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Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

March/April 2011

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Powerof Being Social THE

Why Digital Signage and Social Media are Perfect for Each Other

THE SECRET SAUCE: Digital Signage & Knowing the Right Mix p18

PRODUCING CONTENT TO DELIVER Engagement, Recall and Results p35

DRIVERS, START YOUR ENGINES … NASCAR Hall of Fame Fan Billboard and DLP® Projectors Drive Fan Experience p8

Digital Signage Products & Solutions

•

Signage Essentials

•

Industry News

Publisher’s Perspective

Getting Socialized So much talk today is about social media and what the potential benefits are to businesses and brands alike. We are just now beginning to see true integration of social networks into corporate and local marketing campaigns. However, we are still a long way from knowing the end result or true potential of its power. We do know - by not accepting and adapting to this new marketing medium, businesses will be left behind or miss out on potential wins in their line of business. In this issue of Signage Solutions, David Weinfeld talks about the integration of social networks into digital signage and what the potentials are for this growing and ever evolving industry. David takes a look at a number of social networks and how they play a major role in this new era of marketing. Just last month I logged into my own LinkedIn account and asked a question in a few digital signage group forums, which I subscribe to. I asked fellow group members what they felt was the biggest hurdle in the growth of the digital signage industry. I was surprised to see how many members took time to express their opinions on the subject. The overall theme of the answers was that end-users across the globe had a lack of education about the benefits and solutions available with digital signage. They also felt it was not that end users did not want education, but lack a solid and consistent resource available for professionals to learn about technology and solutions available to them. These answers were great to hear for two reasons. The first was that it validates what we are doing with Signage Solutions; bringing you content on a regular basis to help educate you on what is new in the market and how the product and solutions are being applied to everyday business. Second, I was excited that it validated the social network and its purpose - giving everyone a voice and a platform. This simple tool gave over 60 different people an opportunity to give their opinion, be heard by their peers, and get feedback. The comments I received were from the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Norway, Italy, Spain, Australia, Colombia and others. Wow, that’s an impressive international voice, and it wouldn’t have been heard without a social network. It also shows that people want to be heard. Companies are finally figuring this out and using it to their advantage by integrating the social networks into their digital signage that everyone can see. We are only now beginning to see the potential that this technology will bring to our industry - and I am pretty excited to see what innovations and ideas come down the pipe over the next two to three years because of it. In the mean time, you will have to enjoy what we have now in the market or maybe you’ll be the person that starts writing new software we can enjoy down the road. Whatever the case, please enjoy this issue; it has some entertaining and very useful content. Until next issue -

Ben Skidmore Publisher

E-mail me at ben@signagesolutionsmag.com Find us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SignageSolMag

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

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March/April 2011 • Volume Two • Issue Two Publisher/Editorial Director Ben Skidmore (972) 587-9064 ben@signagesolutionsmag.com Circulation Stephanie Kennedy (972) 782-2490 stephanie@partnerspr.com Accounting (972) 782-2490 info@partnerspr.com Advertising Ben Skidmore — East Coast (972) 587-9064 ben@signagesolutionsmag.com Stuart Freeman — West Coast (972) 782-2584 stuart@signagesolutionsmag.com Web Site/Webmaster Colby Nate (888) 284-8334 cnate@visualagility.com Design/Production OFFTHELEASHDesign

Cynthia Pater (469) 222-9168 otldesign@gmail.com Home Ofﬁce

306 South Tennessee St., McKinney, TX 75069 (972) 782-2490 phone • (972) 692-8138 fax

Signage Solutions Magazine (ISSN 2159-0060) is published bi-monthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec) by Partners Publishing, 306 South Tennessee Street, McKinney, TX 75069. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices Pending at McKinney TX 75070 and at additional mailing offices. Basic subscriptions rates: one year (6 issues) free to qualified subscribers. Others may subscribe at a cost of $60 for 6 issues. Individuals copies sold for $15, per issue. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Signage Solutions Magazine c/o Partners Publishing, 306 South Tennessee Street, McKinney, TX 75069

Author’s Guidelines: Signage Solutions will consider manuscripts that are not offered to other publications. Preferred length is 700 words (case studies) or 1200 -1,500 words (Features). Please submit manuscripts to Editorial Director at the mailing address above or send via email to: editor@signagesolutionsmag.com

March/April 2011

Signage Solutions

magazine

Contents

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

Technology @ Work

A brief look at company/industry news within the digital signage industry.

Vertical Views

Public Spaces Drivers, Start Your Engines…NASCAR Hall of Fame Fan

Billboard and DLP® projectors drive NASCAR fan experience

Digital Dialogue

Signage Solutions talks with Lyle Bunn, digital signage and digital out-of-home (DOOH) media consultant, about the current growth hurdles within the digital signage industry and about what makes an effective digital signage network.

Signage Solutions & Products

Digital signage products and solutions, along with the technology which runs them, make the industry what it is today. Every issue of Signage Solutions magazine features new products and solutions.

Quick Service Restaurants McCarran Wendy’s Cuts through Airport Clutter with Digital Menu Boards By Robert Lopez

Signage Essentials

Integrating Hardware, Software, and Content into the Optimal Digital Signage Solution By Joseph Agostini

March/April 2011

By The Way

“…the death of our industry”. The

trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be. By Adrian Weidmann

20 features COVER Story The Power of Being Social Why Digital Signage and Social

Media are Perfect for Each Other By David Weinfeld

The Secret Sauce

With the right ingredients, executing a digital signage strategy is easy. The hard part is knowing the right mix. Only trial and error will tell you. By Paul Flanigan

Content with Context

The digital signage industry has caught up with the rest of marketing, especially when we get into behavioral marketing. By Don Pierson

It’s the Message Not the Means: What’s Next for Digital Signage Digital signage is

emerging as the way to reach the maximum number of people, more often, and in an impactful, compelling way By Tom Racca

www.signagesolutionsmag.com

Producing Content to Deliver Engagement, Recall & Results Advertisers are

embracing the opportunity to engage customers while they are at, or on the way to, a point of purchase. By Philip M. Cohen

Updates

Industry&News

Technology @ Work

www.signagesolutionsmag.com

Metro Toronto Commuter System Revitalizes with Leading Digital Display Solutions. NORWALK, CT – Trans-Lux Corporation, a recognized leader in digital signage solutions, has recently provided eight Trans-Lux’s Hi-Brite Amber™ NEMA-IV GraphixWalls™ for GO Transit at Union Station in Toronto, Canada, the amber-colored display units post train departure information at the bus and track level locations and are in addition to the over 100 GraphixWalls that Trans-Lux has already installed for GO Transit at Union Station. “Display installations for GO Transit have been growing at a steady pace and represent their commitment to providing expanded services to their customers,” said J.M. Allain, President & CEO of Trans-Lux Corporation. “We are very pleased that GO Transit continues their partnership with us to meet these critical objectives.” GraphixWall is a full matrix tricolor or monochrome electronic LED display that combines the functionality of several different Trans-Lux displays into a single adaptable product. The unit comes complete with an application interface (API) that allows the

GO Transit software integrator to develop a custom application for communication with the display through TCP/IP or serial connection. For added versatility, GraphixWall may be addressed with off-the-shelf software or through Trans-Lux for software with more advanced features. www.trans-lux.com

Insteo Launches Facebook Inte gration Available for Digital Signage LONG BEACH, CA – Insteo, a leading digital signage content provider, has launched enhanced integration with Facebook. Insteo Display users now have a direct connection between their point-of-sale digital signage and Facebook; when they post a special or promotion on their Facebook page, their digital signs update as well. With this latest addition of Facebook, Insteo offers an advanced collection of Social Networking content available on digital signage. Insteo Display connects Flickr, Foursquare, Twitter and more, with everything running through Insteo’s patented message filtering technology to ensure safe live-messaging in public places. “Retail locations are already using

Technology @ Work Facebook to communicate outside of the store. Now, when they post to Facebook, the message immediately appears on their digital signage screen at their location, providing a way to communicate with even more customers”, said Jim Nista, founder and CEO of Insteo.

PRN said its HDTV Network now delivers more than 70 million commercial viewers monthly across more than 3,255 leading retail locations — reflecting an increase over the size of the viewership audience released in Nielsen’s latest “Fourth Screen Audience Report.”

www.prn.com

Digital signage menu boards give an edge to food outlets Insteo Display users can now use their company Facebook Page as a content management system for their in-store marketing as well. The connection between Facebook and Insteo Display also extends to Facebook Places, which allows customers to “check in” to a venue directly through their Facebook account. Facebook Places and Deals work in conjunction with Insteo Display to enhance customer loyalty and simplify point-of-sale reward programs and tracking.

www.insteodisplay.com

PRN to Provide Programming for BJ’s In-Club Television Department SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Premier Retail Networks Inc. (PRN), a global provider of digital place-based media services and BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc., a warehouse chain in the eastern United States, announced that BJ’s has selected PRN to provide high-quality, 1080p video programming for its in-club television department. Under the multi-year agreement, PRN will provide strategic content and creative services, such as best-in-class HD 1080p programming, custom production services and a custom branding package. BJ’s members will be able to view high-quality television programming and will receive HD education at the point of purchase to better inform their television buying decisions. PRN also will provide BJ’s with national and regional advertising sales representation and support with advertisers and agencies across the country. With the addition of BJ’s’ 189 locations,

BIRMINGHAM, UK – Backlit menu boards traditionally used by most independent takeaway and fast food chains are being overshadowed by a new alluring means of displaying menus. Digital signage is now acknowledged as one of the most cost effective and stylish methods of displaying menus in food outlets all over the world. Digital displays, which are available in small and large sizes, offer numerous advantages over traditional static signage. Even when displaying static slides, digital displays attract more attention than traditional signage. This is combined with the facility to automatically show

different menu slides at different times, on one screen, saving space and printing costs. Digital signage also has the capability to display movement on menu boards in the form of video files, which are significantly more enticing than static images for customers. Digital menu boards are being implemented by a wide range of food outlets, from Burger King to Auntie Anne’s. Auntie Anne’s is a growing pretzel store franchise that are currently outfitting all they’re UK stores with 40" digital advertising displays to upgrade from they’re current backlit menu board systems. So far they have found the digital signage solution to be extremely beneficial both in terms of usage and return. Not only have they seen improved sales and overall aesthetics of the locations, they

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

March/April 2011

Technology @ Work have also been impressed with some of the features the digital displays provide. James MacIsaac, Operations Manager conveyed his delight with the scheduling software, included by AllSee Technologies, which allowed him to choose what he wanted to be displayed at what time of day, and for how long. The standalone units also have a plug and play function, this was requested so as the files can be easily loaded by staff.

