney for instance. The organisers turned to multiple and diverse forms of digital signage to transform some previously ignored parts of the city into a truly exceptional tool that not only brings people out during colder winter nights but also educates them about the vibrancy, diversity and ingenuity the city has to offer. Digital signage has helped create a fantastic advertisement for Sydney. Further afield, Hawaii has started to see a new breakthrough in the use of projection mapping 14
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digital signage. A state with more swimming pools than people is the perfect place to be trialling digital signage onto the surface of hotel pools. Expect to see the clear blue water of hotel pools across the globe come to life over the next few years! But who’s doing it well right now?
As digital signage becomes more popular across the globe, those that use it are merging it with the latest technologies to create even more impressive installations. British Airways (and Ogilvy & Mather London) was recently showered with plaudits and awards for a game-changing piece of digital signage in the home of one of the world’s busiest airports. Rather than just telling anyone that happened to notice that B.A have ‘more flights to more destinations’, they showed them using real-time ads that made a little boy react whenever an actual plane flew over the billboard. Such sophisticated levels of integration with digital signage have never been seen before but they’ll definitely be seen again. Speaking of being seen, digital signage can also be used to see ourselves in an entirely new light. In France, the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Paris, has installed a novel piece of digital signage they call a digital mirror. Utilising cutting edge MRI scans, X-rays and PET scans, they are able to ‘probe’ museum visitors. A massive 65-inch screen then generates high-resolution images of their bodies, complete with bones and organs. Viewers can then control the images displayed on the digital mirror using motion detection software similar to that found in the Microsoft Kinect. Another great example of creative digital signage that educates people in a completely different way, provides an enhanced experience, and is a lot of fun. Non-promotional digital signage like this is at its best when it is being harnessed in this way to simply enhance the experience of visitors to all manner of attractions. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were for six years the world’s tallest building. Anyone that’s been at the top of a building like this will tell you the novelty of the view can quickly wear off. So at the top of Asia’s twin towers, they have interactive digital kiosks that use augmented reality to bring visitors on an educational journey through the building’s design, development and it’s more obscure details. A lovely way to turn a quick, potentially boring visit into a novel experience that can even be shared by users on social media. CREATIVITY COSTS NOTHING
Of course, it would be fantastic to have the budgets of British Airways or the popularity of the world’s tallest buildings but digital signage isn’t about how
much money you spend, it’s about how much sense you make. If you can educate through entertainment you could turn a simple request for information into a journey of interactivity. Imagine you have a customer that wants to find out something as simple as your opening times. You could throw a hastily drawn scrap of paper in the front window. That would tell them what they need to know but then they might not even enter your premises. Now imagine you construct a simple digital kiosk inside the door. You could potentially turn one simple query into an entertaining 10-minute tour through your opening times, where they can find things, who they can talk to about other things and a host of other attention-grabbing activities that will engage them with your wider offering. However, more often than not you don’t even have to have crazy money, frontier-breaking strategies or even complex ideas, you just have to have a little good old-fashioned creativity. Irish bookmaker Paddy Power used the digital signage advertising boards at the side of the country’s biggest football stadium to just display their logo during a scarcelyviewed football match. When they purposefully printed it upside down, they sent social media across the nation into meltdown and received unprecedented levels of exposure and PR without having to try very hard. Got a few ideas of your own now? I wager 10-to-1 that you do!
Retail:
7 Digital Solutions Revolutionising Retail Matt has spent over ten years advising Australia’s leading brands in Media, Retail Technology, Property and Law. He is the Marketing Manager of Engagis, Australia’s leading digital solutions company, which provides digital solutions to over 4000 retailers, and creates connections for the likes of Telstra, Bupa, Target and Flight Centre. As a writer and keynote speaker, he regularly presents on the digital future of retail in Australia, and also manages the popular Engagis blog and events roadshow, ‘Connect’.
Story: Matt Abercromby
W
ith the rapid growth of digital adoption, the way our customers communicate with each other, is vastly different to how retailers communicate with their customers. This massive disconnect is costing bricks and mortar retailers, and it’s time to catch up. So, as shoppers become more connected, how can retailers engage the ‘hyper-digital’ consumer?
At one time, the answer to this would have been a striking in-store promotional display, well-trained sales staff, and a well-conceived planogram. Ah, the good ol’ days. Unfortunately, today we must go above and beyond.
The customer appetite has taken a dramatic turn, and thanks to the power of online, they now expect a shopping experience that is faster, easier, better value, and more personal. So what are the 7 Digital Solutions that are delivering this, and giving bricks and mortar retailers the upper hand?
Through-Window Touchscreen: The first challenge for retailers along the pathway to purchase is to attract customers. External facing digital signage and video walls offer an obvious solution, showcasing dynamic content to attract and entertain passers-by. But through-window touchscreens go one step further, offering your customers the ability to browse, order and even pay for products 24/7. This ‘digitally connected storefront’ offers the unprecedented ability to fulfil an entire transaction, and is becoming more and more essential for retailers. Intelligent Digital Signage: For years, retailers have struggled to measure ROI on digital signage. Intelligent digital signage makes it easy, and can now measure Opportunity To See (OTS), engagement, demographics, emotion, and a whole lot more. But what if your signage content could change, depending on those factors? It’s happening right now. Intelligent digital signage delivers relevant, contextual and targeted promotions based on real time customer data. Other data, such as weather, time of day, events and traffic are also being combined, delivering hyper-targeted messaging direct to customers.
Tablets: Thanks to tablet technology, retailers are now able to equip employees to better interact with customers. In an age when customers are often more informed than staff, the ability to have access to real-time product information on the spot is essential. Tablets are even alleviating merchandise clutter for larger retail establishments. Bunnings, Rebel and General Pants are just a few of the many 16
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Aussie brands using tablets in-store to showcase more SKUs than they can fit in store. Thanks to this ‘endless aisle’, retailers are freeing up valuable floor space, and offering a far wider range, all at the same time. Enterprise Tablet Pro: It’s true that tablets have been trialled in many retailers, with varying degrees of success. Issues such as battery life, security and connectivity have led to the introduction of products like the Enterprise Tablet Pro. Secure mounts such as this are negating these issues, enabling the tablet to be used as a customer self-service kiosk, or to be released by staff (using a RFID swipe card) for handheld service on the floor. What’s more, the Enterprise Tablet Pro ensures the product is safe, internet connected, and always fully charged. Self-Order Kiosks: We’re seeing it everywhere in our everyday lives: airport self-check in, vending machines, parking metres, supermarket self-checkout, even ATMs. Self-Order Kiosks are designed to make the customer experience faster and easier; they’re also slashing the cost of service for simple transactions by as much as 600%. Self-Order Kiosks are no longer the expensive, cumbersome solutions they once were. Combined with tablets, and inexpensive touchscreen technology, we’re seeing them pop up in banks, retailers and restaurants across Australia.
