Volume 6, Issue 4 — April 17, 2014

In our minds we think digital signage is a electronic monitor that sits on a wall and has bulletins go by. These bulletins can provide information to a customer, try and garner a sale or perhaps enrich an experience. This is true, in many cases, but I think we are preoccupied with our ideas of how these uses should look.

Let me examine a few examples I have encountered over the past few months that will help demonstrate my point. In January my son and I took a ski trip to Sugarloaf Mountain. It is a fantastic mountain with some great runs, if you can stand the bitter cold and biting winds. In the lodge, there are digital signs. The signs tell you the current status of the ski lifts. If you are not a skier, then you need to know that at the mountains lifts are periodically shut down due to wind. This is nothing genius, or fancy, but fantastic for their customers. No longer do I have to go outside and take a hike to see if the lift I want to use is open. Rather, I can sit in the nice warm lodge and simply watch the sign. Perhaps, this even helps their business. I know that since I had a nice warm seat, and would know as soon as the lifts opened up, I decided to grab a nice cold beer and relax.

A second example was at the Portland Jetport. Yeah, I know, not that far from home, but that is missing the point.  There is a store in the mall called Cool as a Moose. It is a typical airport store selling “Maine”-ish things (you know, Maple Syrup, lobster shaped candy, Baked Beans). However, outside the store is a digital sign in portrait mode. I am not sure if the sign is affiliated with the store or not. The sign is advertising Down East Magazine. The brilliant piece is that it is simply a digital copy of the magazine that advances every 30 seconds or so. The other brilliant piece is the placement. It is outside a store that is Maine themed, advertising a magazine published in Maine, as people are leaving from their vacations. So, you get time to look at each page of the current magazine. That will hopefully inspire you to go inside the store and buy the magazine, which will hopefully encourage you to subscribe. Also brilliant is the ability to track the effectiveness of the sign. Down East could easily tag the subscription cards in the magazines at that particular store, and track how many subscriptions come from it.

The Portland Jetport is just finishing up some major renovations, and they have several other locations in which digital signs are going up. I do not know their desired intent, but if the concept is from the same group that put the Down East sign up, I am really interested to see what becomes of them.

The final example is a negative example. In March, I was visiting a zoo in Florida with my family. The name of the zoo will be left out to protect the guilty. In the gift shop was a digital sign with a looping video of giraffes. There was no explanation for this video. They were not trying to sell copies of the DVD, they didn’t have any giraffes stuffed animals, and while they had giraffes at the zoo, they were not the highlight. So, in the end, I could only determine that somewhere along the way, they were convinced that a digital sign was needed in a retail point of sale. They were never told on how to use that digital sign though. It also annoyed my family, because I stood there staring at the sign, and then around the store, trying to figure out the purpose. They convinced me to leave without asking the manager, “What is that sign for anyway?”

I have to admit. I am writing this article on April Fools Day. When I wrote about the airport, I almost wrote about how they have these amazing monitors that tell you when planes are arriving and departing. But I figured that by the time you read this column, it would well past the first, and you would just decide I was a bit behind the times.

What are your experiences? Do you sell education on how to properly use signs when you sell the signs? Or do you figure that is not your area of expertise? I look forward to hearing from you.

Society may have sought to curb those instincts in the past, but recent evolutions in technology have turned tablets and screens into acceptable extensions of our hands, a trend that has transferred to digital signage.

Interactive digital signage is already present in the retail and tourism environments, from BrightSign’s large-scale rollouts to the 2D or 3D immersive experiences of Holovis.

“We are all delivering information, data and an experience in all those scenarios — it’s just a question of scale,” comments Stuart Hetherington, CEO at sensory experience design house Holovis. “Allowing people to interact with the environment in the most natural way is everyone’s desire.”

Interacting Through Touch

“Classical digital signage is becoming something of the past; the current trend is engaging customers and turning information into something which they can interact with,” said António Castro, CTO at multi-touch software platform vendor UNEDGED, who notes that most screens, whether large or small, are now being manufactured with touch in mind.

Nowadays, people expect objects with a display to be active. “One in five people globally own a smartphone, so people’s expectation for touch has changed. Their reference point sits in their pocket and they feel they are entitled to extend that experience to the public space,” said Ian Kimball, Americas Marketing Manager at 3M Touch Systems Inc. “If they can’t, it’s a reflection on the location, the brand or the store.”