With the attention of the waiting customers fixed solely on the digital displays, he was able to manage what they were viewing, thus achieve his desired marketing impact. With the advantages offered by digital signage to food outlets and the ever decreasing costs of LCD displays it is no surprise that more fast food chains, and independent retailers, are converting from backlit to digital menu boards. AllSee Technologies Limited is a leading

manufacturer and supplier of LCD multimedia advertising digital signage solutions.

www.allsee-tech.com

Alcatel-Lucent makes Navori key component in large-scale digital signage deployment plans Alcatel-Lucent has selected Navori’s new QL software as a component of its Enterprise Multimedia Suite (EMS) in order to expand deployments of large-scale Digital Signage projects in the United States. EMS is a versatile and cost-effective digital media solution, which makes it an ideal candidate to manage all types of enterprise digital media content distribution deployments, such as Digital Signage, Corporate TV, Hospitality TV, Corporate Video Portal and Tele-Assistance. “Navori needed a vendor that knows how to design a complex multimedia solution. We are working with Alcatel-Lucent, as they have a broad range of expertise and experience and have developed proven methodologies to deliver world-class multimedia services,” says Jerome Moeri, Navori’s CEO.

Rangers Ballpark Upgrades with Daktronics Video Displays and Digital Media Network BROOKINGS, SD – Daktronics Inc. announced that the company has been chosen to provide a high-definition upgrade for the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The project, subject to final contract execution, will incorporate large-screen light emitting diode (LED) displays, professional grade LCD screens and a powerful control system to deliver highdefinition digital content throughout the venue. “Our fans will be treated to a new entertainment experience with these video, technology and audio upgrades,” said Rangers Managing Partner and CEO Chuck Greenberg. The Home Run Porch, behind right field, will feature a new video display measuring approximately 42 feet high by 120 feet wide. A new video display also will replace the existing monochrome “Coke” display in centerfield and will measure approximately 25 feet high by 28 feet wide. Both the Home Run Porch and Coke displays will utilize Daktronics’ newest 15 millimeter LED technology, featuring enhanced resolution and improved image quality. This technology and its control system allow for complete flexibility in programming, the company said. The video boards can operate as single large displays or be divided into multiple zones (windows) to show a wide variety of statistics, information, graphics, animation, and live and recorded video. The new Daktronics LED video displays, and the existing ribbon and field-level displays that were installed in 2009, will be combined with more than 800 Sony professional-grade LCD monitors to create a venue-wide digital media network. The Daktronics system will be an Internet protocol television (IPTV) solution that delivers different live content on 10 high-definition channels to any display in the venue. The Rangers will take advantage of Daktronics industry-leading data integration capabilities to instantly present up-to-the-minute scores, statistics, news and information on any IPTV channel. www.daktronics.com

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Alcatel-Lucent Multimedia Integration business is the market leader in the design, integration and deployment of IPTV networks and applications. With broad expertise and extensive investments, Alcatel-Lucent has developed proven methodologies to deliver world-class, end-to-end multimedia services that are reliable, scalable and secure with reduced time to market. In total, Alcatel-Lucent provides middleware and solutions that support more than 7 million IPTV subscribers, representing more than 18 percent of all IPTV subscribers worldwide. Navori is a one of the largest digital signage software publishers in the world, with more than 75,000 active installations in 90 countries. Navori develops solutions used for all types of screen-based communications, including retail, corporate communications, advertising networks, public space signage, wayfinding and the food/hospitality sector. Headquartered in Switzerland, privately-held Navori also has offices in North America, South America and Australia. www.navori.com

Vertical View Public

Spaces

Drivers, Start Your Engines… NASCAR Hall of Fame Fan Billboard and DLP® projectors drive NASCAR fan experience

ASCAR auto racing has grown into a cultural phenomenon and marketing juggernaut for one big reason: it’s all about the fan experience. So when the plans were being drawn up for the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was clear that whatever went into the facility had to offer the same visual excitement and “wow factor” that hard-core racing fans get every weekend at the tracks or on broadcast TV. The result is a $195-million shrine to stock car racing, with exhibits that honor the past but also use the latest digital technologies to tell a rich multimedia story. The hall opened on May 11, 2010 and the biggest visual treats greeting NASCAR fans when they come inside the facility are driven by Christie’s display and image processing technology. The visual centerpieces of the NASCAR Hall of Fame are a giant video board in the soaring Great Hall, using an 18-tile wide by 14-tile high array (24ft x 14ft) of 252 Christie® MicroTiles™, and the 278-seat Belk High Octane Theater, which is driven by four powerful Christie HD10K-M DLP® projectors. The Charlotte area is home to one of the circuit’s fastest tracks, and to the vast majority of NASCAR teams, so the city was a natural home for the sport’s hall of fame. The city won a competition

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among several U.S. cities to get the hall, and construction started downtown in January 2007. Charlotte paid for the facility through hospitality taxes, sponsors and loans. The building was designed by famed architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed, with exhibits designed by acclaimed firm Ralph Applebaum and Associates. The design borrows on the sweeping curves of race tracks, and runs a metallic ribbon around the 150,000-square foot building’s façade, carrying that design element inside to more than 40,000 square feet of exhibit and attraction space. Soaring heights, curves and glass curtain walls dominate the NASCAR Hall of Fame—a treat for the eyes, but a major challenge for the nuts and bolts project managers and environmental designers who were tasked with integrating high-impact digital visuals and experiences into the physical space. In the Great Hall area, above a section of sloping track that shows the progression of NASCAR from its dirt track days to the modern speedways, there were plans for a giant billboard to show vintage racing film and engage fans. The biggest challenge for the consulting AV design firm, JaffeHolden, was to determine the right display technology for the curved space above the faux track, and ensure the screen wasn’t an obstruction inside the building.

Vertical View Public

Spaces

In early 2009, the solution was presented to them when they were invited to preview new technology that Christie had in its R&D labs, but was readying for commercial launch. JaffeHolden’s senior consultant Mary E. Cook said they had one look at the Christie MicroTiles, and realized they had found the solution. The Christie MicroTiles greatly reduced the depth of the display space that was originally planned and the overall weight dropped substantially. The housing and fascia design of the Christie MicroTiles meant they could be set in a gentle curve to match the wall. And when compared to other technologies being considered, the Christie MicroTiles reduced overall costs. “They also looked great,” added Cook. “We really felt it was the right product for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.” Jaffe Holden brought the idea to the City of Charlotte, who then had its own preview demo of Christie MicroTiles. “We looked at the Christie MicroTiles and we were really impressed by how vivid the colors were, and the display resolution...” said Kathleen Drake, the city’s project manager for the hall’s development. Christie MicroTiles also introduced substantial energy savings, which lined up well with Charlotte’s mandated conservation policies. Drake said the city team was also very happy with the way the hairline seams between the each of the 252 Christie MicroTiles in the array were almost invisible and made for one powerful visual canvas. The NASCAR project was among the first commercial installations of Christie MicroTiles, which were formally launched just five months earlier in New York City. Veteran audiovisual integration firm Electrosonic was engaged to implement all the project plans and ensure the Christie MicroTiles and related AV equipment were set up as intended. Electrosonic senior systems consultant Bryan Abelowitz said a combination of new technology and a location on a curved curtain wall above a sloped surface made for a challenging project. Nothing this large, and nothing in an open great hall setting filled with ambient natural light had yet been done using Christie MicroTiles. “Christie was with us the whole way. They wanted this done right just as much as everyone did,” said Abelowitz. NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibits manager Kevin Schlesier said the Christie MicroTiles array—called the Fan Billboard—is fundamental to the visitor experience. The digital billboard is used in several ways: running archival footage from the early days of stock-car racing; video and image montages; and an interactive application called the NASCAR Hall of Fame Showdown. When visitors pay admission to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame, they are issued personalized “hard cards”—plastic, creditcard sized cards that are embedded with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips. Those cards can track each visitor and allow them to accumulate points for viewing and using interactive exhibits. The cards are also linked back to a website to allow fans to revisit their experiences. Four kiosks fixed in the center of the Great Hall invite visitors to place their hard cards on readers and join in the showdown trivia contest that regularly runs on the giant Christie

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MicroTiles fan billboard. Fans answer NASCAR-related questions that pop up on the screen, and as many as four players compete for points shown on the kiosk and fan board. “As a whole, the guests really like the big screen,” added Schlesier. “It has such presence, and it is part of the whole experience.” The Great Hall is already being heavily used for private events, with sponsor messages and custom video driven to the Christie MicroTiles. The capability is also in place to drive the fan billboard with live HD broadcasts or Blu-ray™ material. Beyond the Great Hall, another focal point of the NASCAR Hall of Fame is the Belk High Octane Theater that has seating for 278 visitors and runs a curved, 64ft wide projection wall with surround sound showing the story of NASCAR from early days to present. The orientation theater uses three Christie HD10K-M DLP® projectors, and takes advantage of edge-blending and warping to produce one seamless visual. A fourth Christie HD10K-M is in place for off-hours presentations that don’t require the edge-blending. The visuals are all driven by a Christie Spyder X20, a powerful and versatile video and widescreen display processor that supports mixing video sources in multiple windows, creating multiple picture-inpictures, and defining, shaping and blending borders easily. During select NASCAR events, fans buy $5 passes to watch live enhanced-TV NASCAR races on the big projection screen, seeing the view from inside car cockpits and real-time race car telemetry, all driven by the Christie Spyder X20. Cook said the NASCAR Hall of Fame experience has her firm including Christie MicroTiles in several other projects that are emerging for spaces like museums and performing arts centers. “Architecturally, they just fit in so nicely.” “Christie MicroTiles make sense for many projects because of construction costs that can be substantially reduced by the diminutive form factor, weight and broad flexibility of the display units,” said Cook. The front-access design also greatly reduces long-term servicing costs. “Whatever small price difference that might come into play when compared to other display technologies,” added Cook, “is completely outweighed by the dramatic jump in visual quality.” Owned and managed by the city and its convention and visitors authority, and licensed by NASCAR, the Hall of Fame is expected to attract thousands of visitors annually. Schlesier, charged with running and evolving exhibits, sees big possibilities in working with the Christie MicroTiles in the next few years. “We don’t think the technology should drive content decisions, but this gives us an opportunity to do a lot of things.” SSM

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Vertical View Quick

Service Restaurants

McCarran Wendy’s Cuts through Airport Clutter with Digital Menu Boards By Robert Lopez

n the fast-moving McCarran International Airport, JMJ-LLC Wendy’s knew they needed a way to catch the attention of the passengers and airport employees. Already intrigued by Digital Menu Board (DMB) technology, franchisee Robert Lopez thought a digital adaptation would be a great way to draw attention and separate his store from the other food court restaurants. This visually appealing technology is easy to use and can give any Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) a modern feel that is customized to its unique brand. Naturally, JMJ-LLC was eager to experiment with the technology. The vibrant atmosphere of Las Vegas seemed like the perfect city to try a digital solution. The company was familiar with the Digital Restaurant® and they felt it was a cutting-edge solution. The Digital Restaurant® is provided by WAND Corporation and is used by many franchisees. JMJ-LLC liked the idea of having one cohesive solution where all technology components, Point Of Sale (POS) and Digital Menu Boards were integrated together. Lopez recalls WAND team members assessing the space, designing the layout and sizing-up exactly what was needed. He described the installation as an “orderly and painless process” that took place before the scheduled opening. Four horizontal DMBs were installed along with two digital Point-of-Purchase (POP) boards mounted on either side of the ordering counter, the customized solution was designed to fit behind the security gate that closes up access to the counter after hours. JMJ-LLC was pleased with WAND Corporation’s smooth and thorough training of the management team, which provided them with very useful trouble-shooting tools for daily use of the system.