Secure Merchandising: With the rising demand for consumer electronics, the loss prevention/asset protection industry is growing as quickly as the digital signage business. Loss prevention has a bad rap in retail, often referred to as ‘Sales Prevention’. If it’s in a locked cabinet, it simply won’t sell, is the feedback from many shopper marketers. So how can you protect your products when customers expect to touch and feel them in-store? Modern loss prevention has come a long way from traditional security cables. Clever secure merchandising solutions, such as the Freedom Micro, display, secure, charge and update consumer electronics, as well as activating digital signage content, and recording lift data. This information is helping retailers to better understand promotions, product displays and sales conversions. Clever security, indeed.
The Smartphone: The biggest threat to retailers, the smartphone, also offers the greatest opportunity. Loyalty and Rewards Programs have gone mobile. Retailers are using Loyalty Apps on their customer’s smartphones to deliver individual offers, en masse. Using data collected from the above digital touch points – OTS, demographics, message recall, product searches, product interactions, and transactions – retailers are delivering targeted and personalised offers for customers. It’s promotions like this that drive loyalty, increase retention, and ensure your customers keep coming back.
Native Resolution Green display tech for Living Building
In Action
IDT (Planar): 1300 666 099 or www.idt.com.au Click Suite: www.clicksuite.co.nz
The Tūhoe people of New Zealand have made a bold statement with their new community centre. The new HQ, Te Uru Taumatua, is New Zealand’s first Living Building — an international sustainable building certification program that promotes the most advanced measurement of a building’s sustainability. But being ‘green’ doesn’t preclude you from making a splash. An exciting first impression is created by the use of display technology provided by Planar Systems, an advanced video wall that greets all who enter through the main lobby. In the words of the building’s designers and Tūhoe leaders, this technology speaks a thousand words about an ancient tribe that is determined to be seen as modern, growing and prosperous. International award-winning, interactive media company Click Suite, based in Wellington, helped bring the Tūhoe tribe’s dream of a central cultural community centre to fruition. Click Suite commissioned and installed the Planar Mosaic video wall in the building’s main lobby as a focal centrepiece. They also made some adjustments to make it 100% compliant with the very strict standards that a Living Building needs to meet. Planar Mosaic brought with it several sustainability features. First among these is its off-board power supply. The off-board power supply allows
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the video wall to run quieter and cooler and avoids the need to invest in incremental cooling for the lobby space. In turn, by running cooler, the video wall lasts longer than many other video walls – up to 50,000 hours – and requires less maintenance. Also, power for each Planar Mosaic display comes via a single daisy-chained cable from the remote rack room, simplifying cabling and eliminating the cost to install a power outlet behind every display. Planar Mosaic’s selection for the Te Uru Taumatua building also came as a result of its unique combination of display shapes and sizes and the manner in which these displays can be installed. The building makes use of all three available Planar Mosaic display tiles and while the arrangement might appear random, it’s a carefully planned juxtaposition and overlapping of the differing shapes. “It creates almost a 3D effect, which really captures the viewer’s attention and interest,” says Emily Loughnan, director of Click Suite. “Also, content assigned to a tile of one size and shape can flow across the negative space to a tile of another size and shape and scaled to fit that tile as well. We’re not used to video wall content being displayed in this manner, so it creates the impression of technological innovation that the Tūhoe people desire for themselves.”
Just the Tonic Winter chills trigger oOh!’s digital Dimetapp campaign
In Action
Dimetapp’s latest national cold and flu advertising campaign featurse on oOh! Media’s digital retail and café screens just in time for the winter temperature drop. ‘Seasonal advertising? So what?’ I hear you say. Ah, this is where the Dimetapp campaign is smarter than your average bear. oOh!’s digital screens have been programmed to trigger ads alerting shoppers and café customers to the benefits of Dimetapp when the daily minimum forecast temperature is colder than the local area’s monthly minimum average.
oOh! Media: www.oohmedia.com.au
oOh!’s CEO, Brendon Cook said: “This is the first time in Australia we’ve run a national campaign during winter that controls content based on how cold it is in a range of geographically targeted areas. The temperature controlled scheduling will see Dimetapp’s digital advertising run on a network of almost 600 retail and café screens across the country during the coldest days of winter. “The flexibility of our world leading digital signage enables us to schedule advertising based on the temperature — or “temperature-
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parting” — making it possible for advertisers to change their message based on the temperature at each location.” Building awareness in targeted areas when it’s biting cold increases the relevance of the Dimetapp message. “Dimetapp wanted to maximise sales and being able to target ad placement, and schedule advertising based on the temperature will give them the best possible conversion,” Brendon said. Pfizer’s Dimetapp campaign will run on 200 of oOh!’s retail digital panels and 380 of oOh!’s café digital screens during winter.
True 4K Signage becomes a reality
BrightSign’s 4K signage player is exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by IDT. BrightSign 4K is an ultra-reliable, fan-less, solid-state, commercial 4K player supporting all of the new technology standards of the 4K ecosystem for true 4K playback. Plays native 4K, H.265, 10-bit video @ 60fps via HDMI 2.0 Powerful Video Engine with dual video decoding of 4K and Full HD simultaneously Abundant support of content including HTML5, Live feeds, video walls, IP streaming, 3D and more Basic interactivity via GPIOs and UDP commands S/PDIF output for pure digital and surround sound audio (4K1042 & 4K1142 models only) support for playing Live HDTV via an HDMI input Simultaneous playback from local, streaming and Live TV content sources Play any broadcast content, even protected HDCP content, via the HDMI Input
Visit IDT at Integrate stand D46 to see BrightSign 4K in action or contact our telephone support team.
1300 666 099
Or visit www.idt.com.au to find out more.
