Digital Signage Insights

Text Polling Hits Cinema Screens

2008-06-17T14:17:00.003-04:00

In an article yesterday, Mediaweek touted the growth of the cinema advertising industry to $540 million in 2007. One of my fellow digital signage bloggers - Bill Gerba - brought attention to this piece and cited why he sees this as a positive for our industry. In his post, Bill wrote:

"While digital signage "purists" often don't include cinema advertising when talking about digital screen networks, it pretty well fits my definition of "the electronic delivery of a message to a screen at a specific place and time", so I have to chalk this one up as a win for all of us."

I must say that i completely agree with Bill's assessment. While cinema advertising is growing in to a segment of its own it is built on the technological and strategic foundations of digital signage. It leverages the targeting power, flexibility, and timeliness of delivering a message to a digital screen.

I see a great future for cinema advertising and believe that it offers a tremendous value proposition for advertisers. Reach a captive audience that you can target based upon the movie they have come to see and the region where they're located. Furthermore, interactivity and direct audience engagement leads to an even richer connection with consumers.

I have written previously about Brand Experience Lab's Advergames system that turns a movie audience in to a human joystick. National Cinemedia is rolling out this technology to their theater properties and have already signed on advertising partners for the innovative experience.

Screenvision, a major provider of cinema advertising - National Cinemedia's largest competitor, will be rolling out text polling to movie theater screens beginning this month.

Screenvision is integrating interactive polling via mobile text messages into its pre-show advertising. Depending on its success, the interactive polling, set to debut in the top 10 DMAs around the middle of the month, may eventually extend to Screenvision's High Definition digital network of approximately 7,000 screens; altogether Screenvision reaches about 14,000 screens, when analog theaters are included. The first advertiser to associate its brand with the poll feature, Verizon Wireless, is sponsoring polls about the audience's musical tastes. They will then be calculated via a live feed, with the results instantly displayed onscreen in the form of a bar chart. (via MediaPost)

This form of interactivity opens up the mobile channel for further advertising on behalf of Screenvision's partners. In delivering an interactive experience that crosses from the cinema screen onto a person's cell phone, a brand gains the opportunity to build a deeper conversation with a consumer. This opens up a wide range of advertising opportunities, such as the delivery of mobile coupons, sponsored text messages, wallpapers, ringtones, WAP links, etc.

The mobile component of the interactive experience provides enhanced metrics to determine the success of a campaign like Verizon's.

Gas Station TV Partners With LG

2008-06-16T12:40:00.005-04:00

The folks at aka.tv made a nice mention of a new strategic alliance between Destination Media, the owners of Gas Station TV, and LCD manufacturer LG Electronics. LG will be the exclusive screen provider for Destination Media's out-of-home media networks, and, in return, will become a major advertiser on those networks.

The response from aka.tv sites the benefits of arrangements such as this in covering the hardware costs of screen installations while providing partners with guaranteed advertising space. This is a terrific strategic alliance that gives Destination Media a great hardware partner who now has a vested interested in the success of Gas Station TV and Destination Media's other network properties. Furthermore, it gives LG a powerful network partner that it can showcase when selling hardware across the digital signage marketplace. Being the exclusive screen provider for a large out-of-home media company will only help LG secure additional business in the future.

I wonder if the exterior casing of Gas Station TV screens will be altered so that a viewer will be able to readily see that the screens are from LG. If the LG moniker is readily viewable on pump top units that provides another resounding benefit from the relationship. Even if a person at the pump didn't see an LG commercial, they would still come in contact with the LG brand.

CBS Outernet to Launch GameStop TV Network

2008-06-05T16:26:00.002-04:00

Check out the Mediaweek article below:

CBS Outernet, CBS' growing digital video networks division, announced Thursday a deal to build out a new in-store digital video network to more than 4,000 GameStop retail locations. Rollout of the new network, called GameStop TV, will be completed during 2009.

CBS has adopted an aggressive strategy to build out digital video networks to reach consumers outside the home, including SignStorey, a network in more than 1,300 grocery stores. With GameStop TV, CBS Outernet's portfolio of digital media networks will grow to more than 5,500 retail locations reaching more than 150 million shoppers.

"This deal gives our national and local advertisers access to the very attractive and hard to reach 18 to 34 male demographic," said Virginia Cargill, president of CBS Outernet. GameStop has about 73 million monthly shoppers.

The newly upgraded network infrastructure provided by Reflect Systems, a digital media software and services company, will enable the network to offer digital delivery of content and advertising to high definition screens. Content will include product promotions, game previews and developer interviews.

CBS Outernet will manage ad sales and operations for GameStop TV and provide custom programming to the network each month, including content from CBS Television, CBS College Sports, Last.fm and other CBS Corp. properties.

Digital Signage in Pharmacies

2008-06-05T08:10:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time (a few years ago) I had aspirations to launch a digital signage network in pharmacies. I had even secured the endorsement of one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors in the country, thus opening the door to thousands of independent pharmacists. I thought that I had it made. With the amount of money spent on pharmaceutical advertising and the wealth of products in any given pharmacy, my partners and I felt that the market offered lucrative opportunities for digital signage.

