Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to spend a day in the yard raking up the last of my fall leaves. Not wanting to lose my belt-clipped cell phone during the process, I removed it, placed it on the counter and did my best to corral the leaves that ultimately would fill 23 yard bags.

After completing my chore, I went to retrieve my phone, but instead of finding it on the counter where I had left it, I found it submerged in the dog’s water dish at my feet. It seems that the vibrating ring tone gave my cell phone just enough mobility to walk to the edge of the counter and take the plunge into the drink.

Replacing the phone involved a sales procedure I’m sure all marketers would like to mimic, but very few can. It involved me setting an appointment with a sales consultant, who actually understood the various cell phones being offered and the service plans that were available- a 45-minute visit with the sales consultant and me walking out the door not only with a new phone and higher-priced service plan, but also an entirely new commitment to a broadband wireless Internet service via the mobile phone network.

Compare my experience to another high-tech consumer shopping experience that will be repeated over and over this holiday season: shoppers seeking an HDTV from Santa. Many walk into an electronics store after seeing an ad in the newspaper or a commercial on television convinced that they want the high-def viewing experience but fuzzy on the details. They engage in a conversation with a sales associate who may be selling HDTVs one day, computer peripherals the next and maybe even a kitchen range the next. Customers ask questions, sales associates do their best to answer, but things get murky -so much so that as many as 30 percent of HDTV owners don’t sign up to receive an HD signal via cable or satellite, according to a recent article in USA Today.

Oh how the Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung and other HDTV manufacturers must pine to create a sales experience involving their products like the one I had buying my new cell phone!

Consider this: In 2006, total spending on advertising in the United States will exceed $150 billion, according to an article from Metrics 2.0. Yet once an ad runs in a newspaper or magazine or a commercial is played back on television, the amount of control a marketer can exert on messaging, consumer education, and influencing a purchasing decision dissipates rapidly. How many marketers get a little queasy thinking about the money they’ve spent on an ad that motivates a consumer to go to a store to buy their product, only to have those shoppers redirected by a sales associate into buying a competitor’s product? Compare that to my friendly sales associate who educated and influenced my cell phone purchase in an environment that the cellular service provider controlled.

While it’s not practical for all the HDTV manufacturers or those of other products to offer their products in their own stores where they control the sales process as thoroughly as my cell phone salesman, it is important that marketers begin to see retail stores as a communications medium, according to a recent MediaPost.com article.

In “In-Store Media Significant Influence on Purchase Decisions,” author Jack Loechner quotes Joe Pilotta, vice president of research for BIGresearch, as saying that “the store is a medium of communications” and “media has relevance and influence on a purchase decision.”

That’s where digital signage can stand in for a knowledgeable sales consultant like the one I encountered. Digital signage can carry through the marketing message transmitted in newsprint or on TV to the point of purchase, relieving to a large degree, the nausea that strikes marketers who wonder what happens when they’re ads are no longer present to influence events.The Bigresearch study quoted in the article found that in-store TV influenced or greatly influenced 10 percent of adults 18 years old and up in making purchasing decisions. The tie between in-store TV and digital signage is obvious. What might not be as obvious is that digital signage can play a strategic role for marketers and retailers when it comes to shelf coupons and special displays, which influenced or greatly influenced shoppers 39.5 percent and 35.5 percent of shoppers, respectively. Digital signage plays in this space particularly in terms of shelf coupons when set up with the right software and hardware to do double duty as an interactive kiosk.

What’s needed to pull off this carry though in marketing messages to the store floor is deep sixing old attitudes and concepts about marketing and planning ways to use digital signage strategically to re-enforce and expand upon the print and broadcast ads that currently command the biggest share of the marketing budget. Doing so may soon mean the difference between success and failure.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/success-depends-on-carrying-over-your-marketing-message-to-the-retail-floor-79346.html

This article could just as easily have been entitled “Everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’,” but that was already taken. So I’ll stick with “Cutting Out the Cacophony.”