Sydney Melbourne briSbane Perth auckland
Eye Candy Oakley’s concept store raises status of signage
In Action
Moment Factory: www.momentfactory.com Fulkra: fulkra.com
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New York real estate commands primo prices, so every square foot counts when developing a new retail concept. Utilisation was a big consideration with the latest retail concept just launched by Oakley, the leading a sport and lifestyle brand. Oakley has opened a new 630sqm flagship store at 560 Fifth Avenue that features a ceilingmounted multimedia installation consisting of 27 high resolution digital signage screens suspended down the length of the room. By using a ceiling mounted installation all of the store’s valuable wall and floor space remained available for sales and merchandising. The Oakley’s multimedia installation was developed by Moment Factory, a new media and entertainment studio specialising in the conception and production of multimedia environments. Moment Factory worked in collaboration with SITU Fabrication, a Brooklyn-
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
based digital fabrication studio, and Fulkra, a Los Angeles-based technology integrator. According to Moment Factory, the multimedia installation’s shifting angles and surfaces create anamorphic tricks that play with the viewer’s perception of the retail space and the decomposition of the video across the surface of the screens. The screen content is divided into four segments that run in alternating patterns and rhythms according to store hours and activity on 5th Avenue. Manhattan is a mediasaturated environment, so each segment was designed to draw in customers from the city’s busy streets. Rolling transitions merge footage of Oakley’s performance athletes with complex layers that reveal over time as consumers experience the installation. Moment Factory’s concept had to successfully fit within the existing architectural design, while
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the multimedia installation’s shifting angles and surfaces create anamorphic tricks that play with the viewer’s perception
also expressing the brand’s strong connection to technological innovation. The installation’s physical design took inspiration from the exterior storefront architecture – featuring large pleated metal components. The store’s long and narrow footprint also created opportunities to explore movement and create a coherent visual impact over a long distance. The project follows Moment Factory’s successful participation in the launch of Oakley’s ‘Disruptive by Design’ campaign in Los Angeles in February 2014. Through this new global marketing initiative, Oakley aims to celebrate its legacy and culture of disruption, and set out their blueprint for future innovation. You can see Moment Factory’s response to the new brand direction in this install.
www.dsmag.com.au Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
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It’s a Wrap! Mirvac's Chifley Square high-rise LED artwork
In Action
OAMM: (02) 9939 3264 or oamm.com.au I Stay: www.istaybyjennyholzer.com Mirvac Group: (02) 9080 8000 or 8chifleyart@mirvac.com Story: Christopher Holder
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Is this the new plinth-mounted statue of ‘Important Dude on Horseback’? Are these high brightness LED panels the modern-day equivalent of the sculptured organic lump you’d traditionally see outside ‘60s-era office blocks? There’s a long history of public art and commerce. Some of the greatest patrons have been the great industrialists… even Alan Bond had his record-beating Sunflowers for a few years before he was sent down the river. That said, rarely does art, technology and architecture come together in such a perfect marriage as this. I Stay is a permanently installed, downtown Sydney, public artwork by Jenny Holzer. Without being uncharitable, I’d suggest that Jenny’s work owes as much to the Mirvac’s Chifley Square building and to OAMM’s installation of the LED panels as it does to her inspiration: namely to display some 300 texts
by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, poets, playwrights, activists and writers. In other words, the art really is in the marriage: the poignancy of the words, the remarkable technological integration and the distinctive modern architecture. The vision was to wrap a square column tilted at a diagonal of 45 degrees (40sqm per face) with the ability to play graphics on each individual face of the column as well as have the capability for the graphics to pass from face to face as if it were one screen. OAMM worked with the content supplied by world renowned digital artist Jenny Holzer to ensure she had the precise, pixel-perfect canvas to work with. The bracket design for the LED panels was a very specific requirement of Mirvac, with any drilling and welding strictly verboten. OAMM worked
with Mirvac to design a customised bracket wrapping the column using just tension and a neoprene strip to preserve the column and make sure the warranty of the column was kept after the installation. OAMM used an outdoor 18mm LED curtain product manufactured predominantly for building wraps due to its light weight and larger pixel pitch with viewing distance commonly over 50 metres. But it doesn’t answer the question: ‘Why?’ And for that we probably need to ask that of any art. It satisfies and nourishes people in ways that are difficult to explain. And art on a grand scale… a mass scale, arguably satisfies and nourishes en masse. This is a good thing. And for Mirvac it’s a great thing. The Mirvac 8 Chilfey Building is clearly architecturally impressive. So impressive, in fact, that it took out the Sir Arthur G. Stephenson
Award for Commercial Architecture at this year’s NSW Architectural gongs (congrats to Lippmann Partnership/Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners). On street level it features a six-storey open space, and here’s where I Stay is more than decoration; more than architectural garnish; it truly enhances the amenity and the excitement of this large public space… and what landlord wouldn’t want that?
I Stay is more than decoration; more than architectural garnish; it truly enhances the amenity and the excitement of this large public space Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
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Location Location Location Octopus Media Lights Up Cavill Avenue Story: Christopher Holder
F
or digital outdoor media there are only three things that concern the advertiser, the buyer and the owner of the network: location, location, location.
And one of the most desirable untapped locations going around has been the Cavill Ave corner site on the Gold Coast.
Understandably, Octopus Media is rather pleased with itself that it has secured the site, and installed a large-format hi-def screen that is now fully operational. The $300k investment makes the Cavill Avenue installation one of the largest and highest quality outdoor LED screens in the region and complements the recent multi-million dollar redevelopment of the landmark tourist attraction on the Gold Coast.
“The upgrade of the screen will make this landmark site one of the most watched outdoor advertising sites in Australia with full animation capability, real-time updating and new levels of consumer interaction,” says Octopus Media Founder and Group Managing Director Nir Hadad. SMART SCREEN
The large format LED screen has several worldclass features.
The state-of-the-art screen has the potential to engage audiences through the latest social media interactive tools including the use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Advertisers have the opportunity to keep their customers informed with the latest relevant news pulled from specific RSS feeds, up to the minute news of special
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offers or information about product availability. Consumers can connect and communicate directly with the screen, live, 24 hours a day. The screen’s functionality has the ability to run competitions or gaming promotions and the client can still have full creative control. Given the hi-def screen spec, advertisers can run full animation. It also means it can act as a full-blown public display, showing cinema or live sports broadcasts. GOLD PLATED
The installation is also expected to bring benefit to local traders by adding new levels of interaction with the 195,000+ weekly visitors. Certainly that’s what Surfers Paradise Alliance CEO Mike Winlaw would like to think: “We have more than 3700 businesses operating across Surfers Paradise and all benefit from the world class facilities and tourist attractions located along Cavill Avenue. This new digital screen only adds to the redevelopment.”
The Cavill Ave installation signals a significant expansion of Octopus Media digital advertising sites across the country, with several ‘new installations’ in prime landmark sites, announcements expected in the coming months.
