John Ellery, FEPE Vice‐President / Executive Director

Barry Sayer analyzed ‘Is the Billboard dead‘ and concluded that it is very much alive, particularly with Digital and Green awareness growing.

Francois de Gaspe Beaubien from ZOOM Media ‐ Canada gave us an excellent and in depth view of the trends that our competitive media have been experiencing around the World ‐ and concluded that OOH is in a very good position to grow as press and TV audiences decline . OOH is the second fastest growing medium to the Internet.

Lorna Tilbian from Numis Corporation UK provided us with a very thorough insight into the financial trends of the major companies in the Advertising medium. This set the scene for how lessons have been learnt from the previous market downturns.

Rachel Bristow, Unilever, and Stuart Williams, Sony Pictures represented two clients that spend sizable sums of money in OOH. In addition to confirming the value of OOH they pointed out we still have areas in which to improve, increased flexibility being one, and a greater awareness of the need for Green initiatives another.

Some excellent work for Fiat from Maxus MC2 in Italy was described by Massimo de Cesare, and the delegates enjoyed seeing the very creative way that our medium has, and is being used by Fiat.

Annie Rickard from Posterscope treated us to a review of how the medium is developing and how we need to work together, and with other media, to grow OOH. We are now selling audience – not just panels.

Steve Ridley Kinetic‘s new Global CEO encouraged us to view OOH from a fresh, new and different perspective.

Luigi Errico ‐ a specialist in Italy, Fosbury, expressed the need for us to continually strive to improve the quality of displays for our clients. Quantity is not the answer.

We were fortunate to have 3 key local speakers from the MENA countries ‐ Roy Haddad from JWT, Edouard Monin from Ipsos and Eli Khoury ‐ M+C Saatchi shared some very interesting facts and examples regarding OOH in the markets in the Middle East and North Africa region. The medium is establishing itself and is proving a valuable communication channel.

From FEPE ‐ Eric Marotel ‐ CEMUSA shared with us the very interesting history of the Street Furniture contract in New York. Karl Javurek – GEWISTA presented many innovative solutions that the OOH industry is now providing.

I gave a brief overview of developments in the Transport Advertising field, and with Florian Waltz summarized a new project – WIKIOOH – where we hope to provide Industry information for as many markets as possible Worldwide.

Christian Kauter explained how the ‘spoof’ advertiser Ali Kebab became famous in Switzerland, and resulted in proving how effective our medium really is. In a similar vein Antonio Vincenti showed some great work that our hosts – Pikasso had worked on ‐ with ‘Win the Yellow’. Again this initiative generated much interest and awareness in the OOH sector locally.

A neat exhibition area with 6 exhibitors provided a focal point for delegates to gather and network. We thank Ayuda Media Systems, Daktronics, Formetco, Hewlett‐Packard, Open Scrolling and Prismaflex for their involvement and support. Each exhibitor had a 15 minute opportunity within the program to share a new development with the delegates.

The social program was not to be missed and we enjoyed visits to Byblos, and Baalbeck with plenty of history to absorb. Lastly the hospitality we enjoyed in Lebanon was top class ‐ good food ‐ good wine and a very friendly welcome.

Our President ‐ Christian Kauter summed up the 51st Congress by commenting that this has been one of the best FEPE meetings for some long time. We are entering a Golden age for OOH. We need to increase our co‐operation with our clients, promote our medium by selling audience not panels ‐ the importance of digital is growing ‐ now it accounts for 1.5% of sales and is growing. As an Industry we need to produce guidelines for operators and Authorities to indicate what is acceptable and unacceptable.

Christian stated that Spain with be the location for our 2011 Congress , and lastly thanked Lidija and her team, and particularly Antonio and his whole team at Pikasso for providing such a well organized and effective Congress for us all to enjoy.

John Ellery
FEPE Vice‐President / Executive Director

One of the driving forces behind this real and virtual billboard synergy is Posterscope, which announced back in March an agreement with IGA to run in-game billboard ads simultaneously with outdoor billboard ads.