As digital signage technology enters its next phase as a hybrid, interactive medium combining the power of linear content with branching interactive functionality, volume is likely to rise, literally. Hybrid systems increasingly will find their way into places like retail stores and museums where multiple displays are spaced in close proximity to one another and the sound from competing signs becomes bothersome.

Imagine a natural history museum with multiple interactive digital signs spaced a few feet apart. One focuses on carnivorous dinosaurs, another on herbivores and a third on pre-historic fish. If all of these digital signs have accompanying audio playback that loops during their presentations or plays back specific clips when accessed interactively, the result will be a cacophony of competing sound that actually drive visitors away rather than accomplishing the goal of imparting knowledge.

Imagine a similar scenario in a retail store, where audio from a cosmetic counter digital sign is competing with audio from the fragrance counter digital sign and the handbag counter digital sign across the aisle. Shoppers would quickly give up on watching the promotional video or finding their desired information they’re seeking if they were immersed in this distasteful audio soup. Who could blame them for walking away in disgust without making their purchase? Not exactly the goal of digital signage technology.

Fortunately, technology exists in the form of proximity sensors that can be interfaced with digital signage playback servers to determine when someone is near a digital sign. Upon receiving notification from the sensor, the digital signage player can ramp up the audio level. Similarly, when visitors leave, it can inform the player to turn down the sound level so that device’s audio source does not compete with audio from adjacent digital signage displays.

Based on infrared detection, sonar or radar technology, these sensors typically use standard RS-232 or RS-422 serial communications ports to interface to the digital playback server. If the playback server recognizes input from the sensors, competing audio problems can evaporate.

One example of where these sensors came in handy is the new University of Tennessee Football Hall of Fame. The university recently replaced several DVD-based kiosks that looped video and audio content continuously. Creating a cacophony of kiosk audio, the stations became such a distraction that the school’s coaches finally turned them off to escape the audio mess.

However, the university recently replaced the hall of fame’s old kiosks with new interactive digital signage stations that recognize input from strategically placed proximity sensors. With that source of data, the digital signage playback servers can increase volume or shut off audio depending on whether or not someone is standing within range.

Not only did the new approach create a pleasing audio experience, it more importantly allowed the school’s football coaching staff to once again use the hall of fame as a useful tool in recruiting new athletes and soliciting contributions from program boosters.

Certainly, competing audio sources won’t affect all digital signs, but when they do it’s good to know there’s a technology that can come to the rescue. Without proximity sensors, it would be easy to feel like “everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’.”

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/customer-service-articles/digital-signage-cutting-out-the-cacophony-118433.html

Happy with the results from your TV, radio and print advertising? Ever feel like you aren’t getting the bang for the buck you envisioned?

Maybe you should consider rethinking your media mix. The concept of an advertising media mix is straightforward: Since no one magazine, newspaper, Web site, or broadcast outlet is likely to zero in on your target customer, choosing a variety of media based upon their ability to reach your desired demographic is more effective.

At leading advertising agencies, building the right media mix has become a near science where days untold time is spent honing, polishing and refining media selections to create a mix with sufficient reach and frequency to deliver. Gaining a thorough understanding of their client’s product and universe of customers, analyzing ratings data and circulation statements, and weighing certain intangible benefits each media candidate brings to the table, are but a few of the steps necessary to build the right media mix.

While the process has proven itself to be highly effective over the years, changes in technology that give consumers greater freedom to control media consumption demand new solutions and a rethinking of what goes into an effective media mix. Armed with remotes and digital video recorders, TV viewers easily circumvent commercials. Newspaper and magazine readers are now just a click away from the same content on the Web sans the full- or fractional-page ad adjacent to the article they used to pore over on the printed page. In effect, technology is short circuiting the rather simple media equation that implicitly promised advertisers the attention of customers as they consumed the content their medium had to offer.

Consider the impact of digital video recorders and remotes on the effectiveness of television advertising. A Feb. 13 article in The New York Times reports that an estimated 7 percent of the 110.2 million TV households in the United States are equipped with digital video recorders (DVRs). If that weren’t enough to give pause to TV advertisers, the article reports that estimates hold “that 50 percent to 70 percent of viewers playing back shows zip through the commercials.” How many TV households will have DVRs next year and beyond?

