MxN Middle East was appointed to provide a total software solution and ongoing support for the network and it’s a CoolSign implementation we believe.

Antonio Vincenti, Chairman and CEO of Les Affichages Pikasso sal. told us “We take great pride in the rollout of our Digital Signage Network. It allows us to provide up-to-date, relevant communications and advertising that makes an impact. This positions us as a leading retailer in the use of technology for advertising and communication purposes in Lebanon and the Region”

The network itself comprises 8 large format LCD screens strategically located throughout the City Mall.

Raad Raad, Managing Director of MxN told us “At MxN we take great pleasure with the completion of this installation. We made a commitment to provide a Quality solution and Ongoing Support to Pikasso. Everyone in both organizations should be proud of their respective and collective achievements on this project. We truly believe that in all areas such as; hardware, software, installation, content, ongoing support and management that the Pikasso network will be one of the best in the Region”

Early research in the Middle East would seem to indicate that the ‘out of home’ media industry is growing at a fast rate – seems to us that the signage sector is constantly looking for innovative cost effective solutions and that CoolSign partner MxN seems to be behind a lot of them!

About Pikasso

Les Affichages Pikasso sal is the number one outdoor advertising company in Lebanon since 1986. It also has a leading position in Jordan and Iraq, and has the 1st national poster advertising network in Algeria under the name of Lawhat Algerie.

With more than 8,000 advertising faces, Pikasso enjoys a key position in the Levant and North Africa region and offers a comprehensive range of products and formats in 300 cities and towns.

Pikasso places quality and innovation at the heart of its development to constantly meet its clients’ needs.

Scarborough reports the number of people visiting malls and frequency of visits, so media planners and buyers can, for the first time, have reach and frequency estimates to evaluate mall advertising inventory. The move by Adspace mall media aims at complementing the television planning model.

“Adspace is a great complement to television, and as the network is integrated into more mainstream media plans that include TV and radio, our audience data must support reach and frequency planning models,” says William Ketcham, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Adspace Networks. “Scarborough data gives us the flexibility to tailor our audience metrics to the needs of our clients.”

Historically Adspace has built its rate card around the needs of out-of-home planners, starting with mall traffic and applying Nielsen viewing data to the traffic figures to generate overall impressions. (Traffic for all mall-based media is currently sourced from the mall operators, which use significantly different methods for counting traffic.)

The move by Adspace is getting approval from the media agency community, because, even if the numbers are lower, they should be more accurate.

Paul Lenhart, digital out-of-home director, Zenith Media, says, “It’s a step in the right direction for Adspace to provide the media community with an alternative metric that is more indicative of the true traffic in the mall and the viewership of the Smart Screens. Planning in the out-of-home industry is evolving to make it more comparable to other media, and we appreciate the flexibility that Scarborough data provides.”

Adspace Networks, Inc. owns and operates the Adspace Digital Mall Network, the largest in-mall digital billboard network in the country. Currently located throughout more than 100 Class A malls across the United States, the network consists of 1,400 8’- and 9’-tall plasma screens- called ‘Smart Screens’. The Smart Screen displays show programming which combines a mix of the top 10 sale items in the mall, the hottest seasonal items available, mallevents, and local and national advertising. The network reaches 92 million (source: Scarborough) affluent consumers each month, and is particularly effective at reaching teens, young adults, and women. Adspace is also a charter member of the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB), an organization that will help provide standards and best practices for the burgeoning place-based digital advertisingindustry.

www.adspacenetworks.com

The band, presenting their latest album

The new appointment follows the recent strategic partnership struck between Posterscope and MPG’s Chrysalis division in the US. The partnership, announced in December last year brings together the buying scale of Posterscope with the strategic planning expertise of the Chrysalis team; Chrysalis President Connie Garrido and Managing Director Ray Rotolo have moved across to become Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the newly enlarged Posterscope USA.

Davies’s new role will include establishing new tools, processes and research initiatives in the US, as well as looking for further ways to exploit Posterscope’s OCS survey, which offers insight into the state of mind of consumers as they interact with different OOH formats, and the recently introduced Eyes-On audience measurement system.

