Getting Started In DS: Part 2 — The Creative Challenge
By Lee Distad
rAVe Columnist This is the second part in a series about getting started in digital signage for ProAV dealers. Read the first part on our website here.
In our initial installment, we began by discussing some of the technical considerations, and the need to partner with the right technology vendors. While that’s a large subject that we’ll revisit again, even more important is learning how to effectively sell the end product.
What Dave Haynes, Digital Signage expert, pundit, and owner of Sixteen:Nine hears over and over from people who are on the vendor side is that when working with the AV channel, education is the huge issue. “It’s not so much a question of training with regard to ‘how do we do this?’”, he says. “It’s more to do with ‘how do we sell this?’”
Haynes’ point is that rather than lacking technical know-how, AV integrators need to learn how to frame the business opportunity, and express to prospective clients the value of digital signage and its applications, such as sales, awareness, and safety. The bottom line, says Haynes is what can be done with it that will generate real ROI, both for the dealer, and for their client.
To do that, dealers have to learn how to go to end users, talk to them and figure out what their objectives are and assemble a business argument that can deliver results for them. Says Haynes, “I think the DS highway is riddled with carcasses of dealers who’ve gone at this as a technology exercise.”
Melodramatic? Maybe, but Haynes lays out a pattern of dealers who’ve bought software, bought displays, and gone through the motions of hanging them without really knowing what the motives or objectives of the client were.
That lack of clarity shows. “What you see are repeatedly are screens that are too high, and content that is jammed on the screen,” he says, calling it a “me too” activity, with no real impact. Haynes disdains crammed screens that look like a Bloomberg channel (not a compliment in his view) that’s totally absent of strategy and, as a result, a recipe for failure.
Building on that, Haynes points to firms who do think those things through, but again approach this as a tech exercise and don’t think of the audience. One parallel he draws is to point out that similar wrong decisions occur even in a century old industry like outdoor advertising: too much information for the format. With a crowded sign, viewers blow past it without absorbing any of it. Haynes says, “It’s amplified in DS because a lot of this content is produced when actual creative people are involved (which is rare) and are producing content when the monitor is three feet from their faces. Try standing fifteen feet away and review it again.”
The net result is you see a lot of systems that are ineffective and you get potential end users who canvas the marketplace and see things in retail and transit stations and are thoroughly uninspired because it’s not well executed. That apathy, says Haynes, is an enormous threat to dealers’ business models.
On the creative front, Haynes advises aspiring DS pros to look further afield for creative inspiration. He explains that “I think some of the best DS advertising I’ve ever seen doesn’t run on DS — it runs on TV.” He lists Ford is an example of a company that does a fantastic job of hitting the right notes with its advertising — very few words, and big simple type. “Put that on mute or only see part of it and it still makes an impression,” he says.
The next challenge DS pros face is dealing with clients’ issues about cost, not only about hardware and installation, which AV guys already know how to talk about, but also the creative aspect. Part of the problem is the end users who want to use DS and have no experience with advertising,” he explains, “and they need heart paddles from the sticker shock when they find out what serious advertising costs.”
As with all advertising, when running the numbers, end users can have trouble seeing the ROI. Here’s where Haynes says that it’s critical that dealers understand that they’re not selling an AV solution; they’re selling a business solution, which is a very different animal. Haynes says, “It’s not easy, but it’s a mental shift they have to make.”
Lee Distad is a rAVe columnist and freelance writer covering topics from CE to global business and finance in both print and online. Reach him at lee@ravepubs.com Leave a Comment
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Samsung Begins Production of Transparent LCD Panels
By Ken Werner
Sr. Editor and Analyst, Insight Media Samsung announced last week it had initiated volume production of transparent LCD panels in March, becoming the first company to do so.
Samsung has been showing a 46-inch transparent color prototype since at least SID 2010, but the production versions are smaller: 22-inch diagonal with pixel dimensions of 1680 by 1050 and a contrast ratio of 500:1. The panel comes in two flavors — full color and black-and-white.