Single-touch interactivity is one thing, but what about the rise of multiuser screens? “We advocate a multi-user approach, where glass and surfaces can be used by many people simultaneously so you can engage more than one person at the same time, using the same real estate,” said Hannu Anttila, VP of business development at MultiTouch Ltd. Kimball concurs. “Tabletop is a good fit for our technology; we provide sixty simultaneous touch-points which makes for a perfect collaborative surface for multiple people to interact.”

Stepping Beyond Touch

It’s easy to forget, however, that touch isn’t the only form of interactivity, which can also arise through cameras and analytics for gesture recognition, NFC, RFID or iBeacon for mobile device interaction.

Touch may be leading the charge, but social media and smartphone integration are not far behind, along with gesture control. Those solutions are attractive in scenarios where users may be unwilling or unable to touch a screen, for cultural or hygiene reasons. Hetherington, for example, thinks future growth in digital signage will come from allowing the human desire to naturally interact in a more intuitive way, through gesture recognition.

“Touch is the most natural way to interact with something,” said Castro. “If you want the user to engage deeply in the interaction, to consume content and have power over it, gestures are not as easy as touching. Touch is still the hottest trend, but gesture is rising.”

This of course places extra demands on manufacturers. To handle non-touch interaction, MultiTouch launched its MultiTaction Codice last year, which identifies individuals on public display walls through “QR-type markers” on physical items. “We can provide multiple input methods and the applications can also integrate remote sensors such as Kinect, to mix and match different interaction types,” said Anttila.

Meanwhile, BrightSign has been active in the interactive signage space for nearly a decade and can handle anything that triggers an event, according to CEO Jeff Hastings. “Whether a physical press on a button, a virtual press on a touchscreen, some other kind of sensor like an RFID or barcode all the way up to digital signage interactions over a network or GPS-triggered events,” said Hastings who also notes that a form of ‘passive interactivity’ can be generated by the movement of vehicles or objects.

And while the main focus for Grassfish Marketing Technologies GmbH is touch, CEO Roland Grassberger says the company also integrates interactivity through external devices like mobiles or tablets, e-readers or interactive product holders, QR code readers and camera-based interactive systems in shop windows. “Digital signage projects are often a mix of passive and interactive screens, mixing small and large screens from tablets to videowalls.”

Best Practices

Interactivity is about much more than just adding a touch-screen or an app to a traditional signage network. Delivering a truly interactive and successful signage experience requires planning, expertise and a deliberate thought process.

Focus On the User

The user experience is what distinguishes interactive digital signage projects from standard roll-outs. Hastings recommends the use of technology that people understand, such as physical buttons, to target older generations as well as an appropriate use of gesture-based interactivity. “People can end up waving their arms around aimlessly and that’s not a good experience for anyone. We see a lot of people trying to push technology before its time without thinking of the experience.”

To get lasting results, it’s important to evaluate which points in the network will be interactive, according to Castro. “People will only interact if there’s something to gain from it. It must be fun and not only available but in use all the time.”

Location of signage is another factor to consider, according to Anttila. “The higher the value of the location, the more valuable are those positions which are within the reach of users. Standing height for example can be wasted if used to just display one-way information. You have a lot more opportunity to get value out of the real estate by engaging those who are passing by.”

Plan for Interactivity

Planning a roll-out carefully is paramount. Oliver Schwede, senior analyst at invidis consulting GmbH warns that interactive projects are more complex than traditional digital signage networks. “The screens must be connected in some way, you need a content trigger and in terms of content concepts it’s more complicated. We have the technology for the most part, but on the content side you really must have a concept behind it!”

Understanding how retailers wish to engage the customer in the retail environment for example is crucial, as this prompts various solution options. “Each project is individual, there isn’t a general blueprint on how to build up a good interactive solution – it depends on strategy,” said Grassberger.

Making sure the technology is adapted to its environment is essential, as illustrated by BrightSign’s use of RFID at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “We were dealing with kids at play so we made sure interactive components were packaged in objects that could withstand the environment. Here, the RFID was concealed within blocks of wood,” explained Hastings.

Use Technology Wisely

Interactivity should be an integral part of every aspect of a project and drive the hardware and software evaluation from the start. Recent technology advances have increasingly supported interactivity. The emergence of HTML5 for example has simplified the creation and flexibility of applications. However, the caveat is that it’s still in the earlier stages of development and doesn’t offer as broad a scope as older technologies like Flash.

Windows 8 has been native to multi-touch, according to Kimball who notes that designers are increasingly working with multi-touch-native platforms. “Going back even 3 years that was not necessarily the case,” he comments, adding that software is the hardest interactive nut to crack and that 3M has just launched a Multi-Touch Developer Network to address these software challenges.