He will also be charged with developing new digital initiatives, such as introducing Prism Screen, the ground-breaking audience measurement and planning tool for digital screens.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of the new role,” James told us, he continued “My brief is deliberately flexible and broad allowing me to identify opportunities to apply experiences from the UK and other markets whilst learning more about the US. There is a huge potential for OOH growth in the US and some particularly innovative work which will influence our activity in the UK and across the rest of the Posterscope network”

Annie Rickard, CEO of Posterscope Worldwide was quoted as saying “We always strive to make our network as joined-up as possible. Now that we have a new, more rounded offering in the US with strong, new leadership it’s the perfect time for James to go over there and make sure we’re sharing knowledge between the UK and the US, so that our clients and agencies in both territories are benefiting from our best practice solutions.”

Connie Garrido, CEO of Posterscope USA also made mention “We are thrilled to be able to tap into James’ expertise and the rapidly evolving set of resources available from the network. The US marketplace is ripe for growth and Posterscope is in a unique position to lead the charge through the combined forces of strategic thinking, scale and best in class proprietary assets such as ‘OCS’ consumer insight, ‘Prism’ tools and our ‘L.I.F.E’ planning framework”.

Paul Otellini - President and CEO of Intel

We doubt whether the concept will “change the way people will interact with digital signage” as Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini said at CES in Las Vegas earlier in the year but it is cool and is worth a look and a play.

Pharmacy TV entertains and informs customers with wellness-related video content and relevant messages from the retailer and brand advertisers. The transaction adds a powerful consumer care marketing solution to RMG’s rapidly growing place-based media portfolio.

RMG Networks plans to accelerate Pharmacy TV deployments throughout 2010, involving both existing and newly-established venue relationships with major retail chains. The network is currently being deployed within select ShopRite grocery locations.

“RMG is focused on informing and entertaining consumers when they are on-the-go,” says Garry McGuire, CEO, RMG Networks, which operates additional place-based networks in fitness clubs, downtown cafés and airlines. “Pharmacies are a great location to engage consumers who are receptive to health and wellness messages in an environment that is distraction free.”


Keith Bough, who was COO at Pharmacy TV, will remain with the network in a similar role at RMG.

“RMG Networks is the best possible home for Pharmacy TV,” says Bough. “The high dwell times and solid base of endemic advertisers have made healthcare and wellness customers among the most sought after audiences in the place-based media industry. I believe that RMG’s experienced team, unique perspective and sound strategy have us positioned for tremendous growth and success.”

In addition to Bough, RMG has added Rick Granato as vice-president and general manager of the Pharmacy TV business unit. Granato was vice- president of sales for Accent Health, a place-based video network deployed in doctors’ waiting rooms, and recently was CEO of Exam Room Interactive.

The companies studied were divided into Best-in-Class (20%), Industry Average (50%) and Laggards (30%). Four key performance criteria were used to distinguish Best-in-Class companies: customer advocacy and the likelihood that customers will recommend the company’s brand; customer acquisition cost; brand awareness; and cross-sell and up-sell performance.

To achieve Best-in-Class performance they had to dedicate appropriate resources to address the differences between digital signage and traditional marketing and advertising approaches; establish contact management and a creation process aligned with digital signage objectives; and identify and track key performance indicators aligned with digital signage goals.

The research shows that distinct business pressures are driving companies to either migrate their existing static signage strategy to a digital signage approach or adopt a new digital signage strategy. Most notably, it reveals a connection between the changing expectations of target audiences and a decline in the effectiveness of traditional marketing tactics.

Best-in-Class companies share several characteristics:

• They are 2.8 times more likely than others to adopt highly interactive content that responds to active customer input via touchpad’s and cell phones;
• They are four times more likely than other companies to use content that reacts to passive input, such as mobile device proximity and optical sensors;
• They are twice as likely as the Industry Average and 3.5 times as likely as Laggards to have defined performace metrics for digital signage;
• They are likely to have resources devoted to digital signage content creation (54%) and management (58%);
• They are 5.5 times as likely as Laggards to have a process for capturing and tacking customer engagement with digital signage.

“The distinct advantage of digital signage relates to its ability to deliver dynamic content to the audience at the time and place of the marketers’ choosing,” says David Hatch, Aberdeen’s senior vice-president, general manager and senior analyst.