As we forged ahead on the path to building a digital signage network across independent pharmacies, we soon realized that the capital required to construct the network dwarfed the potential revenues. Plus, the industry was still very much in its infacy, even more so than today. Pharmacies don't generate enough foot traffic for a network owner to secure significant advertising dollars without deploying screens across a large number of locations. And, I mean a LARGE number of locations.

Additionally, always look to build a network across an entire company's chain of stores rather than focusing on a swath of independent business owners. One contract beats a thousand individual ones any day of the week.

I still believe that digital signage will make its way in to pharmacies on a grand scale, I just believe that there are a number of verticals that digital signage companies should satisfy first. As the digital signage industry continues to mature in the eyes of media buyers, and hardware prices continue to drop, I foresee that digital screens will pop up in your neighborhood pharmacy. Perhaps, companies will gain a footprint through shelf edge screens or small wireless screens at checkout counters before expanding to large format digital signage above the pharmacy and aisles.

PRN Adds the Associated Press

2008-06-03T07:54:00.002-04:00

In order to be successful a digital signage network must have strong content. A network's programming is paramount to building loyalty and becoming an entity that people choose to view and engage with. In the vein of building a strong foundation of content, digital signage network operators can either invest in creating their own or partner with content providers. More often than not, the larger the network the more likely you'll see companies go the content partnership route.

While developing content of your own can be valuable in building your network as a unique asset it does come at a steep price, and, in many ways, you're rolling the dice whether fickle consumers will connect with what you produce. Partnering with content providers, such as news outlets, TV networks, and Internet destinations, provide your network with a recognizable brand, or brands, to tie yourself to.

PRN, the digital signage network operator behind screens in such places as Wal-Mart, Costco, BestBuy, and ACME has a variety of content partners, including:

- NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, Discovery HD, Food Network

The fold just got bigger as MediaWeek broke the news that PRN has added the Associated Press as a content partner for CheckoutTV, a network of 19,000 screens. A content partnership such as this has unique benefits for both parties. PRN gains a trusted news source that provides incremental value to its viewers while increasing the stickiness factor of CheckoutTV's programming.

“We are very pleased to add Associated Press to our list of premier content providers on our CheckoutTV network,” said Richard Fisher, PRN president. “We strive to provide the most appropriate, targeted programming that meets the needs of retailers and shoppers alike, and offering this valuable news and information service will certainly enhance the in-store experience.”

I can see it now...all of PRN's advertising sales agents adding the AP logo to the content partner slide on their PowerPoint presentation to media agencies. Because in the end, strong content partners support a digital signage network's advertising sales efforts.

In return, the Associated Press gains a valuable portal for its content. The 19,000 screens in PRN's CheckoutTV network act as another pipe for the Associated Press to leverage in supporting its own brand positioning.

“This arrangement to provide news content to shoppers on PRN’s in-store digital platform is a nice fit with our global goal to reach new markets,” said AP Director of New Media Markets Ted Mendelsohn.

Extend the Reach of Content

2008-06-02T08:04:00.005-04:00

In drawing up proposals for potential advertising partners to leverage digital out-of-home media, I often arrive at the same basic argument: allow your content to live and breathe outside of people's homes. Open up your portfolio of content to people who may never have encounter it on TV, the Web, or in print.

Most brands today have a wealth of content that sits on the Internet - elaborate destinations that wrap consumers in various brand elements. Successful web destinations exist as worlds that consumers can readily become a part of.

While I can't argue with page view numbers and Google rankings, I can argue that utilizing digital signage networks and other digital out-of-home media properties give brands the opportunity to share a plethora of content with people and communities who might never have encountered it. Share a diverse range of content, such as video clips and character interviews, with people on the street and outside of their homes.

In choosing to expand their advertising to digital signage, brands don't have to be committed to a single static ad or even a single 30-second spot. Creative doesn't need to be set in stone. Brands can be as flexible and creative as the medium allows. Change creative. Update content. Market across platforms. Target content to specific demographics and regions. Share content with the world.

Give people the chance to experience creative elements of your brand outside of their homes and draw them in to your web destination. Open the door to the content that you have spent significant time and money to create and let people experience it in different ways.

Go beyond repurposing a TV ad. Think in larger terms than creating new advertisements. Look at digital signage as a pipe that can be continually fed with a wide range of content. It's an ever-changing piece of your media arsenal that gives you the ability to change out creative, mix and match formats, deliver cross-platform assets, and let your content live in a whole new world.

Van Wagner Adds Time and Temperature

2008-05-29T17:09:00.004-04:00

Thought this little piece in Medaweek was worth a mention...

Van Wagner Communications, the largest operator of billboards in New York, has begun to retrofit most of its boards with stainless steel aprons and digital time and temperature devices.

Dubbed “The Van Wagner Standard,” the retrofit will roll out this summer in the outdoor company’s Boston and Chicago markets, followed by Los Angeles.

“People are creatures of habit. We believe they’ll start to look up to see the time and temperature and enhance viewership for the ad,” said Van Wagner CEO Richard Schaps. Added Steve Ridley, CEO of Kinetic, “It’s a baby step toward interactivity. These are some very simple services people react to. But I don’t know if they’ll be able to monetize it in their rates.”

Retrofitting billboards with time and temperature devices....

It does provide value to consumers. It will likely draw extra eyeballs to VanWagner's billboards. It is a point of difference.