Wendy’s Wendy’s Digital Digital Restaurant Restaurant install install at at the the McCarran McCarran International International Airport Airport featuring featuring WAND WAND Digital Digital software software

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JMJ-LLC‘s Wendy’s Digital Restaurant has been a “homerun” since opening day. JMJ-LLC is amazed by the attention and interaction their digital boards get from customers. “The initial excitement, gawking of competitors, and photos taken by customers made it a wild opening for us,” explains Lopez, “We noticed right away that people were mostly ordering exactly what they saw on the screens and within a week we were seeing a correlation between the product mix and sales.” Within ten days, JMJ-LLC realized the changes they were making on the DMBs and POPs were definitively impacting what their customers were ordering. For example, their content rotation of dessert drinks saw a sizeable increase in the specific products shown, and (similarly) after a few weeks of playing with combo content they found that the combos shown on screen were chosen nearly half the time in the product mix. JMJ-LLC is able to track these changes due to the integration between their Digital Menu Board system and POS system, also provided by WAND. The Digital Menu Board system has allowed JMJ-LLC the creativity and flexibility to control what products are shown, and when. This ability is called advanced automated day-part planning. Dynamic content allows QSRs to respond to changing market conditions and opportunities without complete menu redesign. Managers love how simple it is to change pricing -- updates happen within 24 hours. JMJ-LLC is able to promote local events with customizable content that draws even more attention from travelers, fans and airport staff. For example, during a recent NASCAR event in Las Vegas, JMJ-LLC added a message welcoming NASCAR fans. They reported people taking video of the imagery and posing for family photos in front of the boards. Some pit-crew members also came through and expressed their amazement. Many positive comments were shared with JMJ-LLC, proving that their boards are delivering a great customer experience. Digital has been shown to attract seven times more customer attention than traditional static menu boards. With an actively engaged audience, messaging is more likely to be successfully received. DMBs are an educational communication tool to customers, delivering messages not only about promotions and seasonal specials, but also on local events, nutritional information, weather, and more. With DMBs, the capacity and potential for holding and changing information is virtually unlimited.

Vertical View Quick

Another success JMJ-LLC affords 100 percent to their DMBs is the increase sales of Chicken Strips; originally a test product and selling slowly in traditional stores, JMJ-LLC’s Chicken Strip sales more than tripled after being shown on the DMBs. JMJ-LLC’s McCarran site is proud to be the highest volume store in the Wendy’s system, grossing over $3 million in its first year, and is also the highest selling breakfast store. Every afternoon they roll breakfast content for a few hours, which appeals to the airport employees and gets them to return in the morning. Even during a time of construction on the McCarran Airport’s C-Gate, the Wendy’s sales base has remained uncompromised. JMJ-LLC reports steady or above average sales consistency. The company’s employees maintain a high level of pride and commitment to their store and customers. The DMBs have made their jobs easier and interaction with customers more positive. DMBs are easy to read and they lead customers through the order taking process with color, animation and video. Customers understand what comes in their order because they’re ordering what they see on screen. The screens are not only pleasing to the eye but also influence what customers order and help them choose quickly. Most people at the

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

Service Restaurants

airport are in a hurry; they want to make a quick choice, order, pay and get to their flight. The DMB system significantly cuts down the time the ordering process takes. JMJ-LLC’s Digital Restaurant solution has been a great experience for all. “As a brand that is founded on Quality, we truly believe Digital will make a dramatic difference to our brand and we believe it’s the next step for the QSR industry,” said Lopez. The DMB system draws a lot of excitement and influence, and is an added benefit to JMJ-LLC’s outstanding operations and speed of service. The company is seriously considering installing a DMB system as part of the remodeling plan in their Phoenix Airport location, and at other locations. Furthering their scope of Digital Menu Board use, JMJ-LLC will be deploying a total digital Drive-Thru in a non-airport Wendy’s site in 2011. They’re looking to specifically impact Drive-Thru percent with digital. SSM Robert Lopez has over twenty-four years of hands-on Quick Service Restaurant management experience. He currently operates 18 Wendy’s locations, including three airport Wendy’s sites in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Lopez is involved with daily restaurant operations, marketing, finance, new store development and real estate for JMJ-LLC.

March/April 2011

Digital Dialogue

Q & A With Lyle Bunn

Making Digital Signage Effective

What do you feel is the number one hurdle for growth in the digital signage industry?

tion planning approaches are crucial to having a successful network. Drawing on the experience of similar projects will enable planning.

The lack of time and effort spent on identifying and validating the Return on Investment (ROI) has impaired the funding and advancement of projects and the use of the medium as an advertising instrument. The capital and operating funds needed to deploy and use digital signage must be justified, and clearly articulating the value of the investment is essential. Tangible measures of outcome such as increased sales, service enquiries, new revenues from advertising, etc. are generally easy to anticipate. “Softer” benefits such as reduced perceived waiting time, bringing more energy and vitality to an environment, motivating attitudes, etc. which are described in terms of a Return on Objectives (ROO) are more difficult to quantify, but can equally drive project value.

As a consultant in the digital signage industry, what do you feel is the most common misconception among clients about integrating digital signage?

How do you think the industry will overcome this hurdle? That is a little like asking “how will the high school basketball team improve?” It comes down to practicing the fundamentals and working the plays. Time and effort are increasingly being invested to define the intended, planned and expected ROI and ROO, along with the ways in which these will be measured. To assist in these efforts, case studies are being published which describe the outcomes that are achieved through use in similar situations. These, along with the increasing testimonials linked with award programs will encourage assessment and use of dynamic place-based media.

When working with corporate endusers of digital signage, what do you feel they need most to operate a successful digital signage network? The saying goes “Fail to Plan – Plan to fail”. So it is with dynamic media. A clear roadmap based on proven system development, life cycle and applica-

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End users often do not appreciate that “content” is the most important element in achieving their communications and marketing goals. With this recognition comes a more thoughtful approach to defining the technology infrastructure best suited to achieve sustainable and cost-effective operations.

You teach a specific training course for individuals and companies looking to get a start into digital signage. What is the basis of the program? The SPEED Digital Signage Training Program, which has been delivered to over 2000 professionals, provides an understanding of the key elements that together make for the successful design, deployment operation and use of dynamic media networks. This program serves as a useful starting point for end user and supplier staff commencing projects as it also provides planning frameworks and templates that draw on “best practices” and previous experiences. http://lylebunn.com/speed.aspx

What do you think are 5 key ingredients in making digital signage effective and why? 1) Drawing on the experience of others. The most expensive part of any project is the mistakes. 2) Using a structured planning approach. The excitement for the media could have project planners overlooking key checkpoints and planning elements. 3) Clearly articulate the objectives and benefits that are to be realized.

Digital Dialogue

Lyle Bunn, Principal & Strategy Architect, Bunn Co. Lyle Bunn is highly regarded as an independent consultant and educator in North America’s dynamic place-based media industry. He has been recognized with an Honorary Doctorate for his significant contributions to education and the development of dynamic place-based media. He is considered one of North America’s most highly regarded independent consultants to investors, operators, suppliers and users of digital signage and digital out-of-home (DOOH) media. He can be reached at Lyle@LyleBunn.com

This will focus decision-making, sourcing and technology decisions. 4) Plan for ongoing investment in “content” as it is the content that ultimately delivers on network goals. 5) Plan for third party revenues. While this is critical to adbased business models, it could be anticipated that the opportunity for advertising or sponsored content will emerge as the display or network is deployed.

Instant Access to Digital Issue of Signage Solutions magazine

Where do you see the most growth in digital signage applications in the next 18 months and why? Three different areas suggest themselves for growth beyond the anticipated forecast of 23% overall industry-wide growth. 1) Triple digit growth is being realized by advertising sales organizations (Adcentricity, SeeSaw, Vukunet, rVue, etc.) and this will continue as they deliver value to media planners and buyers, and local advertisers. 2) Content production, media feeds and stock footage used to provide information to viewers will also reach beyond its current level of $3.5 billion. 3) Managed services could also be expected to enjoy extraordinary growth as enterprises and network operators look to economies from the outsourcing of non-core activities.

Is there a specific project that you feel pushed the current boundaries of digital signage technology and if so, why? If not, what do we have to look forward to in regards to technology? Free iPhone or iPad “App” with direct link to Signage Solutions magazine digital issues.

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From iPhone or iPad browser, type in the link below with access code #1057.

www.swatchpix.com/ssm

There are several projects I find note worthy. Stadiums in particular must deliver commercial benefit through interface with other application systems (i.e. concession, safety, etc.) while satisfying sponsors and delivering a better fan experience. One example, the Amway Center in Orlando, home of the NBA Orlando Magic is a rich media, highly application interfaced deployment, offering many lessons on current technology and innovations. You can find out more on this project by visiting the links below: • www.harris.com/AmwayCenter • http://video.forbes.com/fvn/sportsmoney/amway-center-goes-high-tech SSM

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Incorporating

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NSCA Conference June 13-17

The

Secret Sauce H

ave you ever followed a recipe right down to the teaspoon, but the result was less than desirable? You go back and think about what you did, and you start tweaking. An extra dash of this, a pinch less of that, an you try again. Nope, still not there. So you try again. Voila! You have it. Of course, you had to eat something that was pretty lousy a couple times before you got there. Digital signage is like that. You’re ready to start building that digital signage network. You have research from every nook and cranny of the industry, you have a budget, an integrator, management, and content. You have all the ingredients ready for a great execution. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. If you’re jumping into digital signage, this will be a little discouraging. I have something to tell you, something that no one else will tell you: It goes wrong for everyone else too. Let’s be perfectly clear here: No one installs a digital signage network because it’s just cool to have. Every network is installed and operated under the assumption and hope that it will increase the business of the network owner; it will generate more revenue, create greater awareness for your brand. It will make the experience better, whether you’re trying to sell shoes, direct people to the wedding reception in the big ballroom, or to kill time before that root canal — it’s designed to get the viewer to have a positive mindset about the experi-

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ence. (I’m not sure a root canal can have any positive connotation with it.) There are challenges. Plenty of them, but don’t let that discourage you. ROO or ROI? You might believe that without these two acronyms in your strategy, you’ll fail without question. ROO (Return on Objective) is quite different from ROI (Return on Investment). When putting together a network, there are certain objectives you want to achieve that will satisfy the return on your investment. Think of it this way: The objectives are how you get the return. Here’s the thing with ROI: It doesn’t accurately measure the return. (Oops. Did I let a secret out here?) You’re going to put hard dollars into this system, and you’ll have to justify that over a fiscal plan. The dynamic appeal of digital signage is that it has much greater impact than a static sign, of course. And if you can prove that someone bought something because you promoted it on a screen then you have your numbers, right? Not really. You can’t measure an impression. (Oops. Did I let another secret out?) You can’t measure when someone looks at your screen and thinks, “That’s cool”. Yet the impact a screen can have on a venue is often much greater than the numbers reflect. There is serious potential with creating a greater experience for all of your patrons by simply hanging the screen to begin with. The value a network has on the brand is always greater than the revenue it will generate.