Michael Ferrer, director of solution sales at NEC, works with CMS companies to address interactivity. “We are a small part of the solution but we’ll work together to develop each others’ products. There’s a lot of trial and error and sometimes we are working with five or six different CMS companies trying to solve the same issues.”

The displays are the easy but most visible portion of the project, according to Ferrer. “It’s about engaging with a CMS partner that can develop the solution, write the code and do the content. Sometimes, we just provide the hardware; other times, we are asked to provide the whole solution, which is different to some years ago where we just provided monitors and projectors.”

Grassberger notes that the interface to the data sources is one of the differentiators of an interactive signage network. “If you are creating interactive applications in retail spaces, you need to access information from the ERP systems or the IT landscape, which usually involves a long-lasting project with the IT department. The discussion around communications and marketing strategy is even more important than for a standard playback network.”

Currently, Schwede sees a hesitation in the market it comes to the cost of interactivity. “A lot of people consider interactivity but when it comes to cost, especially around content, they pull back. It’s still more complex of an integration than a straightforward screen.”

This article is reprinted with permission from InfoComm and originally appeared here.

I’m going to diverge a bit from content articles so that we get the industry on the same page when it comes to business models and basic on screen best practices.

Why? Because there seems to be amnesia among the industry that prolongs business models that simply do not work and end up failing which in turn hurts the industry. This could also be driven by new people coming into the industry about to make colossal mistakes because they do not fully understand the industry business side of the model or do they understand the medium. So I’m just sayin’…

Business models that work:

Point of Sale (POS)

This is a retail merchandising network designed to “help the consumer buy something today.” That is the sole purpose.

Do NOT try to supplement “ADVERTISING” from other products that are NOT relevant to the shopper or to the stores products for sale. This is insanity. As a retailer, one wants to sell products that it carries, not someone else’s. The branding, the messaging, the experience all depends upon a properly executed POS network and believe me when I tell you that it is only about what’s in that store, nothing else.

These are business models that support a merchandizing network including brand networks that cause uplift in sales or return on engagement.

Just recently, I saw an article from someone that promoted ad networks in a retail environment to help offset the costs of the network…really? I thought we left that model in the last decade.  Now I’m not trying to quarterback what happened then as we did learn a lot, but for goodness sake learn from what was done then.

For example, we saw CBS spend and ultimately lose $71.5 million in cash after buying a network called SignStorey in September of 2007 that sold advertising in grocery stores with screens up in the ceiling. The quote from Les Moonves is haunting: “CBS Outernet [formerly SignStorey] will offer our advertisers a tremendous, broad new platform to reach consumers out of their homes,” said Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive officer, CBS Corp. “…At the same time, retail outlets will now have access to CBS’s wide array of national and local entertainment, news and sports content from across the company.”  This last sentence is the nail in the coffin. So now we can put CBS TV in retail stores?  The network struggled for years and finally bit the dust — sad but true.

There also was PRN (now IZON Media), which sold to French media firm Thomson for $285M because of its screen presence in Walmart, Best Buy and Costco. Then the company was booted out by Wal-Mart, which put in its own merchandising network. PRN did remain at the check out. Not at Best Buy though, which converted in 2011. Then Thompson put PRN on the block… but ultimately merged it with IZON. What they have done in retail is the business of putting advertising on the walls of HDTVs in stores like Costco and Fry’s — some of the original model did not work. The POS at checkout is working somewhat, along with other strategies that they have developed. I’m not picking on IZON — I like them — but it has been painful to get there.

Point of Wait (POW)

This category is wide open. Examples include checkout at the register, hospitals, doctors’ offices, taxi cabs, bank lines, internal corporate communications and any place where the consumer has dwell time.

So what’s my beef here? It has more to do with what’s on the screen. First and foremost, tickers and zones: Ugh! I recently wrote an article about this.  A viewer cannot both watch your ticker and see your ad, period. Don’t do it (with the only possible exception being an internal corporate network or an elevator network in an office building). The frequency of viewers watching the screens in these types of networks are high, repeating often, and one can take advantage by keeping plenty on the screen to keep the viewer watching hour after hour and day after day.

Point of Transit (POT)

This category of placed-based media is very robust and you will see screens in a number of places that make sense. Remember in this type of network, the consumer is on the go. Examples include airports, train stations, highway billboards and store front windows. Here, one just needs to have ads FULL screen and short message bursts — big and bold. It is about brand and mind muscle. Simple, right? No partitioning of the screen, no zones, OK?