I would love to know what the cost per billboard is for adding these devices. Some number cruncher at Van Wagner probably did a full cost-benefit analysis for this "improvement" to the Company's billboards. I tend to agree with Steve Ridley of Kinetic that unless Van Wagner can prove that digital time and temperature readers massively increase viewer engagement the Company will not be able to monetize it in their rates.

I would like to think that Van Wagner did this to purely benefit consumers. (I always like to be reminded of the time and temperature) But, in the end, Van Wagner probably wouldn't be doing this if it didn't think it would boost its bottom line.

Branded Entertainment is Soon to be Everywhere

2008-05-28T10:09:00.002-04:00

From blockbuster director Brett Ratner opening a brand consultancy to TV networks working products in to the storylines of their shows, branded entertainment is growing and doing so quickly.

A new deal-making process is grabbing attention during the biggest buying time of the TV season: Branded-entertainment conversations are taking precedence over large-volume prime-time bookings this upfront.

To get that $16 billion in cable- and broadcast-TV upfront dollars on the table, the networks are increasingly offering marketers the option to meld their brands' DNA into a story or cause that captures an audience's interest.

And that might be a good idea: With ratings steadily declining and commercial ratings entering their second year as the upfront metric of choice, networks and marketers often fight a losing battle to keep viewers hooked during ad breaks. Branded entertainment is an increasingly attractive solution, giving marketers more engagement with products and allowing networks to charge more for exclusive relationships. (via Ad Age)

I have written about branded entertainment in length in the past...see "Branded Entertainment is the Future of Advertising" and believe that the format embodies where media buys and advertising placements are headed. The platform offers an infinite amount of creative possibilities and opportunities for brands to elevate beyond traditional advertising.

Branded entertainment, such as viral videos from Sony - which I wrote about last week, makes ideal content for digital signage networks. The format provides digital signage network owners with a "two birds with one stone" solution that delivers engaging, dynamic content to capture people's attention while providing advertising revenue on the back end. When people get pulled seamlessly into a branded advertisement, unaware that what they're watching is trying to sell them something, advertisers and digital signage network owners both win.

Listed below are a few branded entertainment deals that we'll see on TV this coming season:

- TNT and Dodge will pair up in July for "Lucky Chance," a branded microseries produced by Espionage and Omnicom Group's Full Circle Entertainment. The 20-part series follows an undercover Drug Enforcement Agency agent named Lucky Chance who uses his 2009 Dodge Challenger to transport $50 million in four days to a mob boss threatening to blackmail him for a crime he didn't commit.

AT&T also came onboard as an integrated sponsor for its global positioning system and will help Dodge cross-promote the series through on-air spots.

- GM is the exclusive national and integrated sponsor of "Greensburg," a Discovery Channel docu-series produced by Leonardo DiCaprio that focuses, in part, on a Kansas-based Chevrolet dealer who loses his dealership in a tornado and is in the process of rebuilding a new, environmentally friendly model. GM is even commissioning Discovery Studios to produce in-house ads for it during the next two months to further align the two companies' green-marketing messages.

Sony Uses Viral Video in Interactive Window

2008-05-26T08:30:00.003-04:00

Sony has installed interactive digital window projections at its flagship stores in London to feature its latest viral video "Foam City." When a passerby touches the window - clearing the foam form the screen - he activates the viral video.

In Sony's new "Foam City" ad, Miami becomes a soapy free-for-all when 120 million gallons of bubbles are unleashed in the streets. The world's largest foam machine was custom-built for the shoot, and pumped out over 500,000 gallons of foam per minute. The commercial is for Sony's cameras, and locals got Alpha DSLRs, Cyber-shots, and Handycams to shoot the experience. (via Gizmodo)

The viral video is a perfect creative element to feature on a digital window projection. It is ideal content to grab people's attention and stop them in front of Sony stores. Once people experience the wonder of the "Foam City" experience, there's a better chance they'll walk into the store. It certainly beats a static point-of-purchase window display.

From Static Signs to Digital Signage

2008-05-22T09:15:00.004-04:00

I have spent significant time in transit stations over the last few months, for work and travel, and have undoubtedly come across a wealth of static signs in these locations. Unless an advertiser has gone for "station domination" - buying ad space throughout a terminal or rail stop to encompass the environment - the advertising in a transit station can be as diverse as the product lines in a Wal Mart.

As I looked out the window of my train car yesterday, eyeing advertising posters at each stop along my commute, I only saw digital signage at one of the railway hubs - outdoor LCD screens placed back-to-back airing what looked to be a mix of PowerPoint slides (static ads) and train information.

The lack of digital signage along my commute and in the station where I picked up my train, which acts as a major origin point for daily commuters to New York's Penn Station, I couldn't help but imagine a world on the other end of the outdoor advertising spectrum - digital signage everywhere!

Transit stations and transportation hubs offer diverse opportunities for digital signage, in that there are certain areas that offer significant dwell time and other spots (where static signs are currently placed) that people pass by in quick stride. Ultimately, what this means for digital signage network operators in these transportation locations is that they must have a wide spectrum of content and media platform strategies, coupled with a variety of technology solutions, to fit the range of digital advertising opportunities that abound.

To best blanket a transit station with digital signage to achieve the greatest results, a provider must incorporate interactive displays, projection screens, digital posters, short-form digital content, while also building a digital signage programming network (with dynamic, engaging content - branded entertainment, short films, news broadcasts, digital artwork, etc.)that is updated throughout the day to best satisfy commuters in dwell areas.

