Random DS Observations
By Dave Haynes
Editor, Sixteen:Nine A lot of times I don’t write about stuff because it’s just not all that interesting –- the steady drip-drip of announcements of turnkey solutions (!!!) and remarkable (not) software advances being good examples.
Other times, there’s something there… but not enough to write a full-bodied post and then find an image so the home page stays consistent. The latter applies here. So, a few things I’ve noticed and am cobbling into an assorted article…
AMSCREEN
News of Amscreen in the UK expanding into Europe, and then acquiring media sales group Digicom, is a bit of a big moment for the industry. I haven’t been to the UK since 2007, so I’ve never seen Amscreen’s product in the wild. But from a distance, it’s always looked breathtakingly mediocre.
Smallish, utilitarian displays mounted on a pole at cash will tend to leave people uninspired, but the important thing to remember here is that it is working for the company, and apparently for the venue owners and advertisers.
One of the key reasons it works overall is that utilitarian plug’n'play design removes variables and drops manufacturing, install and management costs as low as they can go.
My worry is that Amscreen’s success will lead yet more entrepreneurs to conclude the gas station/convenience store sector is media business slam-dunk and go after it with their own start-up networks. It’s not.
Amscreen came from a PC manufacturing background and got plug'n'play down to a budget-price science, and then got seasoned, serious media people selling their inventory. They also started with a high public profile, a very deep Rolodex and enough money to get to critical mass in a hurry.
Learn from what these guys have done, but don’t assume what they’re up to is the universal answer.
DOWELL
Jeff Dowell has landed on his feet after his rapid rise and then fall at LG U.S., where he was the high profile VP of Digital Signage (after much head-hunting) for a couple of years. He was punted after DSE, as the South Korean company pretty much cleaned the Chicago house and put nothing but people from Seoul in charge of the various business units, including DS.
Dowell came from 3M and that’s where he’s going – moving from Chicago to the Twin Cities in the next little bit. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times recently and he’s happy and excited to be going back to 3M. It’s a different business unit than he was in, and he will be building up the digital signage business and defining where 3M sits in the so-called eco-system. He starts carrying a 3M card again later this month.
Huddle Up
The DSE folks continue to broaden their horizons, and maybe hedge their bets a little.
They started the industry forums last year – weekend retreats where warm leads are wined, dined and golfed by paying vendor/sponsors – and those have proven very successful.
Now they have announced something called the DSE Huddle, the first set for the end of the month in Atlanta.
The Huddles are described as small events where industry people get together to network and talk shop. In other words, they are mixers.
The difference is that this is more a commercialized version of what’s been going in Toronto for a few years how, as the event includes a tour and a networking reception sponsored by several vendors. It also appears to be a lead generation tactic for the DSE people.
I like more informal mixers, and that’s the feedback I’ve received regarding the Toronto and DSE mixers I’ve had a hand in running. But I get the counter-argument for a more structured set-up. I’ve also definitely sensed more people show up when they know someone else is buying. Human nature, I suppose.
I have nothing to back this up other than observation and a hunch, but sense diversification is a good move by ExpoNation, which runs DSE. More and more companies tell me they are looking at vertically-focused trade shows – like a hospital or hotel technology conference – as alternatives or supplements to the catch-all of DSE.
I LOVE DSE, but as the industry gets more specialized I wonder how long it can stay big. Events like the forums and, now, the huddles take far less work and involve far less risk. Maybe Angelo Varrone and Chris Gibbs are placing some side bets on the future. Leave a Comment
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Why I Love Domino's Times Square Screen (And What to Learn from It)
By Mike Cearley
SVP, Digital Strategy, Fleishman-Hillard The following is reprinted with permission from the Digital Screenmedia Association (DSA). For more information, go to www.digitalscreenmedia.org.
What Domino’s is currently doing – by broadcasting (virtually) unfiltered comments on one of the biggest stages in the world (Times Square) – is something I applaud and would actually recommend to any client more times than not. Here’s why:
1) It’s simple. There is absolutely no time/effort spent on content creation. Yes, they have to filter comments, but if there is human involvement, it’s not much.
