Join The DSA And Get Free Bucket Hot Wings
Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
The Digital Signage Association are in our opinion being very foolish, a little heavy handed and a bit too free and easy in their recruitment process at the moment.
Whilst claiming that the likes of AOpen Computers B.V., ONELAN Limited and Intel Corporation have all recently joined it doesn’t make that much sense we feel to try and make much of miscellaneous kiosk vendors, system integrators and service centres also having joined.
There is something about keeping industry associations small, semi-exclusive and keeping out the riff-raff and this big push by the DSA to grow way past 300 members doesn’t make much sense apart from a revenue perspective – light bulb moment! perhaps that’s it!!!
Their latest offer via email it seems is…
Subject: Join the Digital Signage Association this week and get a white paper or case study written and posted free of charge
Which somehow seems to make a mockery of white papers (their purpose), editorial bias etc.
Are we to expect an influx of white papers from Digital Signage Today purporting to tell us all about (DSA) new members’ technology and products anytime soon do you think?
April 29th, 2009 at 14:05 @628
Well I know they do have meetings, about something. So there is some validity behind the thing.
But it also looks like a pretty good racket for NetWorld Alliance, which probably makes way more money off the trade association it started than off the industry portal it owns, Digital Signage Today.
My simpleton math, based on about half the 300 members paying to be part of it, has the DSA cranking about $250K USD from this thing. But then, you get a logo!!! for your website, sales leads and a discount off ad rates in NetWorld pubs, which you could also get just by asking.
I really do need to monetize the Digital Out of home Professionals and Executives Society, aka DOPES
April 29th, 2009 at 14:43 @655
I agree that the offer to have a white paper or case study published is just at the intersection of crass and opportunistic streets.
But then again, what did Groucho Marx say?
“Please accept my resignation. I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”
April 29th, 2009 at 23:29 @020
Whilst you bring up some good points and surface some questions that I too have heard in the industry, your implications are inaccurate.
First, while it is true that Networld Alliance is funding DSA they are not realizing any financial benefit and are quite willing to see DSA through an incubator stage to it becoming a separate and self-funded association. As the current elected president of DSA I have been working with the NetWorld Alliance CEO and the DSA Executive Committee to establish milestones that will get us to a free-standing association, if and when the majority of the membership feels they are willing, able and prefer to operate on that basis. In the meantime, we have Networld’s commitment to be completely transparent to the industry on financials and to operate at the direction of the industry advisory board while we move along those milestones.
Secondly, is the assumption that a small “exclusive” membership is better than a larger industry body. In the case of DSA, I am not of the same mind. The DOOH space is still a fairly nascent industry and by definition has a lot of entrepreneurial smaller companies that bring new ideas and innovations to the industry, many of which you have spotlighted in your blog. We should not be an industry exclusively led by the first and biggest companies out of the gate. Many business case studies in other emerging industries underscore the value of fast-followers who bring new ideas and innovations to an emerging market and they should not be written off as industry riff-raff.
In short, is DSA everything it needs to be after being in existence for less than 2 years? No it is not and DSA recognizes that. However, DSA is earnest in its plans to substantially contribute to its membership value that will assist them in driving their business to higher levels of success and assist in creating sustainability to the DOOH industry. I sincerely believe that DSA is delivering along these lines now and will greatly enhance its value in the months and years to come.
To put some teeth into this, as president of the DSA I publicly commit to both of the points above and publishing the DSA plans for all to read. In my opinion the execution of those plans along with its charter is the gauge in which DSA should be measured.
Many thanks,
Stu Armstrong
May 1st, 2009 at 04:10 @215
Stu Armstrong’s comments are right on target with everything we at Symon Communications have experienced as a vendor member of DSA. NetWorld’s transparency has been very refreshing and very consistent.
Frankly, I hope all the key industry players, users, or those that want to be leaders in the various segments of the Digital Signage business and DS usage join the DSA. I think the recent growth we have seen in user participation in DSA proves the real need for a DSA-type organization.
Let’s make 2009 a special year for Digital Signage worldwide!
Charles Ansley
May 1st, 2009 at 04:39 @235
http://www.networldalliance.com/ are all over the place. The issue with otherwise smart guys (like Stuart and Charles) is that they obviously don’t do any homework on an association before joining and end up lending their credibility to idiots.
This industry needs leadership and cohesiveness, not marketing shills and meaningless bodies whose only responsibility is to take membership dues and put out worthless whitepapers.