Converging Worlds: Digital Signage and TV Networks

2008-05-19T13:02:00.002-04:00

I imagine a world in which programming once confined to a single medium exists on multiple platforms. I imagine a world where viewers hold the key to the media kingdom. I imagine a world where programming adapts to viewers. I imagine a world that is devoid of media boundaries.

The world I imagine is now.

Programming once confined to your television set is living and breathing on the Internet, your mobile phone, and digital screens that you encounter outside of your home. The television paradigm is changing and it's people, like you and I, that are leading this media revolution. As television ratings continue to dip and viewers migrate to alternate platforms, traditional networks will need to latch on to every potential outlet for their programming to survive.

While networks like CBS, NBC, and Fox are undoubtedly building out their Web presence and expanding into areas like social networking and user-generated content, so too will they continue to bolster their influence across digital signage networks.

Having entered the digital signage industry as advertising sales and content partners for emerging digital out-of-home media companies, I theorize that major television networks will some day take over complete ownership of these properties (think CBS' acquisition of SignStorey) in an effort to maintain control over one of the fasted growing segments of the media industry.

Through the outright purchase of captive audience networks in bars and restaurants, shopping malls, doctors offices, and other high traffic locations, major TV networks will be able to build expansive out-of-home media portfolios that represent the perfect canvas for programming that once only lived on your television set. While the content, of course, must be adapted and modified to best fit the medium (perhaps, in the mold of short form content and interactive programming), the convergence of digital signage and television programming will bring forth a new age of street level broadcasts.

Microsoft Introduces TouchWall: Making Any Surface Interactive

2008-05-15T09:09:00.003-04:00

At Microsoft's recent CEO Summit, Bill Gates demonstrated a new multi-touch computer system and interface dubbed TouchWall. The technology makes any vertical display interactive through multiple simultaneous touch points.

During the demonstration, Gates said:

"Our view is that all the surfaces--horizontal surfaces, vertical surfaces--will eventually have an inexpensive screen display capability and software that sees what you are doing there, so it is completely interactive."

When the words Microsoft and multi-touch are joined in a sentence, it's impossible not to think of the Microsoft Surface. The Microsoft Surface is an interactive multi-touch table and computer that can also identify physical objects. Its first commercial deployment will be in A&T stores nationwide.

While the Microsoft Surface retails for around $10,000, TouchWall offers a much more accessible price point. "The hardware to turn almost anything into a multi-touch interface for TouchWall is just hundreds of dollars" said Ian Sands, Microsoft's Director of Envisioning. The system consists of three infrared lasers that scan a surface. A camera notes when something breaks through the laser line and feeds that information back to the Plex software running on Vista.

In regards to the future ubiquity of interactive multi-touch technology, Bill Gates remarked:

"This kind of whiteboard--with a little bit of hardware advance over the next couple of years--will not be an expensive thing. And that's why we're saying that it will be absolutely pervasive. And people's ability to get it--information--and not want to see it on paper--want to just have it here where its so much more interactive--will be dramatically changed."

As the pervasiveness of this type of technology grows, so to will its presence in digital signage deployments. We are already seeing a number of brands and retailers take the plunge into gesture, mobile phone, and touch-based interactivity with powerful results.

Digital Out-of-Home Media Joins Network Upfronts

2008-05-13T13:44:00.003-04:00

A recent Advertising Age article entitled, "It's Not Just TV Networks Doing All The Selling," touts the integration of other media platforms into the upfront TV network buying period to woo marketers. A growing number of web portals, out-of-home media companies, and cinema chains are joining in on TV's biggest buying period. Media mix marketing is becoming the strategy of choice for advertisers who are aren't looking to make the bulk of their buys in TV this year.

"The upfront meeting that has been about television for so long is making efforts to become more of a holistic conversation," said John Swift, executive director-managing partner at Omnicom Group's PHD.

Regarding the introduction of digital signage and digital out-of-home media assets into the upfront buying period, Andrew Hampp, writes:

Both CBS and NBC will plug their out-of-home assets during their companywide sales pitches this week to tout extra reach and added value, a rare opportunity for otherwise small, niche players in fragmented media to get more consideration from buyers and planners.

This is a great opportunity for digital signage networks with ties to CBS and NBC, such as SignStorey, Arena Media Networks, IdeaCast, The University Network, and Ripple TV, to get a seat at the table with the big boys. Hopefully, this is a harbinger for things to come in the digital out-of-home media industry.

As fewer and fewer people tune into major TV networks, the likes of CBS, NBC, and ABC will need to increasingly look to platforms like the Web and digital signage to reach consumers.

Digital Signage Association Publishes Report on Digital Signage ROI

2008-05-12T15:24:00.003-04:00

The Digital Signage Association has published “Retail Digital Signage ROI: Finding the break-even point,” an exclusive research report that uses real-world numbers to estimate ROI and benefits for various types of retail.

“The one question that gets asked about digital signage more than any other is, ‘What is this going to do for me?’” said James Bickers, editor of Retail Customer Experience and former editor of Digital Signage Today. “This report spells out the benefits with clear numerical data.”