$300k investment makes the Cavill Avenue installation one of the largest and highest quality outdoor LED screens in the region
OCTOPUS: MORE REACH Octopus Group Managing Director Nir Hadad describes how he shook up the Australian DOOH landscape. Nir Hadad: I moved to Australia around 12 years ago. I’ve been in the media game all my life. What took me by surprise was just how difficult it was to get approvals for digital signage in Australia. But I persisted. I challenged the government and it took a court ruling to make digital outdoor easier. It’s still a hard slog to secure these sites. It took me 18 months to land our Dandenong Rd/St Kilda Junction site, for example. Normally the process goes something like this: begin negotiations with landlord/owner of the building; engage a traffic expert, town planning expert and engineers. That might take three months. Use the data and plans to apply to the council. Wait a few months. Often you’re knocked back. Go to VCAT. Win. Then take about two months to install the sign. I don’t quite understand why the road authority is quite so suspicious of DOOH. Take Times Square,
it makes New York City hundreds of millions of dollars, it creates jobs, the place is an icon largely because of the amazing signage. It’s never been our aim to have the biggest network in the country, we work on ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’. For example, I was willing to pay more than our competitors for the Kew Junction site. But, from a strategic point of view, I knew we needed it. We now have network exposure covering the Eastern Seaboard. With the big iconic sites we often find that significant clients will often want to take over the sign. Nissan ‘owned’ our Kew Junction sign for two years. What’s more, these signs are often more effective for a local business, which are unlikely to want to book advertising nationally. Doncaster BMW for example. That’s not to say that we don’t have major clients that book the whole network, we do, but our signs lend themselves to being more flexible than that. Octopus Media: (03) 8534 3800 or www.octopusmedia.com.au
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POSTER CHILD
CLEVER COLLEGE WAYFINDER
ViewSonic has unveiled its 10-inch wall-mounted multimedia all-in-one digital ePoster, which features wireless capabilities and Power over Ethernet (PoE) for a one-wire installation solution. The EP1031r and EP1032r-T are well suited to point-of-sale advertising on retail shelves, commercial businesses, schools, and campuses, or as mounted meeting room signs for corporate and hotel lobbies. This from ViewSonic heavyweight, Max Hsu: “ViewSonic has a robust line of digital signage displays, available in a broad range of sizes to suit many needs. This 10-inch ePoster provides our resellers and customers with an installation-ready visual display that is perfect for high-visibility, high-traffic locations.” The 10inch ePoster family boasts a media player, 4GB internal storage, integrated speakers that enable the playback of video clips, photos, and music from a USB hard drive or SD/SDHC memory card, and VESA-compliance for added wall mount flexibility. ViewSonic’s EP1031r offers 800x480 native resolutions, motion detection with six-button programmability, and Signage Manager Express content management software.
We were contacted by Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, with an interesting story. The college has recently installed the first two of up to 10 exterior interactive kiosks for wayfinding and campus news. The kiosks are weatherproof and fully interactive. The college created custom maps of its campus so that students and campus visitors could get walking directions from the kiosk location to whatever building they’re looking for. Once the route is displayed (by simply clicking on a building or other point-of-interest on the map), the user can scan a QR code to open the walking directions on their mobile device. Also, when a user touches a particular building, the screen will provide them with a list of the amenities and/or programs housed within that building, giving our students and guests a complete overview of each campus location if needed. Nifty! The kiosk uses a 55-inch Hyundai IT unit. It’s weatherproof (IP66 rated) and vandal resistant with tempered glass and a stainless steel body. The screen utilises capacitive touch technology. The pint-sized Intel NUC (Next Unit in Computing) drives the screen running the digital signage client software. The department has big plans and high hopes for the growing phalanx of kiosks. But for now it’s gratifying to see the hard work paying off with high traffic and positive user feedback.
ViewSonic: 1800 880 818 or www.viewsonic.com.au
Central Piedmont Community Colleg: www.cpcc.edu
The global digital signage market is estimated at $14.3 billion in 2013
LONG HAUL USB: Icron Technologies is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high performance USB and video extension solutions. Icron’s USB and video extension solutions are built on ExtremeUSB, a patented technology platform that extends USB 1.1, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 beyond five metres, and HD video to remote locations. Interactive digital signs using touchscreens often employ USB technology. When the host and display cannot be co-located within five metres, Icron’s ExtremeUSB extenders can bridge the distance gap.
NEWS:
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CHRISTIE VELVET LED TILES: Christie is expanding its line of highbrightness tiled displays with the introduction of the Christie Velvet line of built-to-order, high resolution indoor LED panels. Seamless to integrate and available in various pixel pitches, Christie’s LED tiles can display content in various indoor applications such as retail, casinos, museums, corporate lobbies and control room environments, where long-term reliability is required. Velvet LED displays can be mounted in a variety of orientations, including curved, suspended from ceilings and structures or connected to each other to create a seamless array.
Christie Digital Systems Australia: (07) 3844 9514 or www.christiedigital.com BARCO PANEL SHOW: Barco has introduced a new range of tiled, ultranarrow bezel LCD video walls. The fullHD 46-inch and 55-inch LCD panels have light outputs of 700 and 500 cd/ m² and a bezel size of 3.5mm. Barco is introducing its SenseX automatic colour and brightness calibration technology. The SenseX solution uses built-in sensors within each panel to accurately detect the brightness and colour performance of each screen in real-time. The new LCDs are Energy Star 6.0 compliant and consumes
SAMSUNG NOW SMARTER
TESCO EXTRA SPECIAL
Samsung’s second generation of its Smart Signage Platform promises even easier set up of stand alone digital signage. So we’re talking largely about single signs in small business, like a cafe/restaurant menuboard, retail advertising, wayfinding, message boards, or in public spaces, waiting rooms and queues. Samsung realises that often the owner of the signage won’t have access to a graphic designer or sophisticated software to build and schedule the content. Building content is as easy as plugging what you have into the display via its USB port into the on-board memory. From there, you can access the templates for easy content creation. You can add picture-in-picture functionality if you wish, what’s more you can set up alternative ‘channels’ of content (say, an a.m. channel and a p.m. channel) which can be scheduled or switched via a remote control. If you can operate a TV you can now have high quality signage that will look professional. If you outgrow your single display and wish to add further panels, then don’t panic, as the Samsung Smart signs are scalable. It’s easy to set up a network of displays with a web-based display and content controller called MagicInfo.