Through that agreement, Posterscope were to place adverts in over 80 video games represented by IGA, including Race Driver Grid, Guitar Hero World Tour, Track Mania Nations Forever and the first of some of these has recently come to fruition. The ads of course are being placed in contextually relevant locations in those games.

Essentially, these kinds of blended campaigns are designed to increase exposure for outdoor billboard ads.

DRUG DRIVING YOUR EYES WILL GIVE YOU AWAY

According to James Davies, board director of Hyperspace/Posterscope, Posterscope began exploring the idea of blending real and virtual billboards “7-8 years ago due to the similarities between real world and virtual billboards.”

However, that kind of synergy wasn’t really feasible at the time, because of the “long lead times for getting advertising into a game,” which was obviously not consistent with the lead times for outdoor advertising.

But Posterscope felt that the synergy constituted “an interesting principle,” and “pursued discussions with IGA and Massive Incorporated.”

Finally, Posterscope decided to proceed with this kind of effort 18 months ago for a number of reasons: -

• in-game advertising is similar to real world advertising, considering that posters in games are similar in shape and size to real world ads
• in-game ads are consumed in much the same way as real world ads
• the creative execution of ads in games can be fairly similar to that for real world ads
• James Davies also notes that “game audiences are complementary with audiences for real world ads, affording an obvious synergy in that regard he says
• In addition, measurement of the number of people viewing game ads parallels that for real world ads*

*Ad impressions generated by such campaigns conducted by Posterscope and IGA will also be monitored through the Internet connections of gamers exposed to those campaigns

Davies stresses that Posterscope is careful not to divert money away from agencies devoted to game advertising, but to “add incremental revenue” to the mix in the process of running blended real and virtual billboard campaigns.

Real or virtual race track billboard

Research conducted by Posterscope relating to blended real and virtual billboard campaigns found that “game players welcome seeing real advertising within games,” – a whopping 66% of gamers surveyed said that “advertising in video games makes the game more realistic”.

According to Davies, Posterscope’s blended real and virtual world billboards are targeted at a variety of audiences…

1. The primary audience for these campaigns is composed of hardcore gamers, whom are essentially 15-24 year old males that he describes as “midmarket.”
2. The secondary audience which is “much broader and mainstream,” ranges from 15 to the 40s and is both “upmarket and downmarket,” with a definite bias towards males though it does comprises “plenty of females.” as well. Davies “sees increasing integration between real and virtual billboards, but there is no perfect pitch yet for these kinds of campaigns” he tells us

The proposition for such campaigns needs to be refined, and “more data is required” to validate the value of those campaigns. Overall, blended real and virtual billboard campaigns must gain “more momentum,” contends Davies.

He emphasizes the need for “more trials” and research to understand better this kind of integration.

Some interesting statistics from the recent ‘Drug Driving’ campaign showed that In Game Advertising delivered the same attribution levels (14%) as broadcast online social networking portals like facebook – very impressive especially when you think that IGA is not (really) a broadcast platform.

Perceptions of in game advertising are also incredibly good – 91% of gamers agreed that they welcome the drug drive message in a game (as previously stated this is we believe because they like that it makes the games more realistic).

Although such blended real and virtual billboard campaigns are still at an early stage, their appearance is yet another indication of the increasing integration of the in-home and digital out-of-home advertising market, and of the need for the digital out-of-home market to expand beyond its traditional environment.

According to Boyer, V.P. of Product Management at RMG Networks, two key factors must be taken into account when developing mobile digital signage:-

• utilizing the right technology
• developing the right customer experience

As Boyer stressed, “there is no single right approach” to marketing-oriented mobile digital signage- a choice should be made based on “the advertiser’s needs” and “the context” in which the mobile signage is deployed.

She advised attendees to keep in mind that consumers have three main expectations concerning mobile digital signage:-

1. they expect context
2. they expect utility and compelling entertainment
3. they expect to be in control

In this context, “the iPhone has completely changed consumer behavior,” with consumers using the web on their phone regularly for such applications as “news, social networking, mobile video, and music,” she pointed out.

SMS mobile signage is best suited to such applications as “sweepstakes, polling, and couponing,” Boyer observed.