OK, so where does this take us in the future, now with mobile and a LOT more screens in the market place? I think that participation marketing is the key element that will carry this industry. There are so many screens in the marketplace that in a lot of cases (with some exceptions) that it is no longer about the screen on the wall. It just doesn’t command the presence it used to. We have done a number of studies that show that show it’s tough to get the consumers attention. Now this is achieved by putting up GREAT content. That will get their attention. Anything less that great is bad for the brand and bad for business. See these two link for more bad content and the results of our content survey.

One may consider creating the experience combining the use of mobile, the use of touch screens and even gesture to get the conversation with the consumer and the brand in motion. Once in motion, it’s back to the pocket screen…

Author and speaker Keith Kelsen, chief visionary at 5th Screen, is considered one of the leading experts on digital media. More information about his book, Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage — Content Strategies for the 5th Screen, published by Focal Press, can be found on the book’s companion website. Reach him at keith.kelsen@5thscreen.com or on Twitter.

As digital integrators, we constantly have the challenge of educating clients in the booming Australian market about the benefits of digital signage and how this can have a positive impact on their bottom line. Once we get over this hurdle, the next issue we face is getting them to understand the value that engaging content can add. Often they will spends thousands of dollars on hardware then forget about what they are going to display on them.

It’s one of the biggest frustrations I have and I am sure I am not alone in this battle.

So what am I referring to when I talk about woe content? Well it’s short for woeful, which is Aussie slang for really bad. To me, really bad content is static JPGs, stretched video content, TVCs, blurred images… you know what I am talking about. It reflects poorly on the brand, is never engaging (as most people will walk straight past it) and is just disrespectful of your audience.

Now ‘wow’ content, on the other hand, is the stuff of which my dreams are made: smooth transitions, engaging animations and messages that are fit for purpose for the environment. See examples above that help highlight my points.

Invest in it and they will come. Woe vs. Wow content will translate to more sales because what customer wants to look at bad content? If they won’t look at your content then how do you sell to them using digital signage? Common sense rules here.

Here is one example of what we did using the clients existing assets.

Work with experts to give them a total solution and every wins especially and most importantly, the client.

This column is reprinted with permission from the Digital Screenmedia Association and originally appeared here.

The PN-K322B can be set up in a vertical (90-degree) or low-angle (25-degree) position thanks to a dedicated stand that allows the monitor to slide easily between the two angles. The vertical set-up enables easy viewing of the monitor, whereas the low-angle set-up is ideal for touchscreen operation and onscreen writing by hand. Seamlessly flush with the bezel, the PN-K322B’s full-flat screen is ideal for touchscreen operations that involve swiping from the edge of the screen. This touchscreen monitor is capable of recognizing 10 touch points at once, thereby expanding touch interface applications beyond merely writing on the screen. To prevent unwanted hand input when the user’s palm is resting on the touchscreen, a palm cancellation function can be selected to prioritize pen input.

The PN-K322B supports MST (Multi-Stream Transport) mode as specified by the DisplayPort 1.2 standard. A single DisplayPort cable can transfer 3,840 x 2,160 video signals at 60 fps, resulting in smooth rendering of high-resolution video and fluid mouse operation. IGZO technology and edge-lit LED backlighting enable the PN-K322B to offer a slend profile, measuring only about 36 millimeters at the thickest point.

Complete specs are available here.

The Index is published quarterly and presents a single industry composite measure. In addition, activity in major industry sub-segments, such as software, Digital Out-of-Home networks, and captive networks is presented. The Index focuses on several areas including the current level of business activity and the view for the industry’s prospects.

The Index is an important source of market information. It provides an indication of market performance and serves as a guide for industry vendors and end users in their internal planning processes. The Index also compares the industry with other macro-economic activity measures including GDP. Regular repetition of this survey yields results that create news and raise broader awareness for the industry.

The fourth quarter 2013 North American Digital Signage Index reported a 4.24 percent decrease from the third quarter 2013 Index. The report includes 25 charts and graphs, along with a review and commentary about industry trends.

Download the Q4 2013 Index here.

The indoor version comes in pitches of 3.0, 5.2, 6.9 and 7.8 mm and is designed for tradeshows, other events and signage. FLEXLite has a high refresh-rate, making it “camera friendly and an ideal solution for televised and filmed events,” according to the company. A dedicated outdoor version that comes in both blowthrough and non-blowthrough designs is availablie in pitches of 6.25, 8.9 and 12.0 mm with brightness of 5,000 nits.