Aberdeen’s research refers to several case studies as examples where digital signage has added to a company’s success.

“Digital signage has been a chisel which AT&T Mobility LLC has used to carve out a unique space in the cellular market,” says Hatch. “AT&T Mobile used digital signage to transform retail locations into ‘Customer Experience Stations’ where customers could encounter a range of AT&T products. Using touch screens and kiosks as part of its use. AT&T Mobile has seen notable improvements in sales at its retail outlets, and substantially increased brand awareness overall, thanks to the personal and interactive experience provided by its digital signage system.”

Another example is Stop & Shop, a leading supermarket chain with 375 locations in the northeastern United States and an additional 175 locations in the Mid-Atlantic region under the Giant banner. One of numerous digital signage applications it offers is the ‘Scan It’ handheld shopping device. This device is activated with a customer’s frequent shopper card and delivers messages and offers that are personally relevant to them, designed to save them additional money while they shop.

Aberdeen’s research found that Best-in-Class companies are more likely to integrate digital signage within existing media buys to enhance the performance of current campaigns before making major digital signage investments.

And Best-of-Class companies take 9.5 months to achieve a positive ROI on their digital signage initiatives, as opposed to 12 months for the Industry Average and 16.5 months for Laggard companies.

The research also noted that, among all technologies being used by respondents, content management software clearly presents the greatest differentiation between Best-in-Class, Industry Average, and Laggard performance. Best-in-Class companies are acquiring dedicated content management software to support that process.

It is also important to enable the delivery of digital content to the digital signage device where and when it is needed. Media server systems are critical to accomplishing this, and are used by Best-in-Class organizations at significantly higher ratios. Meanwhile, consumer mobile devices are only just being incorporated into digital signage strategies.

The research makes several recommendations to help companies achieve success, or higher success:

• Laggard companies should develop a process for capturing and tracking customer engagement activities over time and define performance metrics for digital signage.
• Industry Average companies should devote resources to digital signage campaign measurement and performance reporting, acquire digital dashboard or performance reporting tools, and devote resources to content creation and content management.
• Best-in-Class should have or increase the ability to link results of digital signage activities to increased revenues and other financial outcomes

The full report is available from Aberdeen Group.

The deal, which brings the total number of IMAX theatres operated by ODEON to six, was signed as a result of the growing success and popularity of the exhibitor’s other IMAX locations including digital IMAX venues in Wimbledon, Greenwich, Gateshead and Cardiff.

The deal also follows the record-breaking box office success of the IMAX 3D release of Avatar, which has, to date, grossed more than $8 million from nine IMAX screens in the United Kingdom and approximately $220 million from 262 IMAX screens worldwide. The five existing ODEON IMAX screens also witnessed a record breaking weekend for the IMAX 3D release of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.

The new ODEON location will capitalize on IMAX’s growing Hollywood film slate and is scheduled to open in time for the April 2 IMAX 3D release of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon.

“The incremental boost in performance that we receive by adding an IMAX theatre to our existing complexes helps to drive our bottom line and our overall box office, but most importantly, it gives ODEON customers the premium cinema experience they are looking for,” says Rupert Gavin, CEO of ODEON & UCI Cinemas Group. “The exceptional performance of our IMAX locations clearly demonstrates that the premium IMAX option is attracting more patrons to our complexes.”

“IMAX has been driving revenue and foot traffic at each Odeon multiplex we are operating in, and the results are impressive,” says Larry O’Reilly, executive vice-president of Theatre Development, IMAX. “The Group’s endorsement of our digital projection system reinforces the power of The IMAX Experience in a multiplex setting.”

IMAX’s digital projection system helps drive profitability for studios, exhibitors and IMAX theatres by eliminating the need for film prints, increasing program flexibility and ultimately increasing the number of movies shown on IMAX screens. The system can run both IMAX and IMAX 3D presentations.

Multicast is a North American market leader in live event broadcasting, Internet video management and targeted multimedia communications.

The deal will expand KIT’s client roster and revenues, particularly in government, enterprise and non-profit sectors. Almost 1,000 organizations used Multicast’s video platform to broadcast more than 50,000 live events over the course of 2009, with customers including governments, non-profit and faith-based organizations, as well as a number of Fortune 500 companies. Multicast receives approximately $12 million from customers licensing its video platform, as well as additional revenues from professional services.