It’s particularly useful for “local couponing and building a database of phone numbers,” she added. However, it “doesn’t typically work well as part of a broader campaign.”

Boyer highlighted the positive response to an SMS mobile signage campaign called ‘Nicholas vs. Cancer’ her company ran for St. Jude, which “drove a significant number of donations to that client.”

Boyer believes SMS mobile signage is more suitable for “smaller companies and non-profit organizations,” but has mixed value for larger companies.

Eventually, she feels that signage will be adopted on a broader basis. Boyer cautioned attendees about the challenges of implementing Bluetooth mobile signage, especially regarding technical issues.

She stressed that it’s particularly important to “format material correctly” in Bluetooth mobile signage campaigns so that it “works properly on the mobile phone” utilized for those campaigns.

Boyer also noted the need to establish clearly beforehand the kind of content that will be delivered in a Bluetooth signage campaign.

In her view, video content, especially exclusive content, works well on Bluetooth mobile signage campaigns. She contended that Bluetooth/wi-fi mobile signage campaigns with good, exclusive content will generate higher adoption rates.

Boyer called attention to results from a number of Bluetooth/wi-fi mobile signage campaigns mounted by RMG, including a campaign for the TV show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ which she claimed was very successful.

According to her, Bluetooth and Wi-fi signage (not SMS) campaigns run by RMG for such clients as ABC, Electronic Arts, and HISTORY had a strong impact- on average, 10% of the audience in those campaigns set their mobile phones to “discoverable,” and “28% of that audience” opted to receive the mobile content download, which translated into a “net download rate of 3% of total venue traffic.”

The campaigns utilized Blue Bite’s Bluetooth/wi-fi technology.

Boyer emphasized the importance of executing Bluetooth/wi-fi mobile signage campaigns that generate “enough volume to meet advertiser needs.”

Boyer also addressed strategies for employing mobile signage campaigns based around interactive games. She noted that such campaigns are great for cafes and bars but aren’t typically effective in locations consumers quickly pass through, such as grocery stores.

In this regard, Boyer discussed an AT&T-sponsored game developed by LocaModa, which ran on a number of digital signage networks.

According to her, “our network drove the most in-venue interactions” for that game.

Boyer predicted that game-oriented mobile signage campaigns will become “part of broader experiences with a network effect.”

Wendy Weatherford, V.P. of Marketing and Promotion at VH1, Dan Levi, Senior V.P., Digital Media & Strategic Partnerships at Zoom Media & Marketing, and Steve King, VP of Sales for LocaModa, provided a broad perspective on the impact of integrated digital in-home and out-of-home projects and campaigns.

From Weatherford’s presentation, it was apparent that VH1’s/MTV’s content provides a veritable treasure trove of material for blended digital in-home and out-of-home projects. MTV’s passionate, techno-savvy audience is ideal for these kinds of integrated, large scale projects.

‘The Great Debate,’ a debate program on pop culture that VH1 ran in July, was the centerpiece of Weatherford’s presentation. The program, which married mobile, social networking, digital out-of-home, and on-air interactivity, lent itself naturally to mixed media interactivity and to avid audience participation in bars/nightclubs with its emphasis on such galvanizing pop culture issus as the best band between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles and the best science fiction property between Star Trek and Star Wars.

The program was shown in over 500 bars and nightclubs of Zoom Media & Marketing’s digital signage network, and also on VH1’s digital billboard in Times Square.

Unfortunately, little data was revealed at the event regarding audience participation in ‘The Great Debate.’ Prior to the OVAB event, King did disclose that the program generated over 350,000 messages, 1% of which were mobile. Levi noted that implementing the overall campaign for ‘The Great Debate’ was fairly straightforward, given the all-digital nature of the project. King added that planning for the project took less than one month.

VH1’s presentation made clear the importance of the entertainment industry’s involvement in integrated in-home and digital out-of-home projects.

Such projects as ‘The Great Debate’ add key visibility to cross-channel marketing and entertainment efforts blending in-home and digital out-of-home media, and help pave the way for even more ambitious projects of this kind.