About the Report (via The Digital Signage Association)

It’s clear that digital signage has a positive impact on retail sales — but just how much of one is a matter of debate. Numerous studies have been commissioned and published, trying to determine the net effect dynamic signage will have on the average store’s sales.

In this report, we aim to provide a thumbnail estimate of that break-even point, for various types of retail. To do this, we created a fictional shopping center retailer, complete with a screen layout floor plan. We took that floor plan to 10 leading digital signage providers and had them price out a signage program. We averaged those numbers together, and then compared them to an average of the sales uplift figures and the ultimate impact on revenue.

You’ll see the assumptions we used, the prices we received and the results that follow when they’re all put together.

Learn about the costs – and the benefits – of deploying digital signage in your retail space.

- Get a grip on ROI with actual numbers provided by actual digital signage vendors.
- How much does your store stand to profit over time as a result of deploying screens?
- Pages of exclusive graphs tell the story.
- Make the case for adding digital signage with research-based sales-lift data.
- Gain insight into how digital signage works, and what specific benefits it brings, to specific retailer types.

Get your copy of the report here.

The report provides a nice overview of the ROI benefits of deploying digital signage in retail. The crux of the report correlates sales uplift resulting from stores leveraging digital signage and the costs (both initial and ongoing) incurred from installing such systems. I wish that the report included an appendix detailing the sources for the figures and data that are used in its graphs.

The report is a nice primer, in the vein of an executive summary, that those inside and outside of the industry can use as good resource (within one's library of digital signage books, articles, reports, etc.) to illustrate the power and benefits of digital signage in retail.

IdeaCast Announces Airline TV

2008-05-09T09:39:00.003-04:00

Ideacast, a digital out-of-home media company that reaches consumers in health, entertainment, retail and transit venues nationwide, has just announced an advertising sales partnership with Continental and Frontier Airlines. Gaining another network in its already burgeoning portfolio of digital signage network partners, including the likes of Transit TV, Health Club TV, and Six Flags TV, IdeaCast is quickly becoming a major player in the digital out-of home media industry.

Having a portfolio of digital signage properties, each offering gateways to prized demographic groups, helps to position IdeaCast as a one-stop shop for advertisers to reach people when they're out of their homes. And, now, when they're not even on the ground.

The new offering, called Airline TV, is projected to reach 21 million passengers by the end of 2009, and up to 45 million passengers by 2010, according to the companies.

“LiveTV is the pioneer of a new model of in-flight entertainment. Gone are the days when consumers were content to share their movies and shows with the rest of the cabin. Today, consumers are used to more personalized service, and they want their entertainment to be tailored to them, as well,” said Jason Brown, president of sales and marketing, IdeaCast.

Beginning in January 2009, Continental’s domestic fleet of next-gen aircraft will be retrofitted with LiveTV’s in-seat satellite TV system, which delivers up to 36 channels of live DirecTV programming, four channels of stored content, and a real-time GPS map channel.
(Via Media Buyer Planner)

In-flight entertainment is rapidly changing from a one-size fits all model to an a-la-carte, consumer-driven experience. Seatback screens are giving each passenger the ability to choose what he or she wants to watch - movies or TV programming - and play - from sodoku to multi-player poker games. Targeted programming like this gives advertisers ample opportunity to reach passengers with the right message at the right time.

DC Metro System Issues "Zero Dollar" Digital Signage RFP

2008-05-08T09:11:00.003-04:00

As digital signage efforts continue to grow both locally and worldwide, more and more major out-of-home initiatives are being implemented. In what may be one of the most aggressive examples of expectations set by the digital signage industry, the Washington DC metro system has recently issued a “zero dollar” bid for a wholesale infrastructure swap-out of its printed advertising to digital signage. Officially dubbed The Metro Channel (TMC), the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) has issued an official (and public) RFP for a no-cost contract to support the following components of a digital signage installation for the nation’s second largest transit system (via Display Search):

1. Financing
2. Design / Build
3. Operate, Maintain, Create Content and Sell content

As a “zero cost” bid, the WMATA expects to pay no money for these installations, maintenance and content management, with the winner of the bid keeping all revenues associated with advertising. Based upon past history of revenues generated from prior contracts, this contract is expected to yield revenues in excess of $35M annually but require a CAPEX spending of an estimated $50M with $2.5M to be paid upfront to the WMATA and no revenue contributions available until July 10, 2010 (the date when the current CBS outdoor contract expires).

The folks over at Display Search, a leading provider of information, consulting and conferences on the display supply chain and display-related industries, have done a great job in reviewing the scope and projected costs of the DC Metro's "Zero Dollar" RFP. Publicly known bidders as of April include the likes of: CBS Outdoor, JCDecaux , CNN Airport, CISCO, Transit TV, Turner Private Networks, and NBC Universal.

Investing in this type of digital signage initiative is projected to offer significant long-term revenues, but, of course, that comes with high upfront costs and recurring expenses. This RFP is more like a venture capital or private equity deal than a pure technology infrastructure swap-out. Hey, if the DC Metro System can have another entity, or group of companies, pay to transition its static signs to digital signage - and significant revenues are generated - then everybody wins, including DC Metro passengers.

Clear Channel Links with Reactrix for Airport Interactivity

2008-05-06T09:41:00.003-04:00

Reactrix displays, gesture-based interactive projection screens, have a national footprint in malls and arenas. Having been named as the interactive technology partner for National CineMedia, you will soon see Reactrix displays in cinema lobbies across the country.