The positive effects a network can have on a venue should be part of your ROI. It’s the intangibles that may keep patrons returning after they have leveraged the screen to make a purchase. You’ll find out people prefer visiting your venue because you have a better experience. These intangibles won’t appear on a spreadsheet. Often unseen, unwritten, and unknown, they will pop up the very second you boot up the computers. They will have impact on your objectives, and certainly impact on your investment. There is no playbook or blueprint that works for everyone. While the fundamentals for a digital signage installation are sound (you need a screen, you need a computer, you need software, and you need content), the secret sauce is in the execution. While you have the strategy and research in front of you, the problem is you really don’t know what makes up that secret sauce. And you won’t know until you try it. Digital signage works if executed properly, but the secret sauce comprises just the right mix of things like the campaign, the time of day, the day of week, the month, the season, the item being promoted, the location of the item in the venue, the location of the screen in relation to the item being promoted, the shelf life of the message, the customer’s navigation habits, the customer’s mindset, the venue’s physical characteristics, such as lighting, flooring, paint. Other visual stimuli in the screens area, like other screens and audio. . . Those are a lot of ingredients. So what do you do? You can’t put

BY PAUL FLANIGAN

With the right ingredients, executing a digital signage strategy is easy. The hard part is knowing the right mix. Only trial and error will tell. something out there if it doesn’t work, yet you won’t know what works until you try it. There are intangibles to network execution and management that you won’t find on a business plan or strategy. Statistics give you a representation of your efforts over time, but those efforts include some TLC that you won’t find on a spreadsheet.

screen or the length of a video clip. While at Best Buy, I once ran a clip from The Office where the fire alarm goes off in the clip. Because the audio was up on so many screens, many customers thought it was a real fire alarm. Lesson: Don’t run content with fire alarms in a crowded retail space. Duly noted.

Crack A Few Eggs Once your network is running, you will start to understand what makes it work. It should never be a goal to upset people. However, sometimes you have push the limits a little to see where the breaking point is. I used to do this all the time because, frankly, no one in the venue told me I was doing a good job. It was only when I heard about what made the patrons mad that I knew where the limits of success lay. With that in mind, there are a few things you can do to ensure that you get positive feedback and successful results quickly.

Listen to What the Man Says Measurement of the network’s efficacy is a must. But, a key factor in the success of the network is the employee. Have you asked them what they think? Listen to the employees and ask how the program can make their efforts better. Chances are you have a feedback system in place for employees, some way to gauge how they feel about their work environment. Take it a step further. Go into the venue and ask them how it’s going, how the program looks and feels, and how it’s affecting the patrons. Because there’s a good chance their responses won’t look like the responses you got from the store surveys. There is a good chance you will get deeper understanding on the network’s impact from the very people who are around it all day.

Acceptance is the First Step Know that people will get angry with you, you will fail with bad content, your screens will not work, your computers will glitch, employees will (yes…will) turn down the audio or even turn off the screen. In most cases, patrons are forgiving if they know you’re trying to make their experience better. They become fickle when you insult them. When you see your network challenged to create the experience, figure out why. What was it that made the customer walk away? What was it that made the employee not care? Sometimes it can be as simple as copy on a

A Pinch of This, A Dash of That Don’t be afraid to tweak often. Everyday, if you must. Checking in once a week to see how it’s going is not effective management if you started the program on Monday, made everyone mad on Tuesday, and waited until Saturday to find out. Technology has enabled network operators to alter programming on the fly, so

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

easily that the next time the program loops, it will be different because you changed it. While managing the video and audio experience for a baseball team, I had several ushers in the stands that would send me hand signals up in the booth to indicate whether or not the audio was too loud. It was real-time, and it was invaluable in making sure that the fans had a great experience, and I didn’t blow their eardrums with Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It. Ask Around. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of resources that can help you, immediately if needed. Doing a Google Search will yield several results where you can locate case studies, programming and content tips, and insight on measurement. All of this is intended to not only help you leverage the network in order to increase your own value, but to promote and encourage the growth of the digital signage industry with best practices. Before long, someone will come asking you what you did to make it work so well. You’ll be able to do is give them the ingredients. The right mix is up to them. SSM Paul Flanigan is the founder of Experiate, consulting clients on brand marketing through digital media. Paul managed Best Buy’s billion-dollar in-store network from 2005-2009. Before Best Buy, Paul spent seven years in professional sports developing customer experiences for Major League Baseball, NFL Football, minor league sports, and collegiate sports programs. You can find him blogging regularly at www.experiate.net.

March/April 2011

Power THE

Being Social Why Digital Signage and Social Media are Perfect for Each Other By David Weinfeld

D S

igital signage needs social media. Social media needs digital sig-

nage. Each platform strengthens the other. The two channels of communication are ideal for one another as they can both connect people in unique ways. It makes sense to integrate social information across digital signage networks to personalize

customer experiences. Social media provides a stepping stone on which a business, brand, or retailer can

better communicate with its customers. It gives a voice to people who were once muted because they lacked access to the necessary channels to get their opinions heard. Those opinions matter. They must be spread. And, in spreading them we have the chance to improve services and garner feedback on interactions.

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Social media is about identity, community, and communication. It gives depth to each entity in a way that makes them tangible. Digital signage is a medium of communication. It must learn from the layers of information populated by its community.

In the same way that social media gives individuals a platform to share their voices with the world, social media gives brands the ability to showcase their personalities. Social media gives businesses insights about communities, places, real-time conversations, and customer behavior. The rise of social media must be embraced by all industries, including digital signage. It’s that important to our future. Social media has grown to a level of such significance that it will breathe through everything that we do. Social media helps ground digital signage networks in greater context. It opens the door to enhanced communication and connections. It gives digital signage a means through which to form richer bonds with its audience. It allows digital signage networks to serve their communities with a personalized tone and message. The integration of social media into the fabric of its programming ensures that the flexibility and efficiency of digital signage are realized. We do not live in a one-size-fits-all world. We need to embrace that fact in all of our media channels. Why be shackled by playlists whose defined structure and rigidity make digital signage more like traditional media than the web? Why embrace a model that fails to make total use of the technology powering digital signage? The abundance of information that is captured on mainstream and niche social media networks must be shared with the physical world. Information that is acquired in the real world through digital signage systems must be shared with these platforms. Social media is about identity, community, and communication. It gives depth to each entity in a way that makes them tangible. Digital signage is a medium of communication. It must learn from the layers of information populated by its community. In doing so, digital signage and digital out-of-home media networks will evolve to better serve their audiences. Digital signage is enhanced by social media in the same manner that weaving people’s social graph through the web makes for a richer

Picking a Twitter hashtag and setting a screen to popular tweets does not fulfill a network’s social media obligations. It doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the value that social media integration can deliver.

experience. It allows network operators to better understand the nuances of their environments and communities. It provides greater depth around places and how people interact therein. Integrating social media into a digital signage network cannot be accomplished by simply adding social feeds to a playlist. Picking a Twitter hashtag and setting a screen to popular tweets does not fulfill a network’s social media obligations. It doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the value that social media integration can deliver. The digital signage and social media continuum is one that is forever evolving. It is being shaped by each and every person who logs into Facebook, checks in on Fourquare, and augments a picture on Instagram.

D S

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

ocial Media is Mobile

The increased adoption of smartphones opens a world of opportunities to social media; and, in turn, offers enormous value to digital signage networks. The continued movement of social media networks away from the confines of one’s computer allows us to better understand the impact different environments have on social media communication. Since digital signage and digital out-of-home media networks take advantage of information about the places that they populate, richer information about those locations only strengthens the

March/April 2011

Services like Foursquare, and their underlying data about people and places, must be integrated within the engines that drive digital signage and digital out-of-home media networks.

programming and interactive capabilities that such networks can deliver. Thanks to Facebook Connect, we have begun to see greater integration with the dominant social network across a range of mobile applications. Mobile connectivity has exponentially increased our engagement with social media. It allows us to take social media based activities into our everyday lives. That freedom has brought with it an enormous increase in the content within social networks. More content means greater depth. Greater depth leads to greater understanding. Greater understanding leads to more intelligent media channels. Foursquare, Gowalla, Shopkick and Facebook Places, leaders in the world of location-based services, are pitch-perfect for integration with digital signage networks. I’m not recommending Foursquare visualizations for every network, but rather the coupling of information garnered through these services with the environmental awareness of digital signage. Services like Foursquare, and their underlying data about people and places, must be integrated within the engines that drive digital signage and digital out-of-home media networks. We are swimming in a world of data. It flows through everything that we do. Much of that data is now being captured within the context of social media. Invisible Twitter conversations flood our streets. Our interactions with Facebook fan pages fill up the shopping malls, retail stores, and entertainment venues in which they occur. All that data is actionable. It can be acted on in ways that make digital signage smarter. It allows digital signage networks to use more of their silicon-based brains. Social media data can fuel dynamic digital signage content delivery.

A person’s mobile phone can function as a login key through the integration of image recognition technology. A two-dimensional barcode on one’s phone can acts as a unique identifier, connecting all of a person’s social media profiles into a single readable image.

iosks Must Be Social

One’s social media identity, as captured through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, provides a perfect platform from which to craft a oneto-one digital marketing experience at retail. Enabling kiosks to function as gateways to one’s social graph has enormous benefit to brands and retailers alike. Giving kiosk users the ability to like, tag, and recommend products to their Facebook friends, is a win-win situation for every platform involved in the interaction. The system can function as a seamless bridge between the digital and physical worlds. Tying one’s activity in-store to his social media profiles amplifies his interactions. It allows retailers and brands to take advantage of the social network effect when customers are interacting with products in the physical world. In their original design and function, kiosks have been very much a one-size-fits-all experience. Advancements in technology have brought this design into question, rightfully so. Why should an interactive in-store system lack the intelligence to offer customers a

personalized experience? The world of kiosks is waiting for the universal social login functionality that will narrow the gap between these experience centers and social media platforms. While adding a Facebook or Twitter login to a kiosk, asking the user to enter in his username and password, is an easy to apply option, it’s one that is riddled with questions? Will users feel the system is secure enough to enter in their Facebook login information? How could we possibly enable Facebook logins on an interactive video wall? Can we ensure the security of all of our users’ social information? What is our responsibility if there is a security breach? While some consumers may feel comfortable entering in their Facebook login information on an interactive in-store system, I think it’s fair to assume that many would not. I believe the answer lies with the mobile device. Having one’s phone act as the key to a more personalized in-

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store experience makes perfect sense. A person’s mobile phone can function as a login key through the integration of image recognition technology. A twodimensional barcode on one’s phone can acts as a unique identifier, connecting all of a person’s social media profiles into a single readable image. The technology that has the best chance of solving this problem is Near Field Communication, a short-range wireless communication channel through which content can be shared between devices. Thanks to enterprising companies like Google, who has embedded NFC functionality into its most recent version of Android, the technology has the potential to disrupt how we interact with digital systems. If the rumors of near-field communication being embedded within the iPhone 5 are true, the adoption curve for the technology will be accelerated exponentially.