2) It’s coming from the right place. Simply put, if a brand is coming at the experience and/or engagement – regardless of channel – from the right place, it’ll get credit. Regardless of any specific negative comments that might come their way, Domino’s has made a pledge – as a brand – to listen to its customers to get better. What can be a better place to come at it from? The community recognizes this and Domino’s will get credit, sales and ultimately loyalty by being open. Remember, people want a say. Domino’s is going full tilt and giving it to them. Then, using it to make its product better.
3) It’s big and out in the open. There’s no hiding from anything on any of those screens in Times Square. Not only is Domino’s being transparent by broadcasting these comments, it is also putting those comments front and center for everyone to see. This is just another example of the company showing how committed it is, as a brand, to improving. And in the process, kind of innovating.
In the digital signage industry, the concept of utilizing social media as content has seemed either a) intimidating and/or b) incompatible, to the point of not using it altogether.
For whatever reason, LocaModa seems to be one of the only companies who has whole-heartedly embraced it, enough to build a thriving business around it.
I wrote a post the other day about fundamental human behaviors that are critical inputs to us as we create engagements using social media channels. I believe those behaviors apply to any marketing or communications across any channel. Including Out-of-Home (OOH) and digital signage. Often times, I feel like the industry doesn’t know what to do and/or how to sell these screens that broadcast in public places. In the end, it probably always comes down to a question of content. While we see (and will continue to see) many examples of creative content being produced by brands and broadcast across various channels, it’s important to recognize that consumers, themselves, are creating buckets of content about the brands they love everyday.
So, from a strategic POV, why not tap into this? Brands will always open themselves up for negative comments on any social channel – be it online or off. More channels and more screens don’t alleviate that possibility. Those channels only give those voices more of a chance to be amplified. But this is not something to shy away from. Unless the brand is completely averse to change.
Almost always, the community wins. And not a single individual within the community, but the community as a whole. The brand is an enabler and a participant. That’s pretty much it.
Next time you’re sitting around trying to think of the golden piece of content, it might be right under your nose. In the social channels. Don’t be afraid. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Selling DS to Media Planners? DPAA and DSF are collaborating to offer a free webinar, "Selling to Media Strategists and Buyers: How to Engage Them in Digital Place-based Conversation," a presentation geared toward network sales forces that's intended to help them understand DS opportunities from the perspective of media planners and how best to call on them.
The webinar is being held on August 17th at 2PM Eastern and to attend all you need to do is register here: https://dp-aa.webex.com/mc0805ld/meetingcenter/mtgregister/registmeeting.do?siteurl=dp-aa&confID=740158696 Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top NEC Launches 2nd Generation E Series LCDs NEC Display today added a few models to its entry-grade E Series large-screen displays, including 32-inch (E322), 42-inch (E422), 46-inch (E462) and 55-inch (E552) models that are aimed at digital signage, solutions for conference rooms, retail stores, waiting rooms and corporate lobbies.
Adding RS-232 control, the E Series include an integrated USB media player, 1080p native resolution, 3 HDMI inputs (as well as component and VGA connectivity), 5000:1 contrast ratio and a built-in ATSC tuner. All four models will ship in August at a list price of $449, $699, $899 and $1349, respectively.
If you want to see all the specs, go here: http://www.necdisplay.com/category/large-screen-displays Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Qualcomm Deal Gets GestureTek Technology for Everything — Except DS Market Qualcomm acquired the gesture recognition technology IP from GestureTek this week — however, the deal allows GestureTek to remain in the digital signage market with gesture-controlled displays. According to reports, the gesture recognition technology from GestureTek will be integrated into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors used in smart phones and future tablets.
If you want more information on GestureTek's technology, go here: http://www.gesturetek.com/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top NEC's New Single Board Computers are OPS Capable NEC Display has announced the new N8000-8330 Single Board Computer option card based on Intel’s Open Pluggable Specification (OPS), which will help standardize the design and development of digital signs in public venues.
NEC’s N8000-8330 offers customers flexibility with a 320GB hard drive and Windows Embedded Standard 7. It is a true integrated solution, designed for select NEC X, P and V Series displays, including the new V462, P402 and P462. One of the most requested features by customers, the built-in expansion slot in these displays gives users greater flexibility for application types and offers a clean, professional look to set-up. The smaller form factor even enables integrated slot options in super-slim displays like the X461S and X551S. The N8000-8330 provides integration with the display by passing power, video signal and control functionality along an internal OPS connector.