Damn near everyone is using the same sales pitch.

I am talking suppliers. And I am talking operators.

When you manage to escape from the bubble that is your company, or the larger bubble that is your general technology or media proposition, you start to realize the sales and marketing pitch – those bullet points that people use to excite prospects – is pretty much the same one the next guys are using. And the next guys. And the next guys.

Everyone is the industry leader. What they do is the next generation. They’re the best in class. The audience is premium. Their medium is highly targeted.

My work now gives me the blissful perspective of looking from the outside in at the industry, functioning as a smarty-pants consultant and communications specialist. I get asked now to help companies pull together their marketing copy and strategy, and enable them to stand out from the many other companies that offer variations on essentially the same products, services or audience.

The problem is … most companies are so busy getting everything else done — to organize, launch and run a technology or media company — that the actual time spent developing a compelling set of marketing messages is minimal. It’s one of those, “Oh crap, we need a sell sheet and some stuff for the Website!” situations, that usually involves someone who shouldn’t be doing marketing pulling together a few points during spare moments.

I have done a couple of competitive analyses for technology companies lately, and what really struck me was how similar the value propositions are between technology companies. Go through 15 company sites and you will find most of them highlighting the things that everybody else is highlighting, like flexibility and scalability and support for most media formats.

Ad network operators are not as bad, but the same issues apply.

Volkswagen markets itself on statements like “The art of rocket science.” It does not plaster signs on its windows reading, “Tires on our cars are filled with air!”

So why, when I go to many Websites for vendors, do I read excited bullet points about Day-part scheduling!!!

Well, woohoo! Peddling features and benefits that just about all your prospective customers already assume you have is not the path to glory.

There are clear indications much of what gets written and trumpeted is a variation on what a competitor has on its site. Chances are, that copy was ‘inspired’ by another competitor’s copy. And so on. Companies need to spend more time thinking about how they set themselves apart from the mob, and far less worrying about how their competitors market themselves.

What is it that you guys do, or have, that makes you different? Are you particularly strong in a vertical market? Does your technology have some whiz-bang component that’s rare or unique? Is there something you are doing that others can’t touch?

There are companies I won’t name who market themselves on technology offers that aren’t even unique, but they’ve nonetheless made that gadgetry their own. They’re the guys who do (insert not terribly unique thing here) and they let people know. Compare that to what most companies go out with, which is essentially: “We’re one of countless industry leaders and we offer the same dynamic, flexible and cost-effective stuff for digital signage networks that you’ll find on the next 14 sites you browse and sell sheets you read!!!”

Try this exercise: Print off your main Web pages and sell sheets and grab some Hi-Liter pens. Underline in yellow those phrases and features you’ll admit are common across many companies, and in another colour highlight those features that are unique or more compelling than common. If there’s a lot of yellow, you need to get to work.

There are many, many reasons why a company might prosper or fail, but a really strong predictor for failure is a company that can’t put into words how it is different and why that matters. The same disciplined work that goes into product development, budgets and staffing needs to also go into how your company goes to market and sets itself apart.

If you can’t differentiate, you perish.

Dave Haynes has worked in the industry for the past decade and now runs a media communications firm called pressDOOH and is a founding partner of The Preset Group consultancy.

He also writes the industry blog, Sixteen:Nine and a second blog aimed at raising the standard of writing in the sector, called Buzz, Not Buzzwords

Although the 3D/holographic digital out-of-home market is still in its infancy, some elements seem to be coming together for that market to come to some form of fruition, including: -

• significant technology improvements
• greater support by some industries, particularly the entertainment industry
• lower content costs for some systems
• clearer evidence that these systems can be impactful

3D digital signage has also gained momentum from the drive towards more immersive experiences and greater media convergence in both the digital out-of-home and home markets.

Results from recent tests of Provision Interactive’s 3D holographic systems highlight the potential marketing impact of 3D/holographic systems in the digital out-of-home market.

For example, according to Curt Thornton, CEO of Provision, 3D ads on Provision’s system “generated a typical sales lift of 30-40% sales lift over a 90-day period” and “up to 91% sales lift with one brand” during a recent test at TGIF restaurants in Phoenix”

Customers in the test reported being “motivated or very motivated” to buy products shown in the 3D ads at those restaurants.