At SID 2010, a Samsung spokesman told Insight Media that the panel had a transmittance of 30 percent, compared to 5 percent to 7 percent that is typical for standard LCD panels. That number seemed improbably high at the time, and Samsung now says the transmittance is over 20 percent for black and white and over 15 percent for color. At Digital Signage Expo 2010, held in Las Vegas in February, LG Display showed a transparent panel, but claimed only about 6 percent transmittance. However, LGD’s panel includes a backlight while Samsung’s does not.
An RGB matrix color filter absorbs about two thirds of the light incident upon it, so just removing the filter would get you pretty close to the 20 percent transmittance claimed for the black and white version. Obtaining 15 percent for color is more problematical. Some of that could be done with an RGBW Matrix Color Filter array or with Pentile pixel technology (which Samsung uses extensively in its small AMOLED displays), but we don’t know if Samsung is actually using either of these technologies.
Another approach that has been used extensively in notebook computers is to decrease the density of the color filters, which increases transmittance at the cost of color saturation and color gamut. Samsung did not announce the color gamut of the transparent display, so this is a possibility.
Samsung made much of the new panel using 90 percent less energy than a traditional LCD. That’s misleading, since an LCD’s backlight is responsible for the bulk of its energy consumption. Since the transparent LCD uses (in the example shown in the photo) a brightly lit shop window to serve as its backlight, the user is still paying for the electricity to power a backlight, but it’s electricity he would be paying for anyway, at least in part. If you turned the situation around and looked out the window from the inside, the sun could be your backlight and would be free, at least during daylight hours on bright days.
Samsung appeared bullish on the possible applications of transparent LCDs, citing display windows and outdoor billboards, as well as an interactive communication devices for businesses and schools.
Samsung Electronics LCD Business Senior VP Younghwan Park said, "Transparent displays will have a wide range of use in all industry areas as an efficient tool for delivering information and communication. With the world’s first mass production of the transparent LCD panel, Samsung Electronics plans to lead the global transparent LCD market by developing various applications."
It is certainly possible to think of applications for transparent displays, but how one would make a compelling value proposition for high-volume applications is less clear. Maybe Samsung has customers lined up, or maybe the panel-maker is just throwing the transparent display against the wall and seeing if it sticks.
Ken Werner is a senior analyst and editor for Insight Media. Reach him at kwerner@insightmedia.info Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top DPAA Reports 25 Percent DS Growth in 2010 The Digital Place-based Advertising Association (DPAA) says number-crunching done by a third-party accounting firm suggests the digital place-based (DOOH) sector saw revenue growth in the region of 25 points in 2010.
The information collected by national CPA firm Miller, Kaplan, Arase came from all DPAA members as well as other place-based ad networks. Overall, MKA estimates advertising revenue in the sector for 2010 is estimated to be $ 1.1 billion. About 25 percent of that was for cinema-based networks, but only for the digital (no static).
“This industry is coming together and increasingly advertisers are embracing the ability to engage consumers on the go, where they work, shop, dine, travel and play, closer to the point of purchase than the sofa in their living rooms,” says Mike DiFranza, President of Captivate Network and DPAA Chairman. “This sector enables advertisers to replace TV impressions lost to DVRs as well as engage light TV viewers with content relevant to their activities outside the home.”
“This upward momentum will definitely continue with the recently launched search and discovery planning tool, InfoCenter, making it easier for the ad community to evaluate and plan this medium. Additionally, the recently published DPAA Creative Standard Ad Units guidelines will enable our clients to effectively and efficiently leverage their creative assets across all digital place-based networks. These initiatives have been extremely well received by the ad community and set us up beautifully for even greater growth in 2011,” says Susan Danaher, President of the DPAA.