NEC’s N8000-8330 just started shipping and lists for $1,580. All the specs can be found here: http://www.necdisplay.com/p/n8000-8830
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Share Article Back to Top InfoComm Opens Registration for New Government Tradeshow Dubbed GovComm, InfoComm's newest event is a two-day Washington DC-based tradeshow that's designed to serve Washington, D.C.-area technology managers, end-users and procurement officers in the government and military sectors. The event will feature exhibits, networking opportunities, education and manufacturers' training.
GovComm 2011 will feature 100 leading manufacturers of digital signage, videoconferencing and telepresence, projection, display, 3D, control systems, audio and AV networking technologies.
The exhibit floor will be open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on both days. Each morning will feature a keynote speaker at 9:00 a.m. Those interested in attending can register at http://www.govcommshow.org. Manufacturers interested in exhibiting at GovComm 2011 should contact InfoComm Expositions Sales at (703)273-7200 orexhibitsales@infocomm.org. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Visix Offers New Twitter Content Modules Visix's new Twitter digital signage designs are customized modules using Twitter's API to display your recent tweets in a Flash file with an animated background and Twitter bird.
The design is customized with your colors, logo, Twitter address and a QR tag sending viewers to a chosen URL.
Choose from either a full-screen 9:16 Twitter Board or a 4:3 Twitter Bulletin that you can insert into normal digital signage playlists.
The prices for Twitter Board and Twitter Bulletin are $349 and $199, respectively.
Get more info here: http://www.visix.com/digital-signage-content-creation.html Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Black Box's ServSwitch Agility is KVM Over IP According to Black Box, its ServSwitch allows the use of an existing network to extend keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) signals, as well as digital video. It extends DVI, USB and audio signals over IP, with maximum range determined by the network thus, it doubles as a KVM switch and a digital signage extender.
In addition to standard point-to-point KVM communications, the Agility supports multicasting of video and audio over an IP network. From the Agility receiver, you can change channels to switch DVI, audio, and USB connections to any equipped destination on the network. It also supports single-target sharing, where multiple users share a single remote computer.
More specs are here: http://www.blackbox.com/Store/LP/Servswitch-Agility.aspx Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top AMX Announces Network Media Group AMX announced this month the creation of a Network Media Group to advance its line of IP-based media distribution and control solutions. The mission of the group is to "understand the unique requirements of a fully IT compatible AV solution and adapt existing products necessary to meet these requirements." The new group will be in both the U.S. and the U.K. and bring together teams responsible for current AMX products, including Vision2 IPTV systems, the Insprired Signage line and the Telvision Distribution System (TDS). For more information, click here: http://amx.com/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top McDonald's Mega-Franchise Rolling Out Staff-Facing Network with Brazil's Megamida
By Dave Haynes
Editor, Sixteen:Nine There’s a running inside joke in this industry about how many technology companies say McDonald’s is a client — often based on a small pilot project with a local franchisee that no one at head office even knows about.
But I’d suggest Brazil-based Megamidia Group can make that assertion with a straight face, now that it is rolling out a staff-facing corporate TV network that will link every Golden Arch site in that country, to start.
The project is a long-term communications initiative driven by Arcos Dourados, which is the largest operator of McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America and the fast food giant’s biggest franchisee on the planet. The Corporate TV network is initially being rolled out to 600 locations in Brazil. The objective is staff training and overall corporate communications needs.
“We’ve been collaborating with McDonald’s for many years, delivering customized, in-store music programming that enhances their in-restaurant customer experience,” says Celso Hey, Megamidia’s President and CEO. “Our new Corporate TV initiative is a natural evolution of our positive working relationship.”
The content will be moved around by satellite.
Arcos Dourados has more than 80,000 employees, more than 1,750 company-operated McDonald’s, and another 1,300 dessert centers (whatever that means) and 267 McCafé locations. This is across from Mexico, through the Caribbean and all the way south to Argentina. Leave a Comment
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