In addition, “61% of patrons viewing 3D ads on our system said they would recommend others view the ads” at TGIF restaurants in Phoenix participating in a recent test of the system.

Provision experienced similar results in a test it recently conducted at Fred Myer retail stores in Portland Oregon, with 3D ads on its system “generating sales lift as high as 43-47%” in those stores, reports Thornton.

The coupon redemption rate for coupons on the 3DEO system in the trial was 17%, compared with an average redemption rate of 1-1 ½% for coupon redemptions in the U.S., he claims.

A recent test Provision Interactive conducted with Unisys Japan also yielded a strong response. In that test, 3D adverts on Provision’s 3DEO system were “tied to distribution of coupons at or near the front door of the stores,” explains Thornton.

“The results of that trial were equal, and, in many cases, better” than the Portland and Phoenix tests mentioned above, he reports. Thornton maintains that Provision’s holographic system has a distinct advantage because of its greater cost-effectiveness compared with other systems.

Costs for the system runs from $3,000 to $10,000-$12,000, including the software platform, “depending on the quantity of units deployed, features, and options,” says Thornton.

Provision claims to have a capacity to produce content at a much lower cost than more traditional 3D systems. For example, it produces 30-second 3D ads from $200-$300 at the low end to $2,000 in comparison with the typical production costs of $10,000-20,000 for other systems, maintains Thornton.

He also notes that 3D holographic ads are “much cheaper” to produce than traditional TV ads. Critics have often dismissed 3D holographic technology as simply a fad in the past, but Thornton believes that position holds no weight today, as “the technology for 3D has finally come into the 21st century.”.

The strong commitment of the entertainment industry to 3D is helping propel the technology forward, he contends. He points out that “virtually every major studio has released 3D and 2D films,” a growing number of theaters are converting their screens to 3D, including Regal Entertainment, and “Sony will be soon introducing 3D TVs in the home market.”

One key hindrance to the success of 3D signage systems in the past was inferior content but according to Thornton, content quality will be the key element determining the success of 3D digital OOH systems, especially five years from now, after the initial novelty factor of 3D wears off.

He does warn against becoming “overly enamored with the technology.” Thornton acknowledges that 3D systems are in “their infancy,” and says that it typically takes 6-8 months now to achieve a return on investment for 3D systems, but predicts that ROI for those systems will be achieved in much shorter times as “3D becomes more mainstream and widely accepted.”

Mike Fisher, Convergence & New Technologies Consultant with Futuresource Consulting, takes a more cautious view of the near-term market for holographic digital out-of-home systems. He believes that market is at “a very early stage,” and that it will remain primarily a specialty “niche market for some time.”

Initially, he feels the market will be “entertainment-driven,” with a few retail applications added to the mix. Despite some notable differences, the likely development of the 3D auto-stereoscopic DOOH market has some key implications for the holographic DOOH market, he believes.

Fisher expects the 3D digital out-of-home market to be essentially a “niche, high-end market,” until 2012, when he believes it will gain significant momentum. At that time, “7% of B2B large format flat panels will be 3D,” and that percentage will jump to “30% by 2015,” he predicts.

Currently, the key applications for 3D digital signage are “entertainment-oriented,” installed in such locations as “casinos and museums;” and “brand positioning” content, which is displayed at such “high-traffic locations as airports and train stations,” says Fisher.

“As with the existing digital out of home market, a lack of industry-wide metrics for measuring viewers, and the complex supply chain for digital signage are sure to provide a barrier to growth for 3D deployments, especially in advertising/brand development applications,” he believes.

Fisher expects that “entertainment” applications of 3D digital signage “will gain the greatest traction” in the short term. In his view, the 3D content shortage will be ameliorated in the near future, with 3D content development “ramping up fast” during that period, and 3D content costs declining significantly in the near future, especially as the “consumer 3D market” grows, and the pool of trained 3D content developers increases.

