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PICTURE PERFECT Photo booths are almost unrecognisable in 2019. InterGame’s Dan Snook finds out why
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APPLE INDUSTRIES’ SCOTT AVERY AND F R A N C O I S D E F R E I TA S WITH THE MARVEL ADVENTURE LAB UPSIDE: DUPLO FROM D I G I TA L C E N T R E
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onsumers are moving away from just a product - it now needs to have bells and whistles. Just like the rest of the industry, those who manufacture photo booths have practically reinvented themselves to appeal to the masses that yearn for experience and immersion. “Having worked in this industry for the last 25 years, I can say that the most important change has been not necessarily what you see when you sit or stand in a photo booth, but the changes that have revolutionised the back office,” said Apple Industries’ senior director of marketing, Francois De Freitas. “Apple Industries manufactures and sells hundreds of photo booths, but every single one that we sell and install is connected to the internet. “From the head office, we have the capability to update the software remotely. Not just our own operating software but the content as well, so if we want to run a campaign for Valentine’s Day or Christmas, for example, we can update new backgrounds, interfaces and themes.” The Ceo of Spanish manufacturer Digital Centre, Josep Tarres, was also in complete agreement on the technology front. “The biggest advance for our photo booths has been the video wall Leds that have significantly increased the user experience and the revenue for operators. “Dc products are the photo booths of the future; long gone are the square boxes with hardly any lighting and always with the same boring aesthetics. Our photo booths have futuristic shapes with huge, changing external screens that never bore the user, a feature that has worked very well for the most modern locations, where the design of our machines fits perfectly. The huge, curved Led screens, 16ft in some cases, are spectacular and are able to capture the attention of people some distance away.” Like many contemporary products, social media plays a big part. Neglecting to add options to share, comment and like is almost commercial suicide in 2019, and Dc’s
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booths take full advantage. “We have integrated our Total Share platform into our software that allows users to share their fun photos with exclusive designs through more than eight digital platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” said Tarres. Apple leverages social media too, using it to show off the options it provides for end users. “We can create fun scenes with celebrities or characters,” added De Freitas. “Our recent Marvel Adventure Lab has received huge attention, but we’ve actually been doing this for a long time with licences from Universal, Warner Bros and Sony pictures. It’s exciting for the customer and adds to the experience. The social media integration not only allows users to share but it benefits the operator too, as it tags where the image was taken. It drives footfall to locations.” In an age where everyone has the ability to add filters to photos on devices in their pockets, what is it that persuades them to get out and spend money in locations? “Our products are really mainly used as impulse purchases,” said De Freitas. “We don’t offer Id photos, so we’re not competing with pharmacies for passport photos. We’re all about fun. The booths are located in theme parks, Fecs, bars and restaurants, and they’re there to capture your moment. “It’s not just a picture-taker: it’s an experience.” Similarly, Dc’s Ceo says that, although consumer technology is more accessible than ever, photo booths provide an experience that cameras in mobile phones cannot supply. “Apart from the physical memento, as it is often a funny photo from a unique moment, Dc photo booths offer the user the opportunity to have an unforgettable time. “Additionally, the huge, external video walls, such as in the Duplo model, show the user’s photos, making them visible at a great distance. This cannot be achieved on
their own phone.” Equally as important, alongside the new features that modern technology allows a photo booth to offer, is the “feel” that they’ve always had. De Freitas explained that they bring together a “mix of emotions, nostalgia, and a little vanity,” that operators can use to their advantage. “We can wrap our photo booths and customise them to fit into specific locations so they’re there as an extension of a visitor’s day out or evening with friends. It’s designed to make it be naturally part of your visit to somewhere. It’s not just a plain photostrip. If you go to Madame Tussauds, for example, that brand and theming is part of the image. Along with the emotions, it is a souvenir of their experience.” Tarres conceded that, although digital files have the immediacy that physical photos cannot compete with, ultimately, the charm of printed, paper photos has much more longevity. “They last over time and we see them every time we go to the fridge or on the table or next to our computer, reminding us of an unforgettable day. There’s no parallel with the digital photos that are stored virtually in devices alongside hundreds of others we probably won’t look at again for years.” Along with roll outs of the Marvel Adventure Lab, Print Buddy and the smallerfootprint Photo Studio Prism, content and updates will be De Freitas and Apple Industries’ main focus for 2019. Given that it has such a portfolio of strong machines, it’s going to have its work cut out but De Freitas is confident his team can handle the interest that is sure to follow. Tarres and Digital Centre also have a busy upcoming year, with three new projects soon to be unveiled. The sector is moving at quite the pace. A certain Ferris Bueller said it best in 1986: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Make sure you get a photo of it, too.
L’ORA DEL GIOCO
By Dan Snook
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