Digital Signage Universe

Digital Signage— The Venue Drives the Medium

Content development represents one of the biggest challenges—and ongoing expenses—for digital signage networks. The type of content that you need to acquire for your network is driven by the nature of the venue. The challenge for networks is to understand why certain content works best, and find cost-effective resources. 

Defining the View Mode

Let's assume you're developing a retail network. One of your primary goals is to think about the consumer's path to purchase in order to move shoppers to action. As shoppers move through a retail environment, they respond to visual stimuli that affects their behavior, shifting them into different modes of receptivity. With digital signage these modes are defined as the pass-by-mode, the dwell-time mode, and the interactive-mode. Each of these modes presents a different creative challenge for content developers, and an opportunity for marketers to engage with consumers.

When developing content for digital signage networks a clearly delineated usability plan should be developed that defines the traffic flow around each signage placement. This traffic flow plan defines the mode, which in turn defines the density of screen content that will be effective for delivering messages at a specific location. Logic holds that the less dwell-time there is, the simpler the screen content needs to be to engage effectively with a target audience.

To determine the correct view mode you need to consider what action is expected at each location. Pass-by-mode is defined as any area where the viewer is in motion. For example, a screen placed in a transportation concourse at an airport would leave little or no dwell-time for most viewers. This type of "pass-by" location requires short, simple messages to communicate effectively. By contrast, an area with high dwell-time, such as a waiting room, completely changes the presentation of information. Longer dwell-time enables longer messages and greater density of information on the screen. Multi-zone screen layouts where different content sources, such as news feeds, weather feeds, and video that are mixed together, work best with environments where the audience experiences longer wait times.

When consumers engage with a screen they have entered into the Interactive mode. The interactive mode enables content to become multi-layered, providing a richer, self-guided experience. Products like the iPhone have trained people to interact with the screen, and consumers have come to expect interactive experiences. Smartphones are rapidly being transformed into shopping tools that enable consumers to interact directly with digital signage networks to retrieve information, download virtual coupons, and capture Web address information. Enabling technologies such as QR codes, proximity sensors, and augmented reality are blurring the line between the virtual world and the real world, bridging the gap between the physical and the digital. These interactive experiences are deepening the connection between consumers and brands, and offer marketers a new path to reach their target audience. 

This story continues on our main portal where you can read about the Creative Process and Finding Cost-effective Content Solutions. Visit Digital Signage Universe for more

Digital Signage Industry– the (Website) Barometer

In preparation for releasing the July update of the 2009 USA Solutions Provider Map we also update our Digital Signage Directory, adding new companies and updating links to make sure it's accurate. We assume that if a company has an active Web site then they are a viable business and are actively pursuing accounts. Likewise, when a Web site goes dark we assume the business is no longer active. 

Given the current state of the economy, this quarter's update was notable for several reasons. First the good news, about 95% of US-based companies represented on last quarters update currently have active Web sites. Many new companies have also jumped into the digital signage space, we have seen an increase in request from companies to be included in our Directory. The bad news is that several "big names" seem to be gone, or at least their Web sites have gone dark. We won't name any companies specifically as it is not official, and we try not to get our facts wrong. Those of you who follow the business and use our Directory on a regular basis can probably figure it out on your own. The companies include a Southern-based network, a "big box retail" network provider, and an a well established Northwest provider.

The July 2009 edition of the USA Solutions Providers Map is now available as a FREE download from the Digital Signage Universe Web site.

The 2009 USA Solutions Providers Map is your resource for finding partners to help you plan, install, and maintain your digital signage network. The map lists providers by state from Alaska to Wisconsin and includes a diagram illustrating the kinds of services each company offers. Visit the USA Solutions Providers section of our Directory for direct links to each company's Web site. The Map combined with our link Directory is a valuable resource for any company seeking partners to work with. Our Map and Directory are updated quarterly and this quarter’s edition includes many new solutions providers from across the USA.

Digital Signage at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences Museum

On a recent trip to San Francisco I had the opportunity to visit the newly completed California Academy of Sciences. The California Academy of Sciences makes extensive use of digital signage and projection-based systems, and I thought I would share some images. 