It’s somewhat ironic that the biggest retail chains — and we're talking about banks, hardware stores, supermarkets — have often traditionally occupied the role of pivotal community hub. In other words, the traditional local stores are now the biggest and most impersonal. Slowly, Big Retail is coming around to the notion that ‘thinking local’ is better for the corporation’s bottom line. Retail doesn’t come much bigger than UK-based supermarket giant, Tesco. And perhaps Coles and Woolies could learn something from Tesco here, as it endeavours to rediscover its local roots thanks to digital signage. Tesco is trialling a Tweet Wall at a brand new mega-supermarket in Lincoln. A business called I-Led Media has helped Tesco by installing a 3.7m wide by 2.3m high external video ‘tweet’ wall – featuring high-bright screens — outside the entrance to the Tesco Extra, in Lincoln, which will be used to display social media feeds to target local shoppers. Tesco is planning to incorporate relevant social media conversations on to the screen and use the technology to promote local news and updates. Oh, and doubtlessly the two-for-one offer on the loo roll value pack (and other specials and promotions) will be displayed. The I-Led Team specified five, 55-inch ultra-narrow bezel, high-brightness (1500nits) screens in portrait mode, which have the potential to display either one message or five separate ones.
Samsung: business.partner@samsung.com or samsung.com/au/business
I-Led Media: www.iledmedia.com
— InfoComm International MDDS report 2014 (infocomm.org)
less than 0.7mW in low power mode. The LCD displays have an embedded application processor. Barco: (03) 9646 5833 or www.barco.com 5 NEW SHORT THROWS: Hitachi has released five new ultra shortthrow projectors, the CPAX2503, CPAX3003, CPAX3503, CPAW2503 and CPAW3003. All five models use an internal mirror design, and provide a new and improved wall mount, a wireless network option, 3LCD, 16W internal speakers and content can be shared via iOS or Android apps. You get two HDMI
inputs and there is an optional Apple TV attachment bracket. Hitachi: (02) 9888 4100 or www.hitachi.com.au KRAMER HDMI AMP: Kramer Electronics has introduced the VM-4HN, a 1:4 HDMI distribution amplifier for HDMI signals. It relocks and equalises the signal, and distributes it to four identical outputs. The VM-4HN, with its maximum data rate of 10.2Gbps (3.4Gbps per graphic channel) distributes signals with resolutions up to Quad HD (38x40x2160), 24Hz refresh with 8-bit/10-bit/12-bit
colour, and 30Hz refresh with 8-bit colour. It also supports WUXGA (1920x1200) up to 12-bit colour, and 1080p at all colour bit depths. Kramer Electronics: (07) 3806 4290 or www.kramerelectronics.com MEDIADROID YOU’RE LOOKING FOR: The mediaDroid is a stateless player with everything stored internally on a 4GB DDR3 memory chip. The fact it has no hard drive allows for its diminutive stature (100mm high), making it suitable for mounting behind screens. The mediaDroid requires a single Ethernet port to the
local area network and a power source. Included is a free APK (Android Application) that will allow you to fully remote manage the mediaDroid from any other Android power device. This means that you can use an Android mobile phone or tablet to connect over the local wi-fi network and use the touchscreen on your device as a virtual mouse and keyboard. mediaDroid: www.digitalsignage.com
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WHO’S WHO:
YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE www.commandaustralia.com.au
3M AUSTRALIA 136 136 www.3M.com/touch AERIS SOLUTIONS - Just Digital Signage (03) 9544 6902 www.justdigitalsignage.com.au ADVANTECH AUSTRALIA (03) 9797 0100 www.advantech.com AMBER TECHNOLOGY (02) 9452 8600 www.ambertech.com.au
AMX Australia (07) 5531 3103 5 Commercial Drive Southport, Qld 4215 info@amxaustralia.com.au www.amxaustralia.com.au AMX is synonymous with networking and control systems. Not surprisingly AMX has entered the digital signage industry in its own right (after all, AMX supply a huge amount of gear for everyone else’s DOOH) and have on offer two products. Inspired Xpress is for smaller or simpler installations with a ‘tiny’ media player called the Is-Xpress-1000. The integrated software is comprehensive, yet straightforward and intuitive enough to cater to clients to get their screens up and running quickly with a minimum of servicing the message afterwards. Inspired Xpert is – as you might guess – a more serious DOOH product with better options like HD broadcasting that, among many other extras, takes advantage of those system command and control devices that AMX has in other corners of the warehouse to provide fully-blown large networks. Plus with Inspired XPert customers have access to custom content development and content management services from AMX.
Command is a specialist digital signage and wayfinding supplier, installer and technology partner. Command is the distributor of the successful Navori digital signage software, a multi-user, multi-site management and screen display software, now including the low cost Android hardware player. Navori is a technically advanced solution suitable for all types of installations from Small Business to Enterprise as either a self-hosted or SAAS system. As a technical partner, Command can provide full supply, project management and installation for the deployment of digital signage systems for corporate, government, hospital, education, small business, retail, stadium and specialist requirements. Command’s product range includes Wayfinding, GlassVu projection films, RoomManager software, kiosks, video extenders, LED displays, media players and a range of mini computers. With 11 years specialising in digital signage, Command’s experience is guaranteed to leave their customers satisfied and productive. In summary, Command is your one stop shop for digital signage solutions and interactive displays.
COMMUNITECH (07) 3205 6188 www.communitech.com.au
Daktronics Australia Pty Ltd LED display manufacturer Suite 108, Ground Floor, 18 Rodborough Rd Frenchs Forest, NSW 2087 (02) 9453 4600 Blair.robertson@daktronics.com www.daktronics.com Since 1968, Daktronics has been reinventing the way you display. We are the world’s industry leader in designing and manufacturing electronic scoreboards, programmable display systems and large screen video displays. It’s our passion to continuously provide the highest quality standard display products as well as custom-designed and integrated systems.