The story isn’t any better in the print world. “The State of the News Media 2004″ from journalism.org puts it bluntly: “Newspaper circulation is in decline.” The report states that the percentage of people reading newspapers began a long decline in the 1940s, but was masked by a growing U.S. population. By 1990, “circulation began to decline in absolute numbers,” according to the report. Between 1990 and 2002, newspaper circulation dropped 1 percent per year, it says.

However, there is a bright spot on the horizon, especially for those who are willing to rethink what makes up the media mix. An emerging technology that brings together dynamic display and media control at the point of purchase may be just the ingredient advertisers need to reinvigorate their media mix. In fact, a recent article in Media Daily News quotes Leo Kivijarv, vice president-research at Stamford, CT-based PQ Media, who identifies this slice of the media pie as one of the smallest advertising niches, but among the faster growing.

It goes by different names. In the retail environment, it’s called In-Store Digital Media (ISDM). At hotels and resorts, it’s known as digital reader boards. In public venues, like a sports arena, it’s called digital signage. But regardless of what you call it, advertising to people when they’re away from home, often at the point of sale is where you may find the most bang for your advertising buck.

The Media Daily News article quotes the author of a new study on out-of-home advertising as saying that this approach to advertising is about to transition from a relatively obscure marketing niche to a widely used, mainstream advertising medium.

In the article, Stephen Diorio, author of the report, says out-of-home advertising is “at the tipping point. This is a market that is poised to explode.” Since 2002, the article says, 700 digital out-of-home networks have been launched, accounting for $1.2 billion in advertising this year.

What’s in your media plan? Maybe it’s time you rethink your media mix alternatives. This may be the moment to redirect a portion of your advertising budget away from declining media mainstays and into alternatives on the rise, like out-of-home advertising.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/rethinking-the-media-mix-66929.html

Small business owners often feel they are at a disadvantage when it comes to advertising and marketing. Just the size of the budget makes one realize that they are not on the same playing field as the big corporations.

Therefore, many entrepreneurs believe that some of the advertising methods used by large companies are completely out of reach for the small business owner. Not so! Small businesses do not usually need national ad campaigns. Often, they are so regional (even to a neighborhood), that many techniques used by large corporations can be utilized by small business – just with less or smaller reach, method or media.

Billboards come to mind immediately because they are very expensive. But before you rule out the thought of having your own billboard advertising campaign, think outside the huge 14’ x 48’ box!

How about a moving billboard? There are now scrolling and mobile billboards. Trucks drive around town in your predetermined targeted area, with a small billboard-like sign on the back. This is a pretty clever way to advertise, and a fraction of the cost of a stationary monster billboard.

Another billboard type of advertising is your own vehicle. There are options from the magnetic sign you can slap on the side of your car to a full-color wrap that completely encases the vehicle. Choose the right one for you. The small magnetic sign can signify “I do a bunch of things, and today I am dong “X”, so be cautious that this image could misrepresent you. Depending on your product, this $15 magnet could be completely acceptable!

For permanent, but easy to remove signage, vinyl letters and logos can be placed on your car, van or truck. These say “I’m here and steady” because they are professionally applied. They can be in white or a variety of colors, but matching your logo, if a unique color, will probably be difficult. Then there are the ever-increasingly popular vehicle wraps. Full color, you can have a simple logo and wording to a variety of photos that help show your target market what your product or service can provide for them. These wraps can cover be placed just on a window, or cover the entire vehicle. There is also a special material for windows that allows you to see out, but people can’t see in. This is great if you carry a lot of product in your car.  Obviously, there are a wide range of choices to meet your needs and your budget, each giving you traveling advertising. Your billboard, your vehicle, your choice.

Logo clothing can also be considered a “walking, talking billboard”. The options are endless! When using embroidery, the variety of thread colors can provide a perfect – or almost perfect – match of any logo color. Your company name and/or logo can be placed on hats, shirts, jackets, sweaters – you name it and your image can be sewn on it. Digital imaging and modern equipment has allowed even the smallest company to have high-quality embroidered clothing.