The business-to-business 3D market will also gain momentum as a result of the introduction of 3D TVs in 2010,  and greater production of 3D TV content in that period, says Fisher.

Interestingly, he believes that much of the “innovation” in 3D digital signage in the near term will come from “smaller digital signage content providers and networks.”

Those were key messages behind some of the more farsighted presentations at the Digital Signage Investor Summit in N.Y. this week.

Rob Gorrie, President of Adcentricity, flatly predicted that integrated media strategies combining “mobile, social networking, and digital out-of-home will drive the digital OOH market.”

Chris Phillips, Manager of Meeting Production at Target Corporation, also alluded to his company’s 360 degree marketing approach, combining “mobile, online, in-store, circulars, print, and evolving social media.”

In this new 4-screen world the aim is to “connect digital media connections at home, in-store, in-life, and at-shelf,” as Laura Davis-Taylor, Principal of Retail Media Consulting, described it.

Daina Middleton, Senior VP and Director of Sunao at Moxie Interactive, emphasized the need for digital signage to deliver a “complete customer experience” that exploits new technologies. She noted that augmented reality, for example, enables marketers to offer consumers unique experiences.

The impact of new technologies on the digital out-of-home market is increasing in significance, as many speakers noted. From the perspective of Stuart Jacob, President of Programming and Creative Services at CBS Outernet, digital signage companies must consider that “the consumer takes brands with them wherever they go,” utilizing such new technologies as the iPhone to interact with brands. In this regard, he maintained that the integration of the iPhone in kiosks will dramatically improve consumer acceptance of kiosks.

Alan Schulman, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at UDIG-The Digital Innovations Group, asserted that “the future belongs to brands that travel with consumers” wherever they go, making particular reference to the iPhone’s impact on brand marketing.

Beyond that, technology is playing a major role in “unleashing creativity in the DOOH” market, according to Jeff Bell, Chairman of DOmedia.

As a number of speakers noted, interactivity and two-way communication will be at the heart of the digital out-of-home market. Schulman underlined the importance of interactivity and personalization for digital signage, contending that digital signage networks will be “more compelling if they’re interactive.”

Middleton also called attention to the key role of interactivity in digital signage, which was central to the participant model she advanced for the DOOH market. That model entails affording consumers the tools and assets to interact with brand experiences themselves.

As some of the presentations made clear at the Strategy Institute’s Digital Signage Investor Summit DOOH is becoming part of the broader marketing landscape.

The event also illustrated the need for greater coverage of this new paradigm for DOOH.

http://www.LyleBunn.com

The Digital Signage / Digital Out-of-Home industry in North America has been emerging rapidly (25-50% CAGR) over the past 6 years in particular and despite reductions of an estimated 3% in overall ad spending; spending on DOOH continues to grow from its 2008 level of USD 1.4 billion (according to PQ Media) by 9% annually.

DOOH has very much found itself in the ‘communications continuum’ with other credible advertising medium such as TV, radio, Internet, print, billboard, and is positioning itself as a ‘trigger device’ to motivate engagement through handheld and mobile interactivity.

The Digital Out-of-Home sector of the industry, which is based on third party advertising revenues, is comprised of almost 200 US networks, which allow advertisers to reach targeted audiences based on demographic profile, Designated Market Area (DMA), geography and even the activity in which they are involved (shopping, transit, café, workout, attending a sports event) in presenting messages at the point of purchase, transit and social and work gathering.

The following lists provide sample characteristics of networks whilst also indicating total industry ad volume. The estimates used are generally conservative.

Ad Volume Estimate (North America DOOH 2009)