AVICO (02) 9624 7977 www.avico.com.au BAYVIEW TECHNOLOGIES (03) 9462 4077 www.bayviewtech.com.au CISCO SYSTEMS (02) 8446 5000 www.cisco.com/go/dms
COMMAND DIGITAL SIGNAGE Unit 2, 30 Park Road Mulgrave, NSW, 2756 Level 2, 22 Township Drive Burleigh Heads, QLD, 4213 1300 780 204 sales@commandaustralia.com.au
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DAT MEDIA (07) 5575 7798 Ground Floor, 183 Varsity Parade Varsity Lakes Qld 4227 sales@datmedia.com.au www.datmedia.com.au DAT Media was established in 2003 to manage BIG W’s national in-store radio network. With over 15 years experience within the in-store media industry, Managing Director Andrew Becker was quick to notice the emergence of digital signage advertising within the retail sector. He began focusing on creating a visual media solution for current and future clients to harness the power of what was still back then a developing media. The strategy resulted in DAT Media creating a complete digital media network for BIG W that now includes in-store radio, digital signage, register Point Of Sale (POS) and a customer queuing solution that reduces the frustration of being caught in a long – or even wrong – queue. DAT Media expanded
rapidly as they claimed some serious scalps for clients – among them Coles, Target and ABC Shops. DAT Media offer a comprehensive Content Management System and can assist new clients in broadcasting material across existing networks such as those mentioned above or will help you create a complete digital signage network from the ground up. They also have a Creative Services department that can take the hassle out of putting everything together.
DYNAMIC VISUAL SOLUTIONS (02) 9431 6070 www.dynamicvisualsystems.com.au
ENGAGIS 144-148 Pacific Highway North Sydney, NSW 2060 1300 203 810 www.engagis.com Engagis creates connections for over 30 blue chip clients across ten industries, including retail, hospitality, telco, finance, auto and real estate. Specialising in digital touch points along the pathway to purchase, including digital signage, self-order kiosks, mobile apps, mobile loyalty and enterprise solutions, Engagis manages over 19,000 connected devices in more than 4,000 locations. Engagis is the in-store digital media provider for the likes of Telstra, Bupa, Target, Flight Centre, Noodle Box and Country Road, to name a few.
ESCENTIA 1300 729 866 www.escientia.com.au
FINGERMARK DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY 15 Halsey Street, Freemans Bay Auckland, New Zealand +64 (09) 358 4047 sales@fingermark.co.nz www.fingermark.co.nz A specialist provider of indoor and outdoor digital signage and kiosks solutions, Fingermark proudly offers its customers a complete turnkey solution, providing specialist advice, all hardware and software, content creation and distribution and nationwide service and support across Australasia. Adding to this, we have full software capability in-house which delivers a seamless approach. We design and develop our own customised solutions and have built a reputation for being leading edge thinkers, understanding the complexities around implementing digital technologies within challenging environments, especially in the outdoor market. Our service orientated model allows us to tailor our solutions to more accurately meet the specific needs of our customers. Enquire today. Innovate tomorrow.
FUJITSU DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS (03) 9924 3468 www.fujitsu.com.au
and Medialon MIP HD Interactive Media Player. There is also the Medialon Scheduler application, which allows control of multiple venues and screens from a central server. Given Interactive Controls’ wide experience in installing innovative display systems it can help you choose the best way to deliver your vision and with Medialon’s strong history in show control systems, IC will no doubt have a neat trick or two to suggestfor impressing your audience.
GENCOM (AUSTRALIA) (02) 9888 8208 www.gencom.com
HERMA TECHNOLOGIES (03) 9480 6233 www.herma.com.au
ISIGNPAK (02) 9457 6945 www.isignpak.com
KVM AUSTRALIA (08) 9411 6333 www.kvm.com.au
LED-SIGNS 1300 553 555 www.led-signs.com.su
HEWLETT-PACKARD 1300 305 017 www.hp.com.au
INTERACTIVITY 1300 797 199 Level 1, 1268 - 1270 High Street Armadale, VIC, 3143 sales@interactivity.com.au www.interactivity.com.au
IMAGE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (IDT) 1300 666 099 Unit 2, 33-35 Alleyne Street, Chatswood Nsw 2057 Sales@idt.com.au www.idt.com.au Image Design Technology (IDT) is based in Chatswood, NSW and operates primarily as a wholesale supplier of signal distribution equipment and commercial video displays including, of course, digital signage devices. Among a long list of products IDT is the distributor of Brightsign solid state digital signage devices and Magenta signal distribution solutions. Displays include NEC and Samsung screens. IDT doesn’t have any one particular digital signage service or software application to which they align themselves to – it doesn’t have its ‘own’ complete digital signage solution aside from the Brightsign products – instead, IDT’s specialty is in providing from its catalogue of preferred manufacturers of display and monitor screens, media players, streaming video over IP, matrix and signal distribution boxes – you name it, to get the job done. Have a look at the credits for any major project undertaken in Australia during the last few years and you’ll probably find IDT has been involved somewhere along the line.
INNOVATEQ (03) 9465 5055 www.innovateq.com.au INSTOREVISION 0412 960182 www.instorevision.com.au/digital-signage/
interactive controls
pty ltd
INTERACTIVE CONTROLS (02) 9436 3022 www.interactivecontrols.com.au Interactive Controls (IC) offers a variety of services to customers from consultation to sales, hire and installation of display and control system equipment and software. They also design and develop media and hardware control systems for specific events, installations, film and commercial shoots, exhibitions, museums... okay, you get the picture. Medialon and Dataton hardware and software products get the nod from Interactive Controls and for digital signage in particular IC offers the Medialon show and media control software and embedded controllers along with Dataton Watchout
In 2004 Interactivity was set up as a result of a partnership between F1 Software to develop the Interactivity foil which enables any window to become fully interactive ‘through the glass’ by allowing anyone, using their finger, to interact with a rear projected image or screen behind the glass. Interactivity is now embedded in this emerging popular industry of Interactive and Digital Signage and associated products. Its products and services are known for reliability, functionality and most importantly our ability to future proof the technology we deliver.
JEA Technologies Pty Ltd (03) 9757 5060 44-48 Rocco Drive Scoresby, Vic 3179 sales@jeatech.com.au www.jeatech.com.au JEA Technologies has partnered with leading manufacturers of electronic peripherals and display products from around the globe and supplies these products to customers in Australia and New Zealand. Our customers can rely on JEA to work with them to carefully select and supply the most appropriate products for their needs, ensuring that these products meet our customer’s technical and commercial requirements, and to support these products over their life span. JEA’s Display products include Very High Brightness LCD’s, in sizes up to 72in and 5000cd/m² ( nits), Stretched LCD’s, Multi-Touch Tables and Multi-Touch application software, Touch screen sensors and touch screen monitors, with particular emphasis on Projected Capacitive Touch technologies, Panel PC’s, Digital Signage PC’s and Industrial Grade Wireless modems. JEA customers are mainly systems integrators and re-sellers. JEA supplies these customers with high levels of technical support, pre-and post-sales, as well as warranty and non-warranty support and service from our Melbourne offices and workshop. JEA also stocks in depth allowing customers to source products at short notice.