The Academy is located in Golden Gate Park directly across from the new de Young museum. A beautiful location in the heart of San Francisco, the new museum is also the world’s greenest museum.

The building was designed by Renzo Piano, and it's absolutely beautiful. The 400,000 square foot structure houses an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof. It is also home to the Academy's education department that provides a wide range of student and teacher services, and an extensive science library with more than 20 million artifacts.

Part of Renzo Piano's design includes a "living roof" that recycles over 3.6 million gallons of storm water runoff per year and is covered by native California plants and wildflowers. The roof is bordered by a glass canopy containing nearly 60,000 photo voltaic cells which provides up to 10 percent of the Academy’s annual energy needs!  

If you have the opportunity to be in San Francisco I highly recommend a visit here, however you should also make reservations in advance, it's a popular place for visitors.

“It’s the wave of the future, and I’m very upbeat on the system.”

Retail Bar Code Scanning Marks 35th Anniversary 

In 1974 NCR Corporation first demonstrated its scanning system to an overflow crowd attending the Super Market Institute convention. Less than two months later, on June 26, 1974, history was made when a 10-pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum became the first product ever scanned in a retail store setting — with an NCR scanner in a checkout lane at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. Today, there is virtually no consumer product that cannot be scanned at the checkout in a retail store.

NCR and Marsh quickly made headlines in newspapers and trade publications in the United States, Canada and other countries.

“It’s the wave of the future, and I’m very upbeat on the system.” These were the words almost 35 years ago of Virginia Knauer, special assistant for consumer affairs to the President of the United States, when asked about the Universal Product Code (UPC) and the growing interest in retail bar code scanning.

Indeed, the new system helped revolutionize the world of retailing. Bar code scanning at the point of service soon brought faster checkout for shoppers and gave retailers more information and control over inventory and other areas of store operations. But the revolution didn’t stop there.

“That first transaction on an NCR bar code scanner launched a transformation that is still being felt throughout the world of retailing,” said Mike Webster, NCR vice president and general manager, Retail and Hospitality. “It’s a world where NCR has helped make shopping easier and faster for consumers with a stream of innovative solutions that we intend to drive well into the future.”

Today barcodes and QR Codes can interface with digital signage technology bridging the gap between the digital and physical world and offering a more rewarding consumer shopping experience.

A Bright Idea

An interesting concept caught our eye. Popupspace.com is a new UK-based Web site that has launched to map vacant retail space across the United Kingdom. The site provides real estate agents and landlords the ability to list their properties in a database for those interested in utilizing the vacant space for "pop-up" store concepts.

This is a great idea that has applications in the United States. Considering the vast number of vacant storefronts in metropolitan areas like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, a similar concept would work well here. According to a New York Times Article on May 11, 2009 "As Storefronts Become Vacant, Ads Arrive." The retail vacancy rate in New York City rose to 11.2 percent in the first quarter of 2009, the highest it has been since the early 1990s, according to CBRE Econometric Advisors, a unit of the CB Richard Ellis Group.

Going beyond pop-up concept stores this would work well for digital signage advertising. An active database that mapped traffic patterns and demographics could be an excellent tool for media buyers looking to take their client's campaigns down to street level. Companies such as Inwindow Outdoor, WindowGain, Motomedia, and MonsterMedia have proven that projected storefront advertising is effective. Now all that's needed is someone to tie the vacant space together with advertisers in a single marketplace. Even when the economy eventually recovers, the need for landlords to utilize the storefronts on a temporary basis will still be there. This could be a winning concept for anyone willing to take this on, we would, but we're just too busy. :-) 

The Shift to SaaS

As Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Continues to Gain More Ground, Does It Make Sense for Your Digital Signage Network?

The software side of the digital signage business is going through a paradigm shift. An increasing number of software developers are offering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) as an option versus the traditional shrink-wrapped software license. While having more options is a good thing, in this case it can make for a confusing marketplace for the uninitiated. Considering the fact that there are several hundred software developers offering digital signage applications across multiple platforms, it’s a confusing marketplace for anyone thinking about a digital signage application for the first time. 