KIT Digital had $47 million in revenue in 2009, and forecast that it would grow that amount by 60% to more than $75 million during fiscal 2010.

The deal will increase KIT Digital’s live and event-based video management capabilities. The company, which has primarily been focused on the distribution of on-demand video, will integrate Multicast’s software into its own VX-one platform, and expects the integrated solution to be ready by the third quarter of 2010.
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HP says it's a sign

Distributors invested in technical support tools and dedicated Digital Signage divisions making it easier to single-source a solution, adding perceived simplicity.

Industry’s marketing collateral promises cookie-cutter ‘complete solutions’ that largely overlook crucial elements of content-driven hardware requirements, nuances of video playback, IP connectivity, remote management, software capabilities (and shortcomings).

Content strategy, a key element of any successful project and the reason the end-user is hanging the actual sign in the first place, is completely ignored.

Now, does a single vendor (not an integrator, selling its services as a ‘turn-key’ product) actually have a full solution?

Some vendors come close, offering wide hardware ranges and even supplementary software but can you hang the display, turn on the power and expect it to work like a conventional lightbox?

Certainly not, especially across multiple applications with various content and business requirements – it’s just not that simple.

If only corporate firewalls, Microsoft Exchange servers and databases were planned, sold and deployed on the same ‘turn-key’ marketing pretense our digital economy would lay in ruins of 404 Errors.

IT Resellers looking at digital signage need to embrace multi-vendor solutions, do diligent research and invest in product knowledge the same way they invested in Microsoft and other IT certifications.

Best solutions come from understanding the ecosystem of vendor offerings – even in cases of a vendor apparently offering the full gambit of solutions, it’s important to know alternatives and strengths of each vendor line.

Best Buy Mobile install

Obviously there is strong content element to this install, but the point is expressly illustrated.

In fairness, some IT resellers are embracing the investment and resources required to deploy good digital signage solutions. Unfortunately these represent a tiny portion of the market, mainly relegated to universities and corporate communications, where IT resellers are staple infrastructure providers and end-users are not picky about content. For the remainder: don’t drink the ‘turn-key’ kool-aid, treat digital signage with respect you gave to the IT certifications and invest in learning what makes up a ‘complete solution’.

By June 2010 this figure could be set to rise to 40 million per fortnight when the network rollout is actually complete (in the past 12 months they have installed 1,000 forecourt convenience stores across the UK).

Amscreen is of course the official digital signage partner to fuel brand BP and also independent forecourt retailers MRH Retail, Euro Garages and Motor Fuel Group.

Simon Sugar, CEO at Amscreen told us “Our Forecourt Network allows advertisers to access a significant volume of engaged consumers in locations where they are easy to reach and at a time when they are receptive to messages. The quality of the advertisers we have on board demonstrates the potential of the network as an advertising medium”

Coinciding with the news, results from Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) tests conducted for sales house Digicom on three of the advertising campaigns running on Amscreen’s Forecourt Network demonstrate that the medium is ideally placed to prompt consideration and purchase.

Tests were conducted on three separate advertising campaigns from brands in the soft drinks, chocolate bar and mint categories and all demonstrated sales uplifts of between 20% and 36%.

The soft drinks brand showed a 20% sales uplift; the chocolate bar brand a 30% uplift; and the mint brand a 36% uplift.

Initial results also show that this uplift continued into the ‘post’ period.

Chris Forrester, MD of Sales & Marketing at Digicom was quoted as saying “We are obviously very pleased with the results. They support our assertion that digital out of home advertising in the convenience sector is a powerful driver to purchase for consumers. The location of the screens in the forecourt network makes them unmissable and provides an ideal way to communicate last-minute buying prompts.”

The EPOS research is supported by research into impulse buying habits in forecourt locations, commissioned by Digicom through GfK’s national omnibus survey.

The results showed that consumers in forecourts are poised to purchase and often do so. 75% of respondents had made a non-fuel purchase in a forecourt store in the past 12 months. The most frequently bought impulse purchase items in these shops are chocolate confectionery, sweets and soft drinks.