LG ELECTRONICS (02) 8805 4409 www.lg.com.au
MADISON TECHNOLOGIES Specialist AV Division 1800 00 77 80 Australia wide avexperts@madisontech.com.au www.madisonthech.com.au Madison is a manufacturer and distributor of technology infrastructure and hardware across cabling, networking, wireless, audio visual, and test and measurement disciplines. Australian owned and operated for over 20 years, Madison has been keeping Australian homes and business well connected. Which is appropriate, because our brand promise is Well Connected™. The principle behind our brand promise is that by working with Madison, either as a valued supplier or customer, you are well connected. It’s how we connect to our market, and it’s how we help you connect to your world. Madison Technologies’ Broadcast and Audio Visual solutions include AV Cable and Cabling Assemblies, Connectors and Adaptors, Digital Signage, Microphone Systems, Switching and Conversion, USB Extension, Video and Audio Distribution. Did you know? Madison is the largest Australian Distributor of Belden Audio Visual products, with stock held in four warehouses across the country, and dedicated specialist staff in each state.
MDS PACIFIC (02) 9888 7715 www.mdspacific.com
MOOD MEDIA AUSTRALIA 1800 808 368 www.moodmedia.com.au
NEC AUSTRALIA 131 632 Level 14, 141 Walker Street North Sydney, NSW 2060 displays@nec.com.au Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
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WHO’S WHO:
YOUR GO-TO GUIDE FOR DIGITAL SIGNAGE
www.nec.com.au NEC Live is NEC’s leading digital signage solution that lets you distribute dynamic video, images, text and more to display screens anywhere, anytime. With NEC Live you are empowered to dynamically display digital content across your network on NEC Commercial LCD panels based upon the individual schedules for each panel. The NEC Live user interface is easy to use, yet with the power and flexibility that is only limited by your imagination to achieve your communication objectives with your target audience. The NEC Live solution includes a range of commercial grade LCD panels offering full high definition performance and many supporting technologies to address the most demanding digital signage applications. Whether it be reliability over an operating cycle of 24 hours x 7 days, or an ultra narrow bezel for a video wall or ensuring that content is visible when an LCD panel is in an location heavy with sunlight, NEC has the LCD commercial panel to ensure you maximise your communications to your target audience.
version including an outdoor type with features to withstand the elements and a specialised uVending model for installing in the front of vending machines. MagicInfo is Samsung’s proprietary software for content control and creations. Samsung’s PROM system is already taking DOOH solutions along the fast-developing path of providing audience statistics to tailor the signage content. A wide dynamic range (WDR) camera embedded discreetly somewhere in the installation captures and recognises faces to determine who is actually watching the screen. PROM can either just collate the information for market analysis or actively change the display according to who is viewing it. It’s both clever and almost scary ‘big brother’ stuff. We’re assured these systems are completely anonymous. Still, maybe keep one hand on your wallet.
Seifert Systems (03) 9801 1906 www.seifertsystems.com.au
OAMM 02 9939 3264 www.oamm.com.au
PANASONIC AUSTRALIA (02) 9491 7400 www.panasonic.com.au
PLAYCOM (02) 8815 6600 www.playcom.com.au
Production Audio Video Technology (03) 9264 8000 www.pavt.com.au
QUINTO COMMUNICATIONS (02) 9894 4244 www.quinto.com.au
SALIENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (02) 93135111 www.salient.com.au
SONY AUSTRALIA 1800 017 669 33-39 Talavera Road North Ryde NSW 2113 sales@sony.com.au Sony Professional Solutions meet an increasing demand from customers to provide a fully integrated solution. Sony understands your requirements and high standards. With an eye for the finest detail, we can deliver the latest digital technologies, professional consulting and a wealth of valuable experience. It’s this complete product and market understanding that has made the Sony brand a trusted and recognised force in today’s competitive environment. Sony’s range of solutions and technologies allow organisations to meet the challenges of both today and into the future. We help businesses leverage the latest digital technologies to solve problems, take advantage of opportunities and enhance enterprise workflow by improving efficiencies and productivity across a wide variety of market areas. Each solution follows a consistent workflow from conception to completion.
THE SCREENMEDIA GROUP (02) 8090 6565 www.thescreenmediagroup.com SHARP AUSTRALIA 1300 13 55 30 www.sharp.net.au
SAMSUNG 1300 362603 8 Parkview Drive Homebush, NSW 2127 sales@samsung.com www.samsung.com Samsung’s digital signage is centred on its Large Format Display (LFD) range, a screen with chameleon characteristics in its role as the basis for all Samsung’s DOOH products. There is a straightforward model that can be used either stand-alone in portrait or landscape mode or as a part of a limited multi-screen display. A slightly different UD model can be linked with up to 250 units for a wall of vision. There is a Touchscreen
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Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
SONY AUSTRALIA 1800 017669 www.sony.com.au STREAMING MEDIA (02) 9460 0877 www.streamingmedia.net.au
STREAMVISION PTY LTD 1300 300 407 www.streamvision.com.au
SUMO VISUAL GROUP (03) 8290 0500 sales@sumovisualgroup.com.au www.sumovisualgroup.com.au
TECHMEDIA DIGITAL SYSTEMS (SCALA) (02) 9526 7880 Unit 7 / 65 Captain Cook Drive Taren Point NSW 2229 info@techmedia.com.au www.connectedsignage.com.au TechMedia is one of Australia’s premier digital visual communications companies. TechMedia’s expertise is centered around the digital platforms, content and services driving the growth in Connected Signage and DOOH. With over 17 years of experience with Scalabased network deployment and management as well as customised hardware and data integration development, there is an abundance of local knowledge to tap into. Scala boasts an impressive list of clientele and is responsible for over 200,000 screens worldwide. Scala’s experience shows in its product; the comprehensive content creation and distribution software goes one step further with Scala Ad Manager, an accounting add-on that handles the financial side of your DOOH business such as generating invoices. In the hardware department, Scala has its own Scala Player for linking with the Content Manager software. From there Techmedia will source display screens and networks best suited to the job.