Thanks to a new partnership with Clear Channel, Reactrix displays will soon be gaining a foothold in airports as well.

Clear Channel Airports, a division of Clear Channel Outdoor, will have full responsibility for the operation, sales and licensing of Reactrix's StepScape displays for its airport partners. Clear Channel has partnered with most major airports in the country outside New York City, including Chicago O'Hare, Boston Logan, Dallas-Fort Worth Intl., Philadelphia Intl., Phoenix Sky Harbor and San Francisco Intl.

Like its other StepScape displays in malls and other public areas, the Reactrix system will project digital images onto the floors of airport terminals, which attract passersby by responding to their motion. Once engaged, the user is invited to explore the interactive display, controlling it with different gestures that are tracked by motion sensors. (via MediaPost)

Given that Reactrix executives have said recently that they are looking to make their displays into more of an actual point-of-sale, linking their technology with place-based commerce initiatives, I am surprised that the press release touting the Company's partnership with Clear Channel did not make any mention of Reactrix's WAVEscape displays.

WAVEscape represents the integration of gesture-based control and flat panel displays. WAVEscape features configurable levels of interactivity that are heightened as a consumer moves closer to the display. The interactive display technology can be triggered from approximately 15 feet away as the display content responds to consumer movement to entice further interaction. As consumers approach a WAVEscape digitally-formatted advertisement, their position and gestures are instantly recognized, enabling different levels of interaction based on proximity to the display. In more simple terms, WAVEscape delivers "Wii-like" functionality in a digital signage experience. (via Reactrix Company Website)

I see great potential in integrating point-of-sale applications with Reactrix's WAVEscape displays, enabling consumers to purchase items through gesture control and other interactive technologies. If the Company really wants to go in this direction, I don't see them linking place-based commerce with interactive floor projections. For some reason, I don't think people will warm to the idea of stepping on a product to buy it.

But, having a behemoth like Clear Channel selling your technology into major airports is a success that should be celebrated. I imagine that Reactrix will use the door that this deal opens to broaden its reach and ultimately push new, more pervasive, technologies into these venues.

Art and Digital Signage

2008-05-05T09:26:00.002-04:00

I have written about the topic of Art and Advertising previously, citing the widespread benefits of linking art and digital signage. The aesthetic and cultural value captured by sharing screen time with artistic endeavors, such as working with emerging artists, non-profit art organizations, museums, galleries is priceless.

A recent post on the blog Digital Out-of-Home brings to light the most recent artistic campaign brought forth from the partnership between ONESTOP Media Group, an out-of-home digital company in the retail, hospitality,and transit industries; Art for Commerce; and the Toronto Transit Commission. The campaign give the city’s commuters a chance to see how photographers have interpreted their city.

The 2nd Annual Photography Exhibition – themed on ‘Contacting Toronto: Memories for the City’ - is running for the month of May on the TTC Digital Network.

‘Contacting Toronto’ is showcasing a total of 62 photographic stories in 31 days to over 1 million people weekly. The photos are showing on more than 250 platform screens in over 40 stations throughout the TTC. The exhibit airs once every 10 minutes and features two different photographers a day in 30-second blocks of time.

Advertising Industry Leaders Urge Agencies to Embrace New Media

2008-04-30T12:48:00.003-04:00

Speaker after speaker at Tuesday's general session of the Leadership Conference of the American Association of Advertising Agencies urged shops to embrace the digital revolution to help clients market their brands and rise to the considerable challenges created by the complex media landscape.

Many industry leaders at the conference, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt and GroupM CEO Irwin Gotlieb, said speed, innovation and adaptability were crucial to reaching consumers today.

"Today we need to make more material, make it more quickly and in more rapidly changing formats," said Gotlieb. "We need to distribute it in more channels, measure infinitely greater and more timely data streams, negotiate with more partners for different kinds of inventory and support it all with an ever-growing arsenal of technology and talent. A failure in any part of the ecosystem will crash the entire process and . . . it's crucial that creative agencies and media agencies work in lockstep every step of the way."

Schmidt, whose brief address focused on how quickly and how broadly consumers are adapting to Web-based technology, said the "real opportunity is in developing new forms of storytelling, new forms of narratives" that tap into that growing interest.

"The rate of innovation is actually increasing in the Internet. And there are these very, very large new opportunities and platforms before us that all of us together are going to be exploiting," he added. (via AdWeek)

Speed, Innovation, and Adaptability....new forms of storytelling, new forms of narratives...Can anyone tell me an emerging media platform that offers all of these characteristics?

I hope that all of you answered: DIGITAL SIGNAGE.

The flexibility, speed, and targeting power of digital signage can only be compared to that of the Internet. It is an innovative storytelling platform that offers consumers web-based technology in out-of-home environments.

Perhaps all of us in the digital signage industry will be fielding calls from the likes of Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, in the near future...

Digital Signage Interactivity: National CineMedia Launches Advergames

2008-04-29T09:51:00.003-04:00

I am a fervent supporter of making digital signage interactive, as evidenced by my company's work with innovative mobile technology company MegaPhone. Giving people the ability to interact with digital signage networks, billboards, and screens in commercial and public spaces further connects them to brands through an entertaining experience. Building a richer experience and conversation, represents the fullness of digital signage interactivity.