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The more mobile devices that include NFC, the better chance the technology has to function as our universal login. The technology is being touted for its ability to turn our phones into digital wallets. Just as significant would be NFC’s ability to allow our phones to function as personal tagging systems within the context of social media networks and the real world. NFC removes many of the barriers that currently exist between taking full advantage of the bridges between our digital and physical worlds. It can function as a personalized smart key, while still giving the user final control over which systems he feels comfortable unlocking and sharing his social information with.

D S

obile, Social, and Digital Signage Worlds are Colliding

That’s a good thing for digital signage and digital out-of-home media. The more mobile and social become inextricably linked, the more dynamic experiences can be delivered by tapping into these interaction networks. Making digital signage social can also mean adding interac-

tive features that motivate people to participate in a shared experience. Whether that is in the form of a real-time social gaming experience, an interactive scavenger hunt, or by sharing user-generated content with largeformat digital displays, these experiences can transform digital signage networks into active social hubs. Companies such as Locamoda, MegaPhone Labs, Insteo, Aerva, and Screenreach, just to name a few, are pioneering connected experiences between phones and digital screens. The lion’s share of these experiences are social in nature and action. The same technologies that are turning television into a more social experience offer opportunities to digital signage and digital out-of-home media. Syncing a user’s phone with content being aired on an in-store digital network fosters new location-based social paradigms. We live in a world of constant connectivity and communication. Digital signage networks must embrace that fact. Digital signage has the ability to tap into social media conversations, acting as a megaphone to spread one’s message to a larger audience. Digital signage can facilitate greater engagement with social media, and vice versa. SSM David Weinfeld is Director of Retail & Advertising Solutions at Obscura Digital and produces a popular blog at www.dsinsights.blogspot.com

By Don Pierson

eferring to Digital Signage as the “Wild West” of marketing might have jumped the shark. In a lot of ways there is still a ton of opportunity for new innovation in this world. But in other ways, the digital signage industry has caught up with the rest of marketing. And it’s especially apparent when we get into behavioral marketing – a phrase that’s been thrown around a great deal. Behavioral marketing is the term used to describe real-time advertising and other content that is customized for the viewer based on several factors about that person. Online ads that are targeted specifically at you based on the last several websites you visited, for instance, are an example of behavioral marketing. Screens are catching up. Imagine signage systems that have intelligence built in so the content presented on that screen is tailored specifically for the person standing in front of it. Sound creepy? A little 1984? It’s not nearly as intrusive as it sounds, and it’s no different (in fact, less invasive) than online-targeted advertising. And it’s very close to being a reality. So what is this intelligence built into the screens, and how does it give the content on the screen some context? First, we need to realize that we’re moving out of an era focused on high-tech screens and fast

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networks, and into an era of synching up all of this technology into total signage systems. The screens are built to talk to the content, the content to the network, the network back to the content, and finally – the content talks to the viewer in a much more personalized way. Picture a series of screens in a Target store. There’s a video camera built into the screen that captures a young woman standing in front of the sign. It takes note of the amount of time that she’s paying attention to the sign, or to the products right below the sign –- a vitamin display. The camera captures her line of vision, and can even tell her relative age. From there, it tells the network to deliver a piece of content that lets the woman know there’s a special on Women’s 1 A Day Vitamins in the pharmacy. Or, in the next phase of this solution, the content itself knows when to change, without needing to get permission from the network. BAM… behavioral targeting brought to you by signage. Jose Avalos, retail & digital signage worldwide director with the embedded & computing divi-

Digital Signage and Social Media Integration

“Rules of Thumb:” •

Social media integration must be weighed against a digital signage network’s objectives

•

Social media is constantly evolving, so too must the means through which it’s integrated into digital signage networks

•

Social media integration is not a substitute for a defined content strategy

•

Social media integration is more than the addition of Twitter feeds, Facebook status updates, and photos from Flickr

•

New applications and platforms are joining the social media sector all of the time. These emerging networks can offer as much, or even more, value than entrenched social media providers

•

Always be authentic

•

Social media is not a check box to be filled on one’s list of digital signage "to dos"

•

Don’t forget about the data

sion for Intel is seeing a massive shift towards technology that supports behavioral marketing. “It’s more important now than ever for the technology inside screens to be as intuitive and behavioral as any other kind of marketing. As consumers become more accustomed to targeted content, they will start to look for personalized POS ads and other information.” So we have to ask ourselves what is needed to make screen content contextual. For starters, marketers need to have a lot of great, interactive content ready to go. Multi-touch? Yes please. The retailer (or business, as it were) needs to anticipate every kind of customer that will pass the screens, and create enough content to reach all of them. That content needs to be changed frequently. With this capability, businesses have a contextual way to promote daily specials, new products, and coupons – and do so in a significantly more relevant way. Second, we need fast, smart networks. Some networks will need to have the ability to change content on the fly, with the simplest of nudges from the screen itself. Others just need to be blazing fast and support the superman of content platforms. And we need content developers that can make sure the signage system is being maximized. That means newer content on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. By next year, there may be systems available that can optimize results by quickly swapping or tweaking content in even finer time slices. So to that end, the content needs to be easy to create and easy to modify. And above all, it needs to be completely relevant to every customer that steps in front of it. “Over the last decade we’ve seen so much of the cool factor in online marketing but very little spilled into the direct marketing realm until recently. What we’re doing now with digital signage is going to change how people shop, period,” said Avalos. Most of us are used to seeing customized ads during our daily web surfing. Some of us actually like the fact that when we’re searching for a new pair of shoes, the shoes find us while we’re on Facebook. Why not have all of our shopping experiences be just as customized? Digital signage is still a Gold Rush of sorts, but we’re a heck of a lot closer to catching up to the rest of our industry in this critical area. SSM Don Pierson is the President and Founder of Flypaper. He can be reached dpierson@flypaper.com March/April 2011

L It’s the

Message

ately, it seems digital signage is popping up everywhere. Whether deployed as a building-size display in Times Square or something slightly smaller in retail storefronts, airport terminals or other locations where people gather, digital signage installations are gaining traction at a remarkable pace. Organizations of all types are finding digital signage can easily capture the attention of important audiences — whether customers, employees, partners, or other constituents. If the use of digital signage is as ubiquitous as it appears, should we assume the organizations using it are making the most of the possibilities presented by this exciting technology? Unfortunately, the answer is often “no” and that can be attributed to a couple key misperceptions about digital signage. For many people, the term “digital sign” evokes images of advertisements, general information and, in some situations, breaking news headlines. This is a very traditional approach to how digital signage can be used, and the content is typically targeted to both current and potential customers (think of broadcasting group exercise class schedules at the local gym) or some other captive audience (such as travelers in an airport or train station). And while there is nothing inherently wrong with using digital signage in this way — statistics show using digital signage in a retail environment, for example, can result in 32.8 percent more store traffic — the potential of digital signage to drive sales is just the tip of the iceberg. Once organizations realize digital signage should be seen as the means for delivering a wide variety of targeted messages to specific locations at specific times, the possibilities to reach indi-

not the Means: What’s By Tom Racca

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NYC Times Square, digital signage at it's ﬁnest. Photo taken November 2010 while attending the CETW event by Ben Skidmore, Publisher.

“Digital signage is emerging as the way to reach the maximum number of people, more often, and in an impactful, compelling way.” viduals both outside and inside the organization are seemingly endless. The second major misperception revolves around the perceived complexity of using digital signage to deliver a greater variety of content. Although known primarily for supporting “static” playlists and simple RSS feeds, digital signage is evolving to support a nearly limitless assortment of highly compelling video content. Enterprises of all stripes — retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, industry, and government — have the capability to create, manage, and distribute high-definition live and stored video content for digital signage. And with highly flexible deployment options — from a single sign up to hundreds — organizations can conveniently and cost-effectively manage and update video content, create playlists, schedule distribution, and even incorporate live streamed updates, all of which significantly increase the overall value of a digital signage solution. Freed from the traditional constraints of digital signage solutions, organizations can (and should) be thinking about being more creative and strategic about how this technology can be used. While supporting advertising delivery and live RSS feeds still has great merit, approaching digital signage ias yet one more way to deliver a comprehensive set of video messages which can deliver tremendous financial, operational, and environmental rewards. In fact, this evolution in the use of digital signage is already impacting the way innovative organizations are dealing with training, compliance, and live broadcasting. Businesses are using existing display devices to

display customized content, both live and ondemand, to educate, influence, and update important audiences. For example, in some retail environments, the same devices that push in-store ads and product promotions are being used to communicate in real-time with employees. Existing digital signage is allowing retailers to reach employees faster and more effectively than ever before. Content as diverse as on-demand sales training, live streams from executives about star performers, current product promotions, and information pertaining to industry-regulated initiatives such as labor law or PCI compliance, is being transmitted via digital signage. In the manufacturing realm, digital signage on the factory floor is driving critical safety and compliance training to employees that may not have regular access to computers or other delivery devices. With digital signage, mandatory videos can be pushed to staff whenever and wherever needed. As important, display devices can be automatically turned off and on, allowing manufacturers to take advantage of impromptu staff updates related to the workplace, supply chain, or customers. As many classrooms are already outfitted with projectors and flat screens, both primary and secondary education institutions are going beyond RSS feeds to broadcast live content to students, such as emergency broadcasts and announcements from heads of schools. Digital signage is also supporting the use of on-demand classroom instruction to support dynamic learning and to provide more regular, ongoing communications, whether about lunch options, upcoming sporting events, replays of previous sporting events or

performing arts, new extracurricular activities, and even live emergency broadcasts. Corporations across industries and government organizations are leveraging the benefits of digital signage beyond the standard “playlists.” From live executive communications and corporate announcements to “breaking news” and employee recognition, enterprises are reaching their internal audiences far more effectively. Training, “best practices”, and key messages are reaching more employees in more venues improving productivity and increasing skill-sets. Now more than ever, digital signage is becoming the means to deliver strategic content and information to an ever widening audience. From boosting employee morale and improving staff retention to extending training reach and driving compliance, digital signage is emerging as the way to reach the maximum number of people, more often, and in an impactful, compelling way. As important, this effective electronic means of communication reduces the need for travel and paper-based communications, while improving message retention and workforce productivity, all resulting in tremendous cost savings and environmental benefits. The time is now to begin thinking about how a digital sign can be more than just a digital sign. With the technology available today, there are tremendous opportunities to get more creative and ensure digital signage is not being limited to advertising but is part of a comprehensive strategic communications strategy. SSM Tom Racca is President and CEO of BurstPoint Networks