1. Total Displays – North America Per DisplaySearch (an NPD Company). Similar display deployment totals are reflected by other market analysts. 900,000
2. Percentage of Displays with Advertising Estimate (conservative) 50
3. Displays for Advertising Total Displays X % with ads. This is conservative based on the fact that OVAB member networks alone account for 425,000 displays and many Digital Signage (i.e. not 3rd party ad supported) accept some form of advertising to offset costs. 450,000
4. Displays per “Channel” Estimate 100
5. Number of Unique Channels with ads Displays for Advertising ÷ Displays per Channel 4,500
6. Typical loop Duration (Minutes) Estimate 10
7. Typical “Spot” Duration (Seconds) Estimate 15
8. Total Spots per loop Loop Duration ÷ Spot Duration 40
9. Percentage Ad Spots per Loop Estimate 50
10. Ads per Loop Total Spots per Loop X % Ad Spots 20
11. Total Ad Spots Running at any Time Ad Spots per Loop X Number of Channels 90,000
12. Frequency of Ad Refresh per Year Estimate 12
13. Estimated Total Unique Ads on North America Digital Out-of-Home Networks in 2009. Ad Spots at any time X Annual Refreshes 1,080,000

Note: Line Item Source / Calculation Approach / Value

DOOH advertising is of course sold by a wide range of organizations…

• Most Digital Out-of-Home networks have an internal ad sales capability.
• Many network operators are members of the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau or the Canadian Out-of-Home Digital Association (CODACAN). These associations increase the profile of DOOH to accelerate overall ad sales success.
• Adcentricity represents over 80 network partners with over 140,000 place-based and retail screens covering 16 main venue categories and over 70 sub-categories.
• SeeSaw Networks “reaches more people in more places than any other digital video network. Combining over 50 digital signage networks across 30 different types of locations, SeeSaw is the most extensive national digital video network currently in 26,000 venues nationally and growing. SeeSaw delivers over 50 million weekly gross impressions – more than primetime TV spots at a fraction of the cost”.
• rVue acts as a sales agent for about 20 networks.

Ad displays on DOOH are often included in campaign proposals blended with TV, cable, radio or static billboard ads by the likes of ABC, CBS, NBC, ClearChannel and others.

As existing media providers (i.e. cable, print, etc) deploy their own DOOH networks, ad display opportunities will more and more be bundled with ‘core business’ ad proposals.

Personnel responsible for sponsorship, patron programs, merchandising and co-op programs typically add Digital Signage to their proposals when display capability is added to their facilities.

Other ad sales capability could be expected as media organizations seek to leverage their ad sales capabilities and infrastructure.

Given the proven results in sales uplift, message recall and awareness, reduced perceived waiting times and improvement to the location experience that result from the proper use of Digital Out-of-Home, as well as the continuing growth in the number of displays, advertisers and ad sales representation, the future continues to be positive for Digital Signage and Digital Out-of-Home something I would describe as “the sharpest instrument in an advertisers tool chest”

Lyle Bunn is a consultant, commentator and educator in North America’s Digital Signage / Digital Out-of-Home industry. Lyle@LyleBunn.com

What makes them spectacular if you like are their size, dominance and, speaking as a manufacturer, the amount of custom engineering support that goes into each one!

Broad and High Columbus, Ohio, United States

In our experience at Daktronics we find content to be the most overlooked component of a successful LED display program – spectacular or otherwise. Las Vegas is a striking example of this. Spend some time walking the “the strip” and it quickly becomes apparent that a million-dollar screen can produce a negative brand impression if content is poorly produced. The customer-side impact of poor content is obvious. The impact it has on the industry and the public’s perception of large-screen LED technology is a bit more elusive.

But yet, there is more to this story. Many things need to come together to produce a successful LED spectacular. Skip any one of them and significant trouble (expense) is likely on the horizon. Here’s my take on the top four.