TECHTEL (02) 9906 1488 www.techtel.tv
TELSTRA 1300 835 782 www.telstraenterprise.com
VISION2WATCH (02) 9502 4800 www.vision2watch.com.au
WILSON & GILKES (02) 9914 0900 www.gilkon.com.au
Visual technologies (03) 8692 6644 www.visualtechnologies.com.au
VIZI NEW MEDIA (02) 9357 3999 www.vizinewmedia.com.au
Should your business be included in our Who’s Who section? Listing is free. Contact Chris Holder at: chris@dsmag.com.au
Tablet • Desktop • Mobile
80,000 + Likes & Rising!
videoandfilmmaker.com
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DIGITAL SIGNAGE PRECISION COOLING
Seifert Systems Pty Ltd A
105 Lewis Rd Wantirna South, Vic 3152
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info@seifertsystems.com.au
T F
+61 3 9801 1906 +61 3 9887 0845
Seifert Systems – precision air conditioning for Digital Signage Enclosures. Designed to keep your screen cool and operating at optimum performance. Seifert air conditioning incorporates filterless technology. No need to change filter mats means less maintenance, and less down time. Cooling capacities range from 200watt to 2600watt. Seifert also offer heat exchangers, heaters and fan systems – complete thermal solutions.
www.seifertsystems.com.au
Comment:
Down on the Pharm
Story: Mug Punter
D
igital signage, it seems, knows no boundaries – but maybe it should. The local chemist, for example, you might agree is somewhere that modern display technology is taking things too far. It’s kind of in the ‘too much information’ category. Things have never been perfect. It would be great for blokes if your pharmacist was also your best mate. Then you wouldn’t have any embarrassing moments explaining the strange rash in your groin or the alarming spots appearing where there should never be spots. You could even take him to the pub for a pint, have a laugh about the unfortunate conditions and get him to scribble out a quick prescription on the back of a beer mat.
But no, the world is a cruel place especially when it comes to rashes and spots, and invariably when you visit the chemist, you can find yourself trying to explain the delicate issue to some kindly woman who struggles to keep a straight face about your apparent, appalling hygiene or, even worse, some cute and attractive girl who by coincidence knows your girlfriend and is an indiscriminate, serial social media user. You could, of course, go to the doctor first and get a discreet slip of paper to hand over the pharmacist’s counter instead, but that involves... well, going to the doctor. Since civilised time began, aside from the witchcraft trials of the 1600s, nipping down the corner shop for a secret, healing potion has been the safest and easiest way out. A pharmacist normally doesn’t ask you awkward questions about your eating, smoking and drinking habits. Bloody doctors can’t stop themselves.
The trouble is that explaining any medical malfunctions to the staff at the chemist isn’t a quiet, confidential chat anymore. The whole town is there buying stuff, too. It’s like having to loudly tell the supermarket check-out girl you’ve caught the pox. In the good old days a pharmacist was this elderly, gentle sort of chap who wore pince-nez spectacles and a white lab coat, and everything discussed was whispered out of earshot of any other customers. The chemist’s was a place for serious pills and tonics, plus any kinds of unmentionable personal health products that were frankly just too gross to stock anywhere else – the sorts of things that most people don’t even know exist until hair starts growing out of their ears. It’s a niche market and bread-and-butter for pharmacists. Then something happened (let’s blame the government) and suddenly those aforementioned unmentionables were being sold by the big supermarket chains. The pharmacies retaliated by 34
Digital Place-Based Media & Technology
It’s like having to loudly tell the supermarket check-out girl you’ve caught the pox aggressively selling the more mundane hygiene products and diversifying into other markets (potpourri mostly). Before you knew it, the friendly local chemist turned into this weird kind of hybrid gift shop with a prescription drug service jammed into the corner. They opened for 24 hours and had drive-through service. In the 1990s some pharmacies even stooped to selling Bryce Courtenay novels – pure desperation. Nowadays a pharmacy is a ‘warehouse’ with two-dollar bargain bins on one side and 200 litre barrels of fish oil tablets on the other. And digital signage.
The advent of digital signage and touchscreens into chemists to help us figure out what to buy was always going to happen, but do we want those embarrassing conversations about your rash and spots displayed to the world by a 42-inch, highdefinition touchscreen GUI? That can’t be good. Multiple choice questions, generated by your initial menu selections, such as “what colour is your rash?” and “where are the festering ulcers mostly located?” are hardly something you want to determine in public. Uploading sample photographs from your smartphone could be a disaster. Once you’ve purchased what you actually need, the inevitable marketing and add-ons could see your reputation ruined. Do you need toothpaste? “No” (you don’t brush your teeth enough). Would you like some mouthwash? “No” (you’re joking, you don’t use mouthwash?). Condoms are on special, would you like a pack of 12? “Yes” (regardless, because no
one wants to create the impression their sex life is dead in the water and you didn’t think ticking the ‘Neutered’ box in the beginning was important).
Without face-to-face customer interaction, the in-store commercials will be enough to make your blood curdle (for which, of course, a cure will be available). There’s no free-to-air television code of conduct to worry about. Friendly and familiar faces, smiling with neon teeth, warn you that not being ‘regular’ is a death sentence, your gums are secretly rotting beyond the reach of the humble toothbrush and a lack of proper circulation can result in baldness, blindness... in fact, any disease ending in ‘ness’, of which there are plenty. Game of Thrones features less unsafe sex and imminent death than your standard, in-house pharmacy infomercial. For once, the good old days do look good. Lurking outside the chemist until it’s empty, then sneaking in to hastily mumble about unhealthy body bits and pleading for a magic elixir. No GUIs, facial recognition software or data capture. Anyway, who wants to touch a touchscreen in a shop full of sick people?
Mug Punter’s curmudgeonly carping does not necessarily reflect the views of DigitalSignage. If you have a differing view contact the editor Chris holder on chris@dsmag.com.au
Visit us at Booth B6
IDT has the SMART Samsung solution for you
The new 2014 Samsung Solution Displays Line-up are now in stock at IDT A simplified “Easy Set Up” Solution for stand alone¹ Digital Signage USB and SD Card Auto Play² of content or play content from on-board memory (external memory devices not included) Schedule content using display remote control Picture In Picture function for splitting screen Multi-Channel Content Play– changing content can be as easy as changing the channel On-board design templates for easy content creation 2nd generation Samsung SMART Signage (SSSP) included with DBD, DMD, DHD & UED ranges Images for illustration purposes only 1 Scalable solution at added cost. Able to set up network of displays with web based display and content control. MagicInfo® S2 server client access software licence is required for networked applications, one licence required for each display (sold separately). Internet connection may be required. Data and subscription charges may apply. Usage may be subject to third party service provider agreements. Network and wireless infrastructure not included. 2 Play content directly from compatible USB or SD card devices (not included)
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