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Share Article Back to Top Digital Signage Expo's Q4 DS Business Barometer Shows Continued DS Growth After a modest third quarter, 97 percent of all survey participants in North America still remained positive about the future of the DOOH industry — representing no significant overall change from Q3 2010. However, for Q4, 63 percent of respondents indicated they felt “Very Positive” — a five-point improvement over the third quarter — and 34 percent were “Somewhat Positive” about the industry’s future, according to the study.
As in past quarters, those most positive about the future of the DOOH Industry varied across each of the three main groups of respondents, which included Technology/
Content Providers (58 percent “very positive,” up 4 points), Advertising/Marketing Professionals (63 percent “very positive,” up 3 points), and End Users/OOH Network Operators (70 percent “very positive,” up 9 points), the study found.
In Q4 2010, 51 percent of End-User/Network Operators reported that their actual DOOH advertising revenues were “Higher” than in Q31 2010, a 4 percent increase over the previous quarter, according to the report. Additionally, the trend line remains positive as seven percent more projected that their advertising revenues in Q1 2011 will be “higher” than the percentage who forecast an increase for Q4 2010.
Technology/Content Provider respondents predicted that the hottest growth categories for DOOH during the next 12 months would include Retail (55 percent), Healthcare (42 percent), Restaurant (39 percent), Education (32 percent) and Transportation (30 percent). However, the number of new installations reported during the fourth quarter declined, with 44 percents of respondents indicating their installs were higher in Q4 versus 51 percent in Q3, the study found. Respondents also reported a corresponding decline in total screens involved in those installations, with only 38 percent of respondents reporting a “higher” percentage compared to 44 percent the previous quarter. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top NEC Partners with DOmedia – Big Opportunity for Advertising Revenue Via VUKUNET Earlier this month, NEC Display and DOmedia announced the formation of a strategic partnership that creates an end-to-end solution to face the challenges related to the buying and selling of digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising.
The new DOmedia powered by VUKUNET allows for the planning, buying, management and measurement of large DOOH advertising campaigns across many different DOOH networks. This new ability to scale and measure effectiveness of DOOH advertising during the life of a campaign addresses two of the last remaining obstacles to the widespread adoption of DOOH advertising. In fact, according to PQ Media, the digital out-of-home ad medium is one of the fastest growing media in North America, with 18.1 percent compounded annual growth projected for the next four years. Advertising agencies have indicated a willingness to invest more money in DOOH, but first require the industry's adoption of standards in the areas of creative, ad serving, audience measurement and performance reporting.
This is a big boost to everyone in the DS market as it allows for integrators to take a piece of the ad revenue in large-scale installs.
Want more info on VUKUNET? Go here: http://www.vukunet.com/pressresources.aspx
Want to learn who DOmedia is? Go here: http://www.DOmedia.com Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top VISIX's Launches One PoE Enables Interactive Meeting Room Signs Visix has finally added a Power over Ethernet model to its MeetingMinder line of meeting room signs (you know, the ones that sit next to the entrance of a room and can be used as a sign, a meeting schedule calendar or even as a small digital signage display). A new 15-inch model interactive display allows a single Ethernet cable to supply both power and data to the room sign, addressing concerns of both physical concealment and AC proximity for power bricks.
Want more details? Go here: http://www.visix.com/meeting_minder.html Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top signagelive Adds Simultaneous Multiple Foreign Language Support to DS Software Remote Media Group’s newest signagelive software tools let digital signage network operators work in the language of their choice and across any browser or mainstream operating system, and also introduces powerful new content development and playback tools.
The multi-lingual user interface means digital signage network operators are no longer restricted to running software developed only in the English language. Using language packs, signagelive users can choose their native language — Spanish, for example — in the web browser settings and then have the full content management system delivered in the selected native tongue.
The spring 2011 release upgrades signagelive’s Layout Creator to a fully functional Layout Designer, including image layering, sizing, alignment and other design tools usually reserved for standalone software applications. The Layout Designer also includes template layouts, a library of background images, and enhancements for handling and presenting fonts and RSS feeds.