Next for Digital Signage Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

March/April 2011

Signage Solutions

Products Signage Solutions & Products Digital signage products and solutions for today’s applications

Digital signage products and solutions, along with the technology which operates them, make the industry what it is today. Every issue of Signage Solutions Magazine features new products and solutions contributed by their respective companies. Please take time to review the products and see the full descriptions on our web site at www.signagesolutionsmag.com

Digital Signage Software for SMBs FrameWorks DS is the newest addition to Nanonation’s suite of software designed to impact the customer experience. Designed to provide small-medium businesses with a more streamlined, yet sophisticated, digital signage solution, FrameWorks DS offers a mix of features, ease-of-use, and price to make it simple to set-up, design, and run effective marketing and messaging content. www.frameworksds.com

Weather Media for Digital Signage AccuWeather’s reliable, dynamic, eye-catching graphics and videos – available for over 2.7 million locations worldwide, and in 36 languages – give your signage the proven drawing power of weather. In addition to the most accurate, local weather information, matched to your technical and graphic requirements, AccuWeather also offers relevant and innovative weather-and-health forecasts and news headlines! Maximize your digital signage with AccuWeather – considered the most reliable, trustworthy and quality-controlled content provider. www.accuweather.com

3G SDI Fiber Optics Extender The GefenPRO 3G SDI Fiber Optics Extender sends 3G SDI up to 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), far exceeding previous distance limitations. A single-mode fiber optics cable links the source to the destination. Supported resolutions include 1080p, 1920x1200 and 2k. Latch locking power connectors on both sender and receivereliminate potential disconnects in the field. The die-cast metal enclosure means this system will handle challenging environments with ease. Automatic input equalization and output re-clocking further enhance performance. www.gefen.com

HD Digital Signage Platform Axiomtek’s OFP320, is a 31.5-inch full high definition digital signage platform based on the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ Processor that delivers optimal computing and graphics performance. Axiomtek has been working hard to provide digital signage manufacturers and developers with a solution that enables scalable digital signage applications to network easily with other equipment. Intel’s OPS enables easier installation, use and maintenance of digital signage. The OFP320 meets OPS design and development, allowing a simplified system upgrade and maintenance for developer projects. With the adoption of a unique pluggable engine box that allows the system to deliver reliability and scalability. Having the ability to simply slot-in and out the pluggable module makes maintenance and upgrading easier and faster for users. www.axiomtek.com

Flash Content Creation Platform Flypaper Studio, Inc. is a leading Flash Content Creation Platform that empowers digital signage programmers and non-programmers alike to create, edit, share, track and reuse highimpact Flash and video content. The Flypaper platform allows anyone to edit and manipulate components without touching programming code. Flypaper content rivals the interactivity and quality of custom Flash development, but can be developed in a fraction of time and cost typically associated with such projects. www.ﬂypaper.com

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The Event for Customer Engagement Strategies, Solutions and ROI through Digital Media

April 27-28, 2011 • San Francisco www.CETWorld.com Qualified end users* receive complimentary full conference passes! (a $1,495 value)! Use source code CET36D to apply for your free pass! Visit www.CETWorld.com/register.asp for complete details. Not an end user? You may still qualify for a complimentary Expo pass! See details at www.CETWorld.com/register.asp Platinum Sponsors:

Gold Sponsors:

@cetw

Media Sponsor:

For a complete list of Media Sponsors, visit www.CETWorld.com

*QUALIFICATION FOR COMPLIMENTARY FULL CONFERENCE PASS: Qualified professionals are employed by a brand in an industry such as retail, financial services, food service, travel, hospitality, government, healthcare, CPG, etc. or an advertising agency that makes these purchases on behalf of clients’ brands. Visit www.cetworld/register.asp for complete qualification details. Email us at info@jdevents.com with any questions.

Keynote Presentation Open to All Attendees! Sean Andersen Director of Interactive Services Six Flags Entertainment Corporation “Riding the Technology Coaster and Creating Your Roadmap to Future Customer Engagement”

Signage Solutions Products

Signage Solutions & Products

LCD Ticket Window Displays Among its integrated digital media networks offering, Daktronics offers ticket window displays using high resolution, high brightness LCD displays as well as traditional LED messaging displays. The high resolution displays can be part of a larger display network, controlled through the company’s Visiconn(SM) scheduled content system or the live event Show Control system, or a combination of both. They provide flexibility for sports and entertainment venues, helping to direct and inform patrons and activate sponsors. www.daktronics.com Digital Signage Multimedia Player Control and manage your screens around the world

The Media Wave PC, Inc. MWH67-CF Supports the newest Intel 2nd Generation (Sandy Bridge) Intel Core i3/i5 Processors. This player features DVI-I, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors, and supports dual independent displays. It delivers superb visual performance for sharper images, richer colors, and 10-channel (7.1+ 2 independent multistreaming) life-like audio and video. Supports up to 1.5TB of storage good for storing many hours of music and video. www.mediawavepc.com

With its new ScreenGate Solution, MDS is positioning itself as the first company in the market to offer an IP streaming solution. ScreenGate solution is not just a media distribution solution over IP - with ScreenGate Management Gateway (SMG), it ensures the media to be delivered to the screen. By seamlessly integrating with SMG, ScreenGate IP Streaming benefits from the built-in patented Proof of Performance and offers screen control and management, making it the next generation management platform. www.minicomdigitalsignage.com

Cellular Communication for Digital Signage

Digital Signage Content Management The Rival Industries Digital Signage Toolkit is a highly customizable presentation engine for use with large format touch-screen signage solutions. The entire system can be configured on-the-fly to reflect monthly specials, daily show schedules or accommodate any mixed use venue such as a hotel, concert hall or conference center. Make editing and displaying P.O.P. or other signage information easy with simple, dedicated tools. www.rivalindustries.net

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Microspace’s CELLCAST service utilizes cellular technology as a communications solution for Digital Signage Networks. CELLCAST can be used for content delivery to individual sites. CELLCAST can also be used in conjunction with Microspace’s cost effective and reliable satellite delivery solutions to provide a return link from individual sites within a digital signage network. www.microspace.com

65-inch LCD Monitor Mitsubishi’s MDT651S 65-inch LCD monitor is designed for traditional conference room visual display or videoconferencing and digital signage applications. It offers both front and rear ambient light sensors that detect lighting conditions in two areas for optimum viewing and energy savings through reduced power consumption. The monitor streamlines installation, reduces the number of necessary components and eliminates cable clutter with its built-in CAT5 receiver that keeps image quality consistent. www.mitsubishi-presentations.com

Signage Solutions 'Green' Digital Signage Player The Eco-Series SF-100e, a ‘green’, non-PC-based digital signage player manufactured by Noventri. Using less than four watts of power per screen, the Eco-Flight Board keeps energy consumption minimal. And since the Eco-Flight Board is a non-PC technology, it requires no maintenance, is easy to install and eliminates excessive wires, unsightly boxes and ventilation worries. No extenders or receivers required. No operating system software to buy. www.noventri.com

Products

Digital Room Sign The RoomRoster 10.4 is a digital sign that combines a player/monitor, Composer and EZ Stream database integration software. The combined software features allows the end user to create a variety of graphics, crawls and video playback in addition to interfacing and extracting information from a database such as (SQL), XML, and CSV. EZ-Stream can also interface with many 3rd party databases or meeting management software solutions. www.magicboxinc.com

Large-Format LCD Video Wall   Planar’s newest large-format LCD video wall combines an ultra-narrow bezel and the company’s exclusive Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall System architecture to create stunning, mission-critical video walls. The Clarity Matrix 55 utilizes the narrowest bezel LCD technology available today resulting in image-to-image gap of a mere 5.7 mm, to create extremely realistic visuals across multiple screens. Included with the display, the EasyAxis Mounting System combines with slim profile of LCD technology to offer an installed depth of 3.6 inches (93 mm) from the mounting surface. LED backlighting, Full HD (1920x1080) resolution and built-in image processing capabilities deliver bright, sharp images for video wall applications. www.planardigitalsignage.com

Feed Your Content Beast. You’ve invested in the technology. Your audience is waiting. Do you really want to bore them with another presentation template?

Flypaper lets you mix images, text, video, and animations to produce your interactive touch-screen compliant Adobe® Flash® or HD motion graphics. Learn more, and download a free trial at www.flypaper.com

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

March/April 2011

Signage Solutions Products Unified Media Server for Signage, WebTV, MobileTV, IPTV and More… Wowza Media Server 2 is an award-winning, industrial strength media server for streaming video/ audio content, video/audio/text chat, recording, and RIA. It takes your H.264 video to any screen - the desktop, mobile and the living room - for unified streaming to Flash, iPhone/iPad, Silverlight, Android and other mobile devices, signage and IPTV set-top boxes and more. www.wowzamedia.com 55” POS Electronic Signboard The 55” screen EP5555T ePoster features tempered glass faceplates and are ideal for showcasing high definition content in high traffic storefronts and showrooms. This dual sided device not only has back-to-back displays, but it also includes touch capacity on one side. Teaming two 1920x1080 panels, 2GB of internal memory, a built-in media player and two 5W speakers for each screen with 500 nits of brightness and a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, the EP5555T offers all the features a retailer could want. www.viewsonic.com

HDMI 3D 4-in-1 Active Extender Solution QVS is pleased to introduce HD4-C6E, HDMI 3D 4-in-1 Active Extender Solution that extends HD signal with HDCP up to 100 meters (328ft) at 1080p 60Hz using CAT6 cable. It has built-in Gigabit Ethernet switch, IR to control source device remotely, and RS232 extender. It supports 3D, Deep Color, DTS-HD & Dolby TrueHD digital audio. Kit includes transmitter & receiver modules and power adaptor. www.QVS.com

Gestural Interactive Technology Virtual Mannequin STRATACACHE’s Gestural Interactive technology attracts, engages and immerses customers—helping retailers intensify product interest and enhance the customer experience. Virtual mannequins, powered by STRATACACHE’s Gestural Interactive technology, allow consumers to interface with displays via gestural controls and motion-based sensors and cameras located on/ in digital displays. Content can include promotional or product messages that, when interacted with, generate mobile coupons and heightened purchase intent. www.stratacache.com