The industry has seen several shrink-wrap-only digital signage software developers enter the SaaS provider space this year. Established SaaS providers such as BroadSign, Real Digital Media, Rise Vision, Mediatile, and Reflect Systems have been joined by new service offerings from Visix, Stratacache, and Starmount Systems. 

Software-as-a-Service is not a new concept. Some notable examples of SaaS in the marketplace include Salesforce.com, Omniture, and Microsoft's SharePoint. SaaS-based applications are being used today to manage HR, sales, marketing, and finance operations by many enterprises. Before the introduction of SaaS, most software was essentially static. Delivered under shrink-wrap, these applications lived within a walled-garden environment managed by IT departments. With the introduction of SaaS in the late 1990s, everything changed. It’s important to recognize that SaaS is more than just about delivery, it’s a new model for cost savings and functionality.

Is SaaS Right for Your Network?

A better question might be: Is your organization fully prepared to manage a digital signage network? Not all network developers are ready to run all of the associated services that a digital signage network requires, especially in the early stages of a rollout. A SaaS-based solution can make sense for these types of networks by saving on upfront licensing fees, reducing maintenance, management, and infrastructure costs. Because SaaS-based solutions are Web-based, a SaaS-based digital signage solution offers universal access, enabling network management from any location at anytime. SaaS also provides more flexibility to enable your network to scale up as your business grows, turning on locations as they are needed.

Story Continues on our main portal, Visit Digital Signage Universe 

Retail Digital Signage Market to Triple by 2013

A new research report released by iSuppli projects that the retail digital signage market is on track to triple in size by 2013. According to iSuppli, changing needs of retailers are prompting retailers to move away from traditional advertising and seek alternative means of reaching consumers.

Global shipments of digital retail signs are set to rise to 2.5 million units by 2013, generating a Componded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.8 percent from 758,122 units in 2008.

"Competition is getting fierce among retail outlets, and they are seeking innovative ways to attract new customers and increase average transaction size and frequency of visits among existing clientele – making digital signage a perfect fit for their needs," said Sanju Khatri, principal analyst for signage and professional displays at iSuppli.

Another factor driving the adoption of retail digital signage is the demanding and rapidly changing product or service revisions inside retail outlets.

As products change quickly and new feature are released, maintaining active communications with consumers is vital for successful merchandizing. Retail digital signage offers a way to communicate these changes to consumers on a real-time basis.

"Television and print are costly and not really suitable in communicating with target audiences in a real-time manner," Khatri said. This has prompted advertisers to seek more effective ways of communicating to their target audience groups and to maximize their return on investment.

Because of these factors, iSuppli believes many retailers will accept the initial cost of migrating to digital signage platforms given the benefits to retail establishments are greater than the current non-digital signage they are using.

Grabbing the Digital Signage "Bull" by the Horns

As a rule, we don't write opinion-based articles at Digital Signage Universe. We try to stick with the facts and give our readers accurate information that they can use to make smart and informed decisions. We're making an exception to this rule today to follow-up on a recently announced editorial policy change, and to address other issues that we feel the need to speak out about. As an industry resource we try to offer information that is unbiased, factual, and accurate. We strive to include fair balance so that information isn't skewed in a particular direction. We respect our readers, and know, when given the facts, they are intelligent enough to draw their own conclusions.

After issuing our change in editorial policy announcement, we received a fair number of replies from readers and industry insiders who applauded our effort to take a stand against an ever increasing level of factual distortion, misrepresentation, and over-hyped PR that some companies have been distributing. As we said in our note a few weeks ago, credibility matters—yours and ours. 

Think about it this way:  imagine for a moment if all of the individuals responsible for today's financial mess had done their jobs honestly and correctly, protecting the public's interest as they were supposed to. Companies like Moody's Investors Service, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch Ratings, if they had done their job— gauging credit-worthiness with honesty— without being blinded by greed, we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in today. Does anyone really think that any of these companies can regain their reputations and restore the public's trust in them again? We don't think so. The abusive business practices that many of us have turned a blind eye to in the past are no longer acceptable, they can't be.