The FLEXlite frame is made of die cast aluminum, resulting in a lightweight but durable tile that weigh 28 pounds each. PixelFLEX says it has taken all of the aspects it has been known for in its touring products, and transformed them into a single product that makes sense for installation. It can be installed and dismantled by one person, making FLEXLite time and labor efficient. The LED panel also comes in a rectangle shape – versus the traditional square – and consequently covers more space with less tiles.

It offers HDMI and DVI-D inputs and uses the latest debugging technology to prohibit issues with gray scale level, allowing for clear, crisp content playback. The LED screen also offers a 140 degree viewing angle so more of the audience gets the full impression of the desired content.

More information is available here.

Quividi’s platform delivers information on how by-passers engage with a screen, such as the number of opportunities to see, number of real viewers, attention time and dwell time, broken down by gender and age class.

BroadSign is here and Quividi is here.

• WXGA resolution
• Wireless connection to smart phones and computers (802.11b/g)
• 2 GB of built-in memory
• HDMI, RGB and video inputs
• Audio inputs and a built-in 16-watt speaker
• 20,000 estimated life
• Dust-resistant design
• Fixed lens and mirror system
• Laser and LED hybrid light source

Casio’s free mobile application (Apple iOS and Android compatible) allows users to display and annotate presentations from a mobile device, as well as capture and save. They can also open an Internet browser and display content in real-time. There is also an image capture function using the mobile device’s camera to snap an image and send it to the projector. Casio says the primary target for this projector is the education market.

Casio says the XJ-UT310WN will be available in Q3 2014 with an MSRP of $1,999.99. More information is here.

The 98” TH-98LQ70 and 84” TH-84LQ70 4K displays are being marketed for broadcast production, digital signage, rental and staging, design and simulation as well as command and control rooms. These displays, combined with Panasonic’s imaging capture and workflow technologies, provide a one-stop solution for organizations with image creation needs. The displays can also scale non-4K sources to a higher level of picture quality.

LQ70 Series displays are equipped with a protective glass and also feature a ruggedized aluminum frame. They can be installed vertically or horizontally, and offer SLOT3.0 architecture. Panasonic says the displays will ship in September 2014. For more information, click here.

Omnitapps Composer eliminates the need for any programming, offering a redesigned configurator. Omnitapps Composer supports 15 languages, enabling users to fully configure language settings while displaying content in any language to suit the audience. With the Omnitapps Interactive Wayfinding application, users can create a customized wayfinding solution by importing a high-resolution floor plan and their CSV database. Omnitapps Composer also includes data collection forms for capturing information regarding touchscreen usage. The software supports resolutions ranging from 1366×768 to 4k and is ideal for kiosks, single/multi-touch screens, touch tables, touch video walls and all-in-one computers. Adaptable to both multi- and single-touch requirements, Omnitapps Composer is compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8 environments.

Omnitapps Composer delivers further savings through free updates and by offering a single price for a total of 21 applications. In addition, Omnivision provides free customer support. For more information, click here.

Scala’s Flexibility is Key

Initially, Petrol was looking for a communication system that could promote certain products in its stores. It would also be a great extra source of income if that same system could serve as an advertising channel for Petrol’s product vendors.

Value Added Services That Meet Goals

During the installation phase, TL worked closely with Petrol’s IT department to ensure that all goals were exceeded. This resulted in a remarkable network: 30 Slovenian Petrol service stations are now equipped with a total of 400 screens, which are all powered by Scala software. The eyes of customers who are filling up their cars at Petrol’s gas stations, are caught by small screens integrated in the gas pump installation. These screens are weather-resistant and show advertisements for products sold in the station’s store.

It displays additional product information if the customer buys, for instance, lottery tickets. The information includes content such as previously winning numbers or an overview of the lottery numbers the customer is about to purchase.

Alain Bodenstedt, area sales manager at Scala said, “TL cooperated closely with Petrol, resulting in a smooth install path for the network. By choosing Scala, both companies ensured that it was possible to realize the wishes of Petrol, resulting in a fully integrated digital communication network and cash registry system. The value added services of TL have proven to be very effective, resulting in a very satisfactory communication solution for Petrol.”

Digital Communication Boosts Sales

Petrol has experienced a significant increase in sales of the products that are advertised on the screens. As a result, the company continues to roll-out its digital signage formula to an ever increasing number of its domestic and international stations. Petrol foresees a growth in number of stations going well beyond its current 300 service stations.

“Petrol is very proud of the installation that they have now,” Loborec concludes. “They set clear communication and business goals, which were achieved, resulting in significant sales improvements. We are happy to have worked on this project with them and look forward to deploying this dynamic digital communication solution at even more Petrol service stations in the future.”