Indoor LED Large Screen System Trans-Lux, a world leader in content delivery, has developed an indoor LED large-screen system that features the smallest LED pitch now available on the market. The 3mm TL-IV3S delivers unmatched image clarity and is the ideal platform to deliver engaging and eyecatching content. With a 281 trillion color palette, the TL-IV3S can transform images from ordinary to spectacular with vibrant and true color reproduction. The energy-efficient LED board measures 144mm x 96mm x 23mm (WxHxD) and is configured in a 7 x 7 (W x H) module array, delivering a resolution of 336 x 224 (W x H) www.trans-lux.com

Easy to Use Digital Signage Solution Retriever partners with ZeeVee to offer the bar, hospital, and hotel markets an easy to use digital signage solution. Retriever Digital Signage is the easiest to use system on the market. With it’s included graphics, templates, 5 day forecast, weather radar, RSS feeds and an IT friendly system, you can be up and running and looking good fast. The ZeeVee 170 turns the Retriever into an HDTV cable channel and broadcasts it over coax cabling to all connected HDTVs. www.retrieverdigitalsignage.com / www.zeevee.com

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Signage Solutions

Products

Video Wall Framing System

32-inch Class LCD Monitor with LED backlight The Sharp PN-T321 professional LCD monitor (32-inch class screen size) offers exceptional performance in a compact package. Its LED backlight ensures reliable performance along with reduced power consumption and cabinet thickness. Its “PC-Free” capability enables a USB thumb drive to be inserted into the display for automatic slide show and audio track playback. The ENERGY STAR® qualified PN-T321 is also compatible with SDSS™ Sharp Digital Signage Software. www.sharpusa.com

Premier Mounts’ new LMV video wall framing system is perfect for supporting large digital signage installations. The model specific alignment plates make installation a fast and easy process. Once the first row of frames is level, all consecutive frames are installed with help of the alignment plates. The multi-dimensional fine-tune adjustments, located on top of each mounting bracket for easy access, allows displays to be aligned from the “home position”. Single-display maintenance is made easy with the mount’s pull-out and service tilt features, which permit access to the flat-panel display from below. www.mounts.com Hosted Software Solution on PC based players Scala QuickStart provides the power, flexibility and reliability of Scala through a quick, easy and cost effective digital signage deployment for companies seeking a solution for smaller networks. Targeted for end-users who want a simple to use interface, with an “out of the box” experience. Scala QuickStart is the perfect solution for corporate reception areas, educational institutions, independent retailers and many other users who do not want to be concerned with complex network management, without compromising on content quality and delivery reliability. www.scala.com

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Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

March/April 2011

Signage Solutions Products

Portable Digital Signage Solution

Digital Signage Enclosure Insight Digital Signage (a division of PC Enclosures, Inc.) manufactures digital signage and LCD enclosures for digital advertising and entertainment solutions for retail shopping centers, schools, arenas,hospitals, convention centers, restaurants, gas stations, industrial factories, office buildings, and hotels where theft and/or weather protection is needed for an LCD in an outdoor or harsh public or industrial environment. www.insightdigitalsignage.com Compact Digital Signage Player SI-18 Signature Book – an ultra compact digital signage player powered by AMD’s G-series Fusion processor and Radeon HD6310 graphics. AMD’s G-series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), packs two (2) CPU and eighty (80) GPU cores on a single piece of silicon. Included is AMD’s UVD3 hardware video decoder which handles full HD playback of MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264, WMV9 and VC-1 video streams without utilizing CPU or GPU resources. Near universal display compatibility is ensured by the Hybrid-DVI connector which interfaces with DVI, HDMI and VGA displays. SI-18 systems come standard with an AMD G-series T56N processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, 160GB of hard drive storage and gigabit Ethernet (WiFi & Bluetooth are optional). www.ibase-usa.com

BrightSign’s new portable digital signage solution provides instant High-resolution displays on a table, counter or desktop. Ready to use right out of the box, BrightSign’s® new TD1012 Tabletop Digital Signage Solution is a freestanding, end-to-end digital signage solution that doesn't require a PC nor any external power or wiring. The solid-state player offers built-in features ranging from a replaceable/rechargeable battery that provides approximately 12 hours of battery life, to Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) capabilities and a 12.1" high-resolution screen. www.brightsign.biz

Facebook Integration for Digital Signage Insteo, a leading digital signage content provider, has launched enhanced integration with Facebook. Insteo Display users now have a direct connection between their point-of-sale digital signage and Facebook. Insteo Display users can now use their company Facebook Page as a content management system for their in-store marketing, when they post a special or promotion on their Facebook page, their digital signs update as well. www.insteo.com

Content Management Software Keywest Technology offers turnkey digital signage controlled through a network using our sophisticated MediaZone content management software. Our products offer a powerful yet easy-to-use way to blend multiple media types, including video, animation, RSS, Web and graphic content into an eye-catching page. Build your playlist, schedule the playout, and then manage changes in real-time. Users also have the option of running MediaZone as a web client, making it easy to control a digital signage network from any PC browser. www.keywesttechnology.com

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Producing Content to Deliver

Engagement,

Recall,&

Results By Philip M. Cohen

T photos courtesy of FlaTALK.tv and CARE Media

Digital Signage Technology for Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Applications

he Digital Place-Based Advertising Association (DPAA) recently announced that ad revenue for the place-based advertising sector has increased more than 25% during the first half of 2010. Advertisers are embracing the opportunity to engage customers as they go about their days, specifically while they are at, or on the way to, a point of purchase. Advances in research have made it easier for a good digital signage network to be successful. Success can be measured in many different ways, but regardless of your definition, revenue must be generated. One way networks can generate revenue is through advertising. But no advertiser will allocate media dollars, without verifiable data to prove the value of a given network. For purposes of this article, we are going to focus on this ad-funded model. When the idea of advertiser supported networks came about, it was difficult to convince agencies and companies to invest in a theory - relevant content along with related advertising is the one-two punch that can influence consumers at the point of purchase. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dive into that a little deeper. Relevant and compelling content will engage the audience. It is those engaged minds that advertising can be impressed upon. That is, the consumer will be able to recall information from a displayed advertisement. That recall is what influences purchasing decisions. Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that content is what engages the viewer and drives results. My team has been running medical networks for over twenty-five years. CARE Media Holdings, Corp. currently provides educational segments to more than 9,000 doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices, 5,500 of which are digitally delivered through broadband internet. At the time when DVD was the best platform that technology would allow, advertisers had to be convinced that place-based media was a good idea and would yield substantial returns on investment. The lack of third-party verifiable, electronically reported support March/April 2011

meant that we had to sell directly to brands because advertising agencies could not justify allocating client budgets to the medium. When CARE Media converted to digital delivery at the turn of the millennium, we were still limited in our procurement of advertising. Although we could now control and track the delivery of our content, we were still in need of a way to prove the value our networks. In 2007, we invested time and money into Nielsen and Arbitron studies. Using that third party data, we have been able to adjust the content in order to optimize engagement, and thus recall. PetCARE TV, one of the CARE Media brands, is utilized by more than 5,000 veterinary offices in the United States and Canada, 1,500 of which are delivered digitally and supported by advertisers. Approximately 100 educational video segments, interspersed with relevant advertising runs in a daily loop, updated regularly. For the PetCARETV network, a July, 2010 Arbitron survey of the broadband delivered offices reports 1.7 million viewers per month with two thirds being female and half being aged 35-54. But this is just enough information to intrigue potential advertising. Analysis of the more specific Arbitron numbers is where we see the real value of the network. Brand recall is the proof that the advertising is being seen and remembered by the audience. Again, recall is only possible when the viewer is engaged by the content. Consider the Super Bowl numbers when you evaluate recall numbers. The Super Bowl has long been called the ultimate advertising platform. The average aided recall of a brand that is advertising in the Super Bowl is 12%, according to Markitecture. com. The 2010 Arbitron survey reported brand recall to be 36% on PetCARETV, and 75% of viewers recalled at least one commercial. Further, after seeing an advertisement on a specific pet food,

After seeing an advertisement

almost half of the viewers asked their veterinarian about it. A specifically designed survey can provide the best detail about a network and thus the benefits to potential advertisers. Knowing that the PetCARETV network can impress pet related items into one million targeted consumers each month is of great value. Arbitron research also found that more than half our audience goes shopping the same day as being exposed to PetCARETV, and 75% of the audience shops within three days after viewing. The data demonstrates the potential return on investment and establishes the network as a serious contender for the advertisers’ media dollars. Advertiser supported networks vie in a very competitive media space. Beyond awareness and recall data, any network operator will tell you that in order to successfully monetize a network, you must adapt to whatever is important to the advertiser. for example, making the network interactive with the integration of mobile media is a growth area that can easily be tested and can track consumers on the path to purchase, right up to the cash register. That’s relevant in the eyes of the advertisers and their media buyers. And that attracts ad dollars. Bottom-line, to be successful with the ad-funded business model, there must be accountability through performance reporting. Don’t tell advertisers you’re engaging people, show them. Third party metrics are helping digital place-based media operators to optimize their success in attracting advertising dollars. It’s this investment by industry operators that will continue to drive increased revenues for the place-based advertising sector. SSM

on a specific pet food, almost half of the viewers asked their

veterinarian about it.

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Philip M. Cohen is President/CEO of CARE Media Holdings Corporation and produces regular video blog at www.cohenoncontent.com.

Signage Essentials Understanding the Basics

Integrating Hardware, Software, and Content into the Optimal Digital Signage Solution By Joseph Agostini

ince entering the digital signage era in 2002, technology has grown by leaps and bounds. Not only are there placebased screens with content seamlessly updated through broadband internet, but there is the utilization of computer screens and mobile screens. And not only can video content be displayed, but there are now the options of sending text messages, interactive texts, images, live feeds, and a multitude of other possibilities. As more and more variables are thrown into the mix, network integrators must stay well versed on the newest and greatest in hardware, software and potential platforms, while continuing to consult with content companies in order to fulfill the wants and needs of the network operators.

Where to start An integrator must start with an understanding of the customers goals and their budget. Let’s ignore the budget for now, and explore the optimal solution. Start with the intended message and begin to assess the variables that cannot be changed such as the environment, audience, and venue. Whenever any of the variables change, the solution must be changed as well.

Content Content is the most important aspect of the network. Before considering the other solutions, the variables must be analyzed in order to come up with a content plan. To ensure the success of a network, the content must first capture the audience’s attention. With the consumer engaged with compelling content, messages can then be sent. This is true regardless of the screen; while surfing the internet and landing on a page, there must be an attention grabber. For example, an airline website may headline a 2 for 1 airfare special to Europe. Because the dwell time on the landing page is so short, there can’t be a whole lot of foreplay. In contrast, in a travel agency, content

An engaged viewer can be motivated to purchase products and services. In a controlled environment such as a doctor’s waiting room, a methodical approach can offer the best engagement, and create a rapport between screen and consumer. Educating and entertaining the viewer before offering products or services is a more subtle and extremely effective way to get a message to the client. can display pictures and videos of places like the Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or The Vatican, as a means to capture attention, prior to displaying the offer. An engaged viewer can be motivated to purchase products and services. In a controlled environment such as a doctor’s waiting room, a methodical approach can offer the best engagement, and create a rapport between screen and consumer. Educating and entertaining the viewer before offering products or services is a more subtle and extremely effective way to get a message to the client. However, in a busy mall or train station where dwell times are minimal, content must engage passersby and deliver messages within seconds.