In addition, a number of social media functions have been integrated including a new QR code widget and feeds from Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook.
Want to see all the details? Go here: http://remotemedia.co.uk Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Extron Intro's LockIt HDMI Cable Bracket Worried about loose HDMI cables? Well, Extron’s solved that problem with a little plastic bracket called LockIt. This unique cable bracket is used to secure HDMI cables to a product's input and output connectors while reducing the stress on the HDMI connectors, preventing intermittent or complete signal loss due to a loose cable connection. Its compact design allows for easy installation with most HDMI cables and devices, including in space-constrained areas where HDMI connectors are stacked, or as a retrofit to secure previously installed cables.
Check it out here: http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=lockitad Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Sears Canada Uses Skype Video and Screens to Drive Fashion Buying
By Dave Haynes
Editor, Sixteen:Nine Sears Canada, reports the Globe and Mail newspaper, has added 56-inch Samsung LED-backlit display screens into 10 of its stores to allow shoppers to try on fashions and model them for friends or family, using Skype video calls.
The move is part of the department store’s digital efforts to get adults younger than 45-years-old through the door.
“We’ve been focusing much more on a younger-minded customers,” Dene Rogers, chief executive officer at Sears Canada, told the retailer’s annual meeting in Toronto on Thursday. “That customer is responding. I think it bodes well for the company that we’re able to play a role as a broad-based department-store.”
Last year, reports the Globe, Sears launched its so-called “modern shops” in its stores, catering to women 45 and younger with its revitalized Attitude private label fashion line as well as trendy new labels including Kensie, Calvin Klein and Buffalo.
Sears has rolled out the modern shops in 43 of its 122 full-line stores with 35 more slated for this year. In partnership with Samsung, it has installed Skype technology outside the fitting rooms of 10 of the shops, allowing customers to view their would-be purchases on a 56-inch thin screen and model them for friends and family.
“We’ve been looking to provide new technology to assist the sales process,” Mr. Rogers said at the no-frills annual meeting, held at the company’s head office, which is located in its Toronto flagship store. The gathering is different from other companies annual meetings in a number of ways: Sears doesn’t serve coffee or food (although it offers bottled water) and it holds the meeting earlier than most — at 8 am, two hours before the store opens, requiring the few shareholders who showed up to enter from an employees entrance that is tucked away down a laneway on the west side of the store.
But once the meeting started, Mr. Rogers took his time to outline his business plan. Already, the new modern shops’ offerings and Skype online viewings appear to be resonating with young customers. In 2010, sales of brands in those shops grew 32 per cent from a year earlier, the company said.
It’s an interesting move. While far less whiz-bangy than doing an augmented reality thing with a virtual mirror that kinda sorta overlays virtual clothes on the person, this has a far lower learning curve for users, reliable technology, and immensely lower barrier to entry cost for the store.
It relies on people having Skype accounts and the likelihood that they are either at home, laptop in hand, or armed with smartphones. As I type this there are 24,392,950 online using Skype, so there is a user base. I also see Skype finding its way into the mainstream on interview shows like Oprah, so this has crossed the fence from a nerd tool to mainstream use.
I think this reasonably clever and would be curious to learn how usage of the tool is being encouraged at the store level… hopefully on that screen. The cynic in me can almost picture the paper sign taped up beside the screen.
Hat tip to Jim Grosso from Gel Communications for pointing out story. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top So, that's rAVe DS [Digital Signage] for this month! Remember, we are here to HELP the AV market penetrate the DS market. Only 12 percent of the DS market is integrated by AV companies. The other 88 percent is IT-based. Now, there are AV publications and even an association that would like to draw those IT people in to AV (it would increase readers, right? – and more readers means they can charge more for ads). That is NOT what we are doing. rAVe DS is specifically designed to pull AV into the DS market and teach AV companies how to take business away from the currently dominated by IT market.
For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read a 100% opinionated ePublication that's designed to help AV integrators. We not only report the news and new product stories of the digital signage industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that's why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
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