The "gold rush" mentality that has taken over the digital signage business is not a free license to cast aside the basic rules of principle and ethics. While most companies in the digital signage industry are doing great work, and should be recognized for their contribution in growing this space, there are a few "bad actors" within the industry that have left a bad taste in the mouths of some clients, and in turn have caused damage to the industry.

Riding The Bull

Since starting Digital SIgnage Universe almost 2 years ago, we have met some really outstanding people in the digital signage industry. We've listened and learned great deal from many people within the space, and we thank everyone for their time, insight, and consideration. We also appreciate all of the positive feedback we have received about our site. However, not everyone is happy about the fact that our site, Digital Signage Universe, has come into being. In some ways we have ruined the party for some by offering more information and resources than they would like end-users to know about. We have built our Portal and Directory in a way that attempts (there's always room for improvement) to be all inclusive, unbiased, and easy to use, so that end users have the opportunity to see all of the available options and possibilities. We believe that people need to be given a complete picture so that making complex choices about hardware, software, and partners is done with all the available information in hand. 

We know we're not alone, and there are several great Web sites that offer outstanding coverage of the industry that we read regularly, and we encourage you to visit as well. To start with, we recommend Dave Hayne's Sixteen:Nine blog and Bill Gerba's Digital Signage News Blog, both offer honest and highly experienced industry insight and information. Gary Kayye's rAVe Digital Signage Newsletter offers excellent coverage from the AV integrator's point-of-view. David Weinfeld's Digital Signage Insights looks at emerging trends between digital signage and the world of branding, marketing, and advertising. ExpoNation's Digital Signage Expo Portal has done a great job of taking what was a tradeshow specific site, and have transformed it into a well-balanced industry news and information resource. NetWorld Alliance's Digital Signage Today is the oldest industry portal offering in-depth industry coverage. The Just Out-of-Home Media Blog offers a hip, streetwise, New York City advertising professional's view of the the digital out-of-home industry. Ken Goldberg's Broad Thinking. Narrowcasting blog offers excellent industry insight. We also like Adrian Cotterill's DailyDOOH Web site, while we don't always agree with their style of coverage, the DailyDOOH shine a bright light on many issues within the industry and tends to dive deeper into industry issues. We're also fond of the DailyDOOH's CEO spotlight section that offers unique industry perspective from leaders around the industry, it is well worth a read. Finally, we subscribe to James van Etten's Clippings Newsletter which aggregates important industry news links into a daily email. Van Etten's Clippings offers its readers a valuable daily resource that puts each day's top industry news, with worldwide coverage, into a single easy to use link interface. Well worth subscribing to if you're interested in keeping up with the business.

Beware of Bum Steers

And now to the bad and the ugly. There are several "pay-to-play" sites that pretend to offer themselves as industry resources while steering visitors to specific products and services. If you're new to the industry, or if you're an end-user doing research on digital signage on the Internet, it's easy to get caught in this tangled Web of skewed, biased, and misleading information. Eric Kanagy over at The RedPost recently blogged about this issue in an article called The Revolution: Less BS, where he highlights some of the leading culprits of these pay-to-play schemes. 

In some industries and cultures pay-to-play is considered a "normal" business practice. The problem with "pay-to-play" for the digital signage business is the fact that end-users (The customers and clients that we all want and need to grow our businesses) are being mislead, and there is nothing innocent about what is happening here. For this industry to grow, we all need to be thinking about what's best for the end-user and discourage this practice.

If you're researching digital signage on the Internet and use "Digital Signage" to begin your keyword search, it's very easy for you to land on a group of Web sites that market themselves as "resources" but in fact are designed to steer you to specific products and solutions. While not illegal, it is very misleading and in our opinion—unethical. Being at the top of Google search results is not an endorsement of credibility or quality. The plain facts are that many of the sites that you see at the top of Google's "Digital Signage" search results are there because they have manipulated the search engine results by paying other sites to link to them to increase the their number of inbound links, thus boosting their position on Google's index. Google discourages this type of activity, but it is very difficult to enforce completely. The digital signage business is a young industry that in many ways has been compared to the early days of the Internet—It's a new frontier, and in many ways it's like the wild West.