Software Depending on the content strategy, choosing the best-suited software can be complicated. Many software programs offer reporting and

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

audits to be recorded and sent to a central location via the internet, while others have built in editing capabilities that may be convenient in some systems. If the programming must be updated in each individual location, the selected software should be user friendly and easy to manage. On the other hand, a central distribution point manned by technology savvy managers can use highly sophisticated visual distribution schemes. The decision often comes back to "what is the message, the content, and the technique being used to tell the story?” and then acquiring a software solution specific to that network's goal.

Hardware Contrary to what many believe, the monitor can be the last puzzle piece of the digital signage system and is selected to be compatible with the media player and to function well with the platform on which the content was built. A monitor should fit the size of the environment, and offer picture quality that continually enhances the images. A high quality monitor with a long life, comprehensive warranty, and excellent customer service is ideal. Aside from choosing the types of screens, the integrator must be cognizant of the network's communication objectives so as to be able to determine the most advantageous locations at which to install within the venue, the number of screens needed, and the internet capability, environmental restrictions, structural obstructions, architectural design, and electrical possibilities.

Premature content Prior to spending time and money on content creation, the integrator should consult with the network's marketing group and the content provider to integrate the message across all platform types, even though cross platform messaging may not be on the next horizon. The integrator must be prepared to expand the network's reach to new platforms without

March/April 2011

Signage Solutions

Signage Essentials that recognize the potential and possible results of the digital signage strategy, many companies also have restrictive budgets. The budget plays a huge role in the return on investment. Simple solutions may cost a couple hundred dollars and yield small returns over long periods of time; while fully functioning, large deployments, can reap massive returns on investments, but can require six or even seven figure funding. The network’s budget will set the tone on all aspects of the solution from hardware and software, to content production and implementation channels. But before discussion of modifying content from multiple videos to images and animation, or reducing screens in number, size, or functionality; management needs all the data. Once the integrator has consulted all involved parties, and analyzed the variables as well as the solution strategy, the system can be engineered and the network managers

the network incurring the “old slash and burn” replacement of content protocols experienced in the past. Think about the TV/DVD place-based network that switched to digital distribution and had to re-shoot all of his content in order to go from SP to HD. Internet and mobile screens have many intrinsic uncontrollable variables (chosen by consumer and service provider), that can restrict content capabilities, but good planning will reduce or eliminate those hurdles when the network chooses to extend its reach. And while there is inherently less control on personal computing and mobile screens, it is becoming more and more important to have consistent cross-channel messaging. Utilizing place-based screens to offer specials via text messages and email is a great way to integrate the different channels.

Budget While there are plenty of companies

can implement a content plan and system deployment strategy that fits their budget.

Conclusion When integrating all the wonderful technology and available screens, the strength of the digital signage network still boils down to content. Digital platforms, while nice to look at and impressive to experience, are still just trucks for the real product being delivered; the content being displayed. Don’t get me wrong, taking full advantage of the technology available will springboard a network into the future, but not without a strong foundation of content from which to propel. The integrator's job is to integrate all aspects of the digital signage system...hardware, software, deployment and installation...with one goal in mind...delivering the message. SSM Joseph Agostini is Vice President Network Operations at Seatac Digital Resources, Inc.

Advertiser Index CHIEF www.chiefmfg.com ...................................................................................................................................Back Cover CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY WORLD www.cetworld.com ..................................................................... 29 FLYPAPER www.flypaper.com .......................................................................................................................................... 31 INFOCOMM 2011 www.infocommshow.org .................................................................................................................... 17 INTEL www.intel.com/go/digitalsignage ............................................................................................................................ 9 MITSUBISHI www.mitsubishi-presentations.com ................................................................................... Inside Front Cover NEC DISPLAYS www.necdisplay.com ............................................................................................................................... 3 PEERLESS MOUNTS www.peerlessmounts.com ............................................................................................................ 11 QVS, INC www.qvs.com .................................................................................................................................................. 13 SAMSUNG www.samsung.com ........................................................................................................................................ 23 SEATAC DIGITAL RESOURCES www.seatacdigital.com .................................................................................................... 5 SUNBRITETV

www.sunbritetv.com .................................................................................................................................. 15

SYMON COMMUNICATIONS www.symon.com ............................................................................................................... 7 VIDEO MOUNT PRODUCTS www.videomount.com ....................................................................................................... 25

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By The Way

“…the death of our industry”. The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.

—Paul Valery

By Adrian Weidmann

he year is 1995 – it’s spring and I’m sitting in the office of the Chief Technology Officer of one of the major broadcast companies discussing the state of emerging digital media technology. As we sat in his office in the heart of Hollywood, California we began discussing the artistic and technical merits of digital media and its effects on the way we consume media. His office was filled with all of the awards, achievements and certifications that recognized his professional success. Upon a side wall was mounted, what was then a stateof-the-art plasma display on which we observed a direct digital feed from master control located several floors below. We admired the clarity, resolution and detail of the images we were observing. After admiring techno speak, the CTO leaned back in his chair, took a long pause, and asked, “Do you realize what you’ve been observing for the last fifteen minutes?” Naturally I jumped into a cacophony of pixel related gab peppered with lugubrious amounts of digital this and that. As the room fell silent he smirked, looked out his office window at the iconic Hollywood sign and calmly stated, “What you’ve observed is the death of our industry.” He then went on to explain that what we were watching was the results of internal research being done with digital broadcast signals and magical ‘black boxes’ whose basis could be tracked back to MIT’s Media Lab. What we were watching was broadcast time-shifting before the reality of TIVO and DVRs. Once he pointed out this revelation, it was true! – I had not observed a single commercial – all

of them had been seamlessly deleted from the broadcast signal. Fifteen years have passed since those foreshadowing words tolled for the television broadcast industry and their business model. The television broadcast model is still alive yet its efficacy has eroded profoundly over those fifteen years. TIVO was introduced in 1997, two years after this profound meeting, and today cable companies are giving away Digital Video Recorders. There is now a TIVO app for the iPad. Viacom and HULU just reached an agreement to provide select programming to the online video website. Television, as we (some us baby boomers anyway) know it, will exist into the foreseeable future but its viewers will continue to take more and more control of why, what, when, where, who and how they will view digital media and through what mediums. As I write this piece, Super Bowl XLV will be played this forthcoming weekend. The obligatory anticipation and discussion of the advertisements that will be shown is running rampant. Advertising ‘experts’ are discussing sneak previews on a segment on NBC’s Today show. During their discussion as to the value of a $3 million spot during the game, the following statistics were put forth; • 100 million projected viewers of the game. • 15% will comment on the advertisements through social networks- Facebook and Twitter. • Each of those comments will reach at least 15 people. Their conclusion was that getting “…those billions…” (325 million if you do the math!) of impressions with $3 million was a “drop in the bucket”. In a

Digitally empowered shoppers are systematically taking control of who, where, what, when, why and how their chosen brands are allowed to communicate with them.

Digital Signage Technology for Today’s Applications

March/April 2011

Signage Solutions

By The Way

" . . .consumer initiated interaction is more than 10 times as effective. We live in a multi channel (online, mobile, out-of-home/place-based, broadcast and print) digital world where we have control to turn off, tune out, or ignore any communication".

world where marketers are desperately looking for ways to engage shoppers, impressions continue to be the media currency, and CPM as its metric, that is traded with dollars. Impressions or engagement? Which to pursue? The answer is not one or the other but rather both or ‘it depends’! They both have validity depending upon your communication strategy, and hence, business objective. The corollary to that question is – which medium or media channel – mobile (tablets, smartphones), internet (websites, social networks), in-store/out-of-home (digital signage, kiosks), broadcast or print, is the most relevant? Then there is the promise of digital signage – your message, anyplace, anytime. That phrase started back in 1998 and is still used as a marketing harbinger by many in the industry, yet, to my knowledge; no one has yet to truly deliver on this promise. During a demonstration of digital signage that I conducted back in 1999, the executive watched and listened intently and with apparent interest. At the conclusion of the presentation the executive turned to me and said, “…this is a fantastic tactical implementation in desperate search of a strategy”. In many respects, this continues to be true today. One of the prime advantages of ‘being digital’ means that you are not bound by analog business models. Yet the established ‘analog’ business models of the advertising and media industry along with the practices of agencies and their financial relationships with both brands and the media channels continue to hold firm – at least as long as they can. There continues to be a seismic shift of the ‘status quo’ and its associated flow of money. Digitally empowered shoppers are systematically taking control of who, where, what, when, why and how their chosen brands are allowed to communicate with them. There is still a place for creative, entertaining and relevant marketer initiated advertising, marketing, and promotional (AMP) communication but according to a recent Oracle study, consumer initiated interaction is more than 10 times as effective. We live in a multi channel (online, mobile, out-of-home/place-based, broadcast and print) digital world where we have control to turn off, tune out, or ignore any communication. Conversely, we, as consumers, can also initiate a meaningful

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interaction with a brand that respects us and provides relevant and trusted information. The media is no longer the message. The consumer initiated experience is the message that needs to ignite the customer-brand interaction through the correct medium and channel in a seamless, automated manner, no matter what channel they choose. This permission based, empowered digital world will continue to marginalize brands without a holistic, intelligent, integrated supply-chained marketing communication solution. “Which is the most relevant channel?” The correct answer is, ALL of them! Marketing and operational executives are seeking holistic and ‘smart’ digital media solutions to establish and nurture ‘customers for life’. Too much time and resources are been expended experimenting with fragmented implementations in desperate search of a unifying business strategy. Clever microsites, mobile couponing, social network initiatives, digital signage or interactive kiosk projects, all represent new technologies seeking to “engage” and “enhance the customer experience” all in the name of innovation yet fall far short in helping “sell more stuff”. Television remains viable. Digital signage will continue to grow and have success. Mobile devices and their use as our ‘remote control’ to the world will continue to flourish and amaze us. Implemented separately, using dated ‘analog’ business models, these technologies will never reach their full potential. But together, these channels can be relevant and the brands that create intelligent, synchronized cross-media communication solutions will thrive beyond their expectations. In this digital empowering world, shoppers and consumers are demanding more while at the same time expecting respect and relevancy from the brands of their choice. The brands and value-centric organizations that respect their ‘audience’ and become their ‘trusted mediators’ will be able to develop, engage and sustain a customer-for-life strategy and measure their results with an ongoing ‘share of wallet’. SSM

Adrian Weidmann is co-founder and Managing Partner of StoreStream Metrics, where he designs and implements measureable cross-media communication solutions for brands, retailers and enterprise clients. He can be reached at adrianweidmann@gmail.com

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