Interactivity drives consumer participation, loyalty, and adds exponential value to digital signage...contributing to what draws people to look at, and pay attention to, digital screens. Whether interactivity is facilitated via touch, gesture control, or through the use of one's mobile phone (MegaPhone), the added feature drives engagement, involvement, and provides enhanced metrics to further support ROI.

National CineMedia, the company behind the advertisements on move theater screens and cinema lobbies, is bringing interactive "advergames" to 750 screens nationwide. Information on the innovative advertising solution is listed below (courtesy of Media Life Magazine).

I think this is a very interesting use of digital signage interactivity. Ultimately, however, I think there are interactive technologies that offer increased engagement and measurement. Without letting any cats out of the bag, I'll just say that hopefully you'll be experiencing those interactive elements at your local theater very soon.

What
Interactive games that engage viewers in a brand are played on movie theater screens.

Who
National CineMedia, headquartered in Centennial, Colo.

How it works
Interactive ad games are projected on the big screen in movie theaters.

Movie theater audiences move together to form a human joystick that controls the interactive gaming elements on the big screen. For example, in a game sponsored by Volvo, the audience leans right or left to steer an image of a car through an obstacle course.

CineMedia uses Brand Experience Lab’s AudienceGames program to create the games. The program is dubbed Advergame.

The games are part of the pre-show programming.

A 90-second game is standard, but an Advergame can last up to two and a half minutes, and that includes a portion where the audience is instructed in how to play the game.

The advertiser can also choose to change the game for different audiences.

Markets
The program is rolling out on 750 screens in 50 theaters in the top 20 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

How it is measured
Measurement is based on the number of ticket sales.

Research
According to data supplied by Brand Experience Lab’s CEO Barry Grieff and conducted jointly with SS+K:
-71 percent of audience members reported unaided recall of MSNBC as the game sponsor.
-78 percent reported playing the game.
-93 percent said they want more games in cinemas.
-75 percent said they were more likely to use the brand after playing the game.
-86 percent said they prefer a game to an ad.

Additionally, according to a January 2008 Entertainment Choices poll:
-50 percent of moviegoers go out to eat after they leave the theater.
-30 percent go shopping after the movie ends.

What product categories do well
Automobiles, entertainment, gaming, computer hardware and software, military, financial, retail, consumer packaged goods, beverages and quick service restaurants are top categories.

Demographics
According to a Nielsen study, National CineMedia movie audiences are 51 percent female, and over half are between 12 and 34 years old, with 11.6 percent at 2-11, 15.9 percent at 12-17, 34.6 percent at 18-34, 25.3 percent at 35-54 and 12.6 percent at 55 and older.

Race breakdown is 80 percent Caucasian, 6 percent African American, 6 percent Asian American and 10 percent other. Median household income is $68,365, which is 31 percent higher than the national average.

Attendance by movie rating was 50 percent PG-13, 24.5 percent PG, 19.9 percent R and 5.8 percent G.

Making the buy
Lead time is three months. Cost for a 90-second program ranges from $750,000 to $800,000 for a four-week flight.

Advertisers buy the network.

Who’s already on big screen interactive ads
MSNBC launched the program in the U.S. Volvo ads launched it in the U.K.

What they’re saying
“It’s totally unique for the advertiser. The games are custom-created for each client. It’s interactive gaming with the brand as the star of the game. The brand is the hero.” – National CineMedia president of sales Cliff Marks

Web site info
National CineMedia at http://www.ncm.com

Outdoor Advertising Insights: Interview with Van Wagner CEO

2008-04-28T11:23:00.004-04:00

Outdoor advertising continues to experience rapid growth (7 - 9% a year) despite downturns and disruptions in other media sectors. This interview with Richard Schaps, CEO of Van Wagner Communications, takes a look at the state of the outdoor advertising market.

He touches on the use of digital signage technologies, which he alludes to shaping the future of the outdoor industry, as a key means to lure brands away from traditional advertising mediums.

Branded Entertainment Gets a Major Push from PR Giant Edelman

2008-04-25T12:31:00.003-04:00

I hope that we can all agree on the power engaging, creative content has in today's media environment. Branded entertainment is the future of advertising (an earlier post expands on this assertion). Brands must ascend to a higher creative level in their advertising and produce spots/commercials/promotional material that exist at a convergence point with the creative community at large.

Creative content fuels the beast. It drives television, digital signage, out-of-home, and mobile networks. At the end of the day, almost everything that we read, watch, and listen to, is supported by advertising. Meaning that the content that draws you in - a TV show, a radio broadcast, a magazine article on the plight of the homeless, a viral video featuring the latest cast-off from American Idol - is produced to generate advertising dollars.

The content cycle is never-ending as long as you have people to consume what you produce...which is becoming an ever-increasing problem in today's media environment. With an abundance of choices, consumers are empowered to pick and choose what, where, and when they consume the content that exists all around them.

So it shouldn't come as much of a shock that one of the largest PR agencies in the world - Edelman - has just formed a virtual studio that will link emerging talent and professional talent with brands and companies aiming to connect with consumers in new ways. The studio will solicit and develop creative content -- from TV shows to film shorts and webisodes -- from screenwriters, producers and directors who will have a shot at competing for assignments from heavy-hitting marketers.