1. Display Solution: this is the toughest part. Purchase from a reputable supplier and/or one that you personally trust. The display is likely to be the largest single investment of the system – so if you are going to do one thing right, make sure it is the display sourcing. If your organization is unfamiliar with LED displays, find someone to help you through the technology maze. Big ticket items like LED displays are often sold on a commission basis. This can sometimes lead to aggressive selling and “imaginative” technical presentations.
2. Control Solution: some customers have one, so we’ll be expected to tie into it. Others do not, so we better have a solution for them. Either way, it is critical for companies like Daktronics to develop a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish and how you want to accomplish it: SD or HD? Standard or custom aspect ratio? Live real-time data feeds? Video or VGA/DVI (or both)? Split screen? Control locally or remotely? It is the responsibility of the solutions provider to ask all the questions, to cover all the details and to never assume the LED display is a stand-alone piece of equipment. The display may very well need to have its operations integrated with other LED and non-LED displays across the property.
3. Content: Both of the above are wasted if the content falls short. It is more difficult today because any basement designer with a Mac and Adobe Creative Suite is now a “leading creative agency.” LED Spectaculars require a specialized approach to content production. Demand to see representative work and make a few reference calls. Great content isn’t so great when it shows up three or four weeks late.
4. Support/Maintenance: EVERY LED display needs maintenance, as do the control systems that power them. Care to guess which one usually gets skipped? Display maintenance is usually not a significant investment. However, a display that does not see any maintenance will soon find itself degrading more quickly than others around it. Consider who you will call – and the service you might get – in the case of vandalism, an earthquake or “insert your disaster here.” Unfortunately, it happens more often than you might think.

It is hopefully easy to see how all of these are related to one another. While there are additional considerations that come into play – not the least of which is purchase price – making wise decisions in the above-listed areas greatly improves the odds of long-term success.

If you are considering an LED spectacular or billboard installation, begin by researching which LED suppliers can provide solutions across all these mission-critical areas (single-source approach) to avoid unnecessary frustration and expense in the future.

Google Audio never lived up to the promise, and on 31 May Google is pulling the plug. This follows Google’s recent exit from the newspaper ad business. Yet Google’s failure offers some interesting lessons for those of us in the digital signage space.

Google sells about one-third of all Internet advertising in the U.S., a USD 23.4 billion industry. With Audio Ads, Google desired to expand beyond the Internet to create a brand marketer’s dashboard. It would track measurement and spend across various media platforms, including print, radio, and TV, as well as the Internet.

If successful, the benefits that could have inured to Google might have included, among other things, leverage over both the brands and the media by controlling the pipes that enable the system, as well as a way to make money by selling ads in a much-enlarged market (i.e., the U.S. radio ad business is estimated at $20.0 billion).

In the end, the fate of Google’s radio business is attributable to a variety of factors. Most significant is perhaps that both the real estate owners – the radio stations – and the real estate buyers – the ad agencies – resisted. This episode offers three interesting take-aways for the digital signage industry. These include the following: -

1. The stations and agencies may have won the battle, but not the war. For now, Google is retreating to the safety of what it knows: the Internet. Google now will focus its efforts in online streaming audio. What the radio stations forgot is that their medium, like most mass media, is fragmented and old. Satellite radio is part of the fragmentation process. As well, consider that most of us spend more time in front of a computer than listening to the radio in our cars. What the radio stations may have lost is the opportunity to be part of an integrated ad buy to address problems in their shrinking market, as well as the opportunity to syndicate their content to a growing media. This is illustrative of the power of emerging digital media to capture share from older media outlets. Clearly, CBS knows this, lest it would not have acquired SignStorey.
2. Most marketing folks do not yet appear ready to bid for their ad real estate. But as digital media becomes more prevalent, human intervention will not be possible, much less required. As metrics improve and go real-time, available space will go up for bid, tagged with this information. An agency or its client will have defined its preferred media and demographics, as well as the price it is willing to pay. This will be instantly matched against the space, with the relevant content in-tow. Digital signage will be at the forefront of this movement due to advanced technologies linked to web distribution.
3. According to Eric Schmidt, Google’s Chief Executive, the radio venture failed because Google never came up with a good way to measure listener response. This is true, as it was mistakenly attempting to get consumers to call in or log in in response to a radio ad. We humans will rarely go out of our way sans a direct benefit. Google was also fighting the history of an old-line, established medium. We often hear the complaint about how digital signage is held to a higher standard versus such prehistoric media. Yet it is precisely the ability to measure the consumer impact of digital signage that will make it a successful industry; comparable to what the Internet achieved with click measurement, albeit much more exacting. Our firm has tested digital signage extensively in stores and in banks. Higher education and mass transit are next. And as these superior measurement models continue to be developed, so industry adoption will increase.

Editors Note: Steven Keith Platt is Director and Research Fellow at the Platt Retail Institute