If we could offer you one piece of advise— it would be to search deeper, do your homework so you know the right questions to ask, and investigate very carefully who you're taking advise from. Try to find true resources that make your deployment needs their priority. This way you won't end up getting a bum steer.

Big Changes Ahead 

The intersection of technologies that has given birth to this industry has created great opportunities. We've seen some exciting solutions, products, and deployments—but, it's only the beginning. This business is changing rapidly, we've seen a glimpse of what's coming—and bigger changes are on the horizon. We're excited about the digital signage industry's future, and look forward to sharing it with you. 

We're interested in hearing your opinion, Please feel free to write us about these issues, or anything related to the digital signage business at: press@digitalsignageuniverse.com

New Editorial Policy at Digital Signage Universe

This business is changing quickly. New products, services, companies, and installations are announced at an ever-increasing rate. As the amount of daily industry news grows, it has become an increasingly more difficult task for us to check every release for accuracy and post information in a timely manner. We have, until now, trusted that the information being sent to us is accurate and factual.

While we expect a certain amount of embellishment in a press release, we also expect that it will be accurate. It seems that some companies have been pushing the envelope on their facts in an effort to gain attention and market share. At a time when we are all looking to raise the profile of the industry, none of us can afford to have our credibility damaged. Credibility matters—yours and ours.

We recently carried a release on our site (which has now been removed) that marked a new low for distortions of fact. We understand that this release had a significant amount of “blow back” for the parties involved, and so Digital Signage Universe will now be vetting releases more carefully from this point forward.

Digital Signage Universe is slowing down the process to make sure that the information we receive is indeed accurate, and that credit is given where credit is due. We ask that other industry news sites to do the same. Posting company news is rarely mission-critical, and accuracy matters more than speed.

For our clients and trusted sources, Digital Signage Universe will make sure that your information gets posted in a timely manner.

Digital Signage Universe was created to highlight digital signage as a marketing and communications tool. The goal is to feature the best-in-class installations, technology, and creative executions the industry has to offer. We carry industry-related news, such as new products and services, as a service to our readers in order to provide a complete and relevant news source for the industry. While we appreciate all of the news that is sent to us, we want to make sure that the information we do carry matters to our readers. 

We have heard from some of you about this issue and we're interested in hearing your opinion. Please feel free to write us about this or anything related to growing the digital signage industry.

Contact us at: press@digitalsignageuniverse.com

KioskCom Self Service Expo and The Digital Signage Show 2009

I have covered the digital out-of-home space for almost two years now and have had the opportunity to attend many industry events. While this year’s KioskCom was smaller than other industry tradeshows, it brought together a broad range of providers, resources, and industry intelligence that has never disappointed me. This year’s event at Mandalay Bay’s Convention Center in Las Vegas demonstrated that despite the current economic challenges, there continues to be strong interest in customer self-service and digital signage technologies.

Keynote Presentation (Day 1)

KioskCom opened with a keynote address called Full Service, Self-Service, outlining Delta Air Lines transition toward integrating self-service touch points into the consumer experience. “When you embark on a self-service venture, cost cannot be your only goal,” said Joshua Weiss, Managing Director of Delta Airlines’ Delta.com, Self-Service, & CRM. Mr. Weiss addressed a packed room. “Self-service is about offering a consistent experience across all consumer touch points,” said Mr. Weiss.

The way people interact with media has changed. No matter what the media platform is, people expect their brands to be available to them all the time. The challenge for marketers is to provide a consistent experience across print, broadcast, online, and mobile media.

Delta has just completed a merger with Northwest Airlines, making Delta the world’s largest airline. The merger has required the integration of both airlines’ systems while maintaining a seamless experience for consumers.

“The way to the future isn’t about expensive hardware,” said Mr. Weiss. Marketers need a strategy that puts the customer in control of their experience. Self-service is about having options and providing a streamlined experience for the end-user.

Self-service needs to be front and center to be successful. Delta’s self-service strategy is multifaceted, including new product development, interface design for improved usability, and facilities changes to streamline the flow of traffic through their terminals. The end result has yielded higher customer satisfaction and increased productivity for Delta—80% of customers now use self-service through delta.com.

Read the full story including conference sessions and keynote presentations on Digital Signage Universe