"Edelman Studios is a milestone in Edelman's ongoing expansion of the traditional public relations model," Nancy Ruscheinski, who last month was promoted to president-chief operating officer of Edelman U.S., said in a statement. "Creativity and content have always been essential components of our business, and Edelman Studios allows us to deliver both at an even higher level, and while sourcing creative content from unexpected places."

Edelman, meanwhile, is betting that the new offering, which kicks off next week during the Tribeca Film Festival, will present a unique opportunity for lesser-known talents such as film students and other emerging content producers.

Starting April 28, they can register at Edelman.com/Studios in order to review and respond to studio assignments from participating Edelman clients.

Content idea submissions -- which can be for any medium, TV, online, even mobile -- will be vetted by entertainment honchos at Matter, Edelman's entertainment arm, and the top three artists selected for each assignment will then pitch the marketer. Those who are given the green light will be paid cash and can team with Edelman Studios to develop and produce his or her concept. (via Advertising Age)

Google Now Offering Mobile Banner Ads

2008-04-24T09:21:00.004-04:00

Mobile marketing has taken another step forward as Google is now offering mobile banner ads - the mobile version of web bage banner advertisements. Previosuly, Google only offered sponsored text ads through its mobile search engine and those of its partners.

The Google Mobile team writes:

These look like standard image ads for desktop web pages but they are smaller to fit on mobile screens and they run on the mobile content network. Take a look at the mobile image ads example page to see samples….For advertisers, mobile image ads serve as a branding tool and have shown to have good clickthrough rates. Advertisers using mobile image ads will also benefit because we only show one image ad per mobile page. For publishers, mobile image ads provide added flexibility.

(Via TechCrunch)

Venture Capital News in the Digital Signage Industry

2008-04-24T07:07:00.005-04:00

Adcentricity, a digital out-of-home media sales network, has raised $3 million in Series A Funding. The Toronto-based company offers advertising sales and media management services to a portfolio of over 70 digital signage networks. The Company's model is very similar to that of network aggregator SeeSaw Networks.

With all of the success SeeSaw has seen in the last year - linking up with Ripple TV, BroadSign (a major digital signage software provider), and Locamoda (interactive mobile technology) - Adcentricity needs to make a significant push in the United States to maintain its relevancy.

Adcentricity's founder, Rob Gorrie, is a passionate technology advocate and media professional within the digital signage industry. He and I have had some very good conversations about the direction and future of the industry. He is a thought leader and visionary whose ideas could have a major impact on the whole of the digital signage sector.

The Toronto-based company will use the funding to substantially increase its sales presence throughout North America, increase the depth of its network partnerships in its existing and new verticals, and invest in supporting research with partners and media / advertising Agencies.

"There are tremendous growth opportunities in Digital OOH and we are expanding strategically to appeal to the increased demand from Brands and Agencies for scalable media opportunities in place based and retail environments, while investing strongly in our dedicated Digital OOH media sales efforts," said Rob Gorrie, president of ADCENTRICITY.

"We are working in a truly great industry, which provides for unprecedented 'hyper targeting' of audiences on a large scale across North America. In the year since we launched, we have made major progress attracting Network partners to our service, introduced a robust end-to-end media platform, and made great in-roads in servicing the planning and buying market at the agency and advertiser level. The extra resources provided by Propulsion Ventures will only increase these areas as key strengths of ADCENTRICITY."

"Today, advertisers are enjoying amazing new media opportunities created by Digital Signage entrepreneurs from around North America," said Benoit Hogue, Managing Partner at Propulsion Ventures. "ADCENTRICITY has created a growing and sustainable business to support these Network partners at the National Advertiser level. We are delighted to be participating to further increase their revenue opportunities." (via Fox Business)

Out-of-Home Media: Mediaweek's Video Roundtable

2008-04-21T13:14:00.004-04:00

I wrote a post last week on Mediaweek's new monthly editorial section dedicated to out-of-home media dubbed "Out There." To usher in the new section, Mediaweek brought together a group of high-level media executives to discuss various facets of the out-of-home media industry. The video above is Part 1 of the Five-Part roundtable discussion. The participants included:

- Joe Philport: President, Traffic Audit Bureau
- Coleen Kuehn: EVP - Chief Strategist, Havas Media
- Greg Castrnuovo: SVP - Entertainment, Initiative
- Mark Kaline: Global Media Manager, Ford
- Erwin Ephron: President, Ephron Consulting

The discussion centered around key themes, such as: Out of Home's Role in Marketing, Engaging the Consumer, The Need for Measurement, and Getting a Larger Share of Budget.

If you are interested in media, advertising, digital signage, out-of-home media, guerrilla marketing, new media, etc., I recommend that you take the time to view the video discussion and read the transcripts. Some of the quotes I found most powerful and interesting include:

Mark Kaline (Global Media Manager, Ford): "Out-of Home is a sleeping giant."

Greg Castronuovo (SVP, Initiative):

"Emerging technologies make the medium even that much more compelling.
"Out-of-Home is at the crossroads of promotion, creativity, media, marketing, and digital."

- "There is no other platform that elicits the same response"

- "Advantage of a localized medium on a national scale" (Thank you, digital signage!)

- "Out-of Home is Point of Purchase. Out-of-Home is surprise."