Alternatives to embroidery are screen printing and other imprinting techniques. These formats are often used for mass production or when a logo is very detailed and impossible to sew, contains a lot of detail or includes a number of words that might make embroidery less than cost-effective. The next time you’re at the mall or a grocery store, notice how many people are wearing clothing advertising beer, soft drinks, sporting equipment…why not wear something that will promote your own company?

For the big-budget companies, the target market drives by the billboard. For the small business owner, the billboards (you) drive or walk by your target market. Either way, your message is delivered.

Cindy Hartman
http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/billboards-are-not-always-stationary-441900.html

At any given time, there is someone in the market for your products or services. It may be a local company trying to build awareness in the community. It may be a regional advertising agency folding alternative media into its client’s marketing mix. It may be a national or international brand developing a coast-to-coast, multi-pronged integrated campaign that hinges on finding just the right elements to incorporate. It may be all three – or more.

Your challenge as an asset owner or management company is to make sure that all of these potential customers know you exist. This challenge grows if your product is so unique that people may not even be aware of the option, let alone know where to find it. Let’s face it – even with an army of top-notch sales executives, reaching every potential buyer at a point when they are actually in the market is virtually impossible.

That’s where alternative advertising companies comes in. They can help you expand your reach by putting your properties and services in front of advertisers and agencies at the exact point when they are actively seeking out opportunities. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With national databases, you benefit from increased exposure. Advertisers can easily incorporate your assets into their larger campaigns with very little effort on your part.

When you join alternative advertising companies and post your products in their marketplaces, they combine the information you provide with the market-specific information they have aggregated to make your profiles richer and more meaningful to potential advertisers. The targeting tools they have developed allow buyers to quickly get right to the alternative opportunities that reach their desired audience.

Whether you are an individual owner, run a local network or manage a national inventory, alternative advertising companies can help you expand your reach and build demand for your product. The more potential buyers you have, the more you can maximize your revenue per unit and minimize your unsold inventory.

Alternative advertising companies are emerging companies on the web for alternative and unique advertising media – all the advertising elements out there that don’t fall in the TV, radio, print, or traditional online buckets. There are several niche listing services out there, all dedicated to helping a wide range of alternative media asset owners promote their products to advertisers and agencies.

Current inventory categories run the gamut from billboards and bus shelters to digital signage, segways and street teams. . .and new categories are being added daily to keep up with the growing range of opportunities on the market.

In addition to the information you provide, alternative advertising companies will often times map your inventory using Google Maps (and Google Streetview, where available). This can add market information from third-party resources to enrich your profile, giving advertisers and agencies the information they need to make a purchase decision.

Jeff R. Lamb
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/asset-owners-media-companies-expand-your-reach-725155.html

The U.S. Census Bureau’s recently released “Statistical Abstract of the United States” reveals interesting statistical trends about a variety of aspects of life in this country, including where spending stands for out-of-home advertising in comparison to other popular media like newspapers and broadcast television (Section 27 Accommodations, Food Services and Other Services, Table 1261).

Part of the abstract is a table from powerhouse ad agency Universal McCann New York that shows spending growth of nearly 20 percent for out-of-home advertising from 2000 to 2005 -the last year for which statistics are available. That compares to a decline in newspaper ad expenditures of about 2.5 percent and a slight increase of 1 percent in TV ad spending for the same period.

On a percentage basis, the statistics show a slightly greater portion of dollars spent on out-of-home advertising among the three media – 5 percent in 2000 versus 6.1 percent in 2005. However, in terms of raw dollars, television and newspaper advertising continue to dominate, accounting for $45.261 billion and $47.898 billion, respectively, versus $6.149 billion for out-of-home advertising.

While it’s important not to overstate the increase in ad dollars being spent on out-of-home media, the up tick indicates the growing stature of this media among advertisers and marketers. Interestingly, the growth since 2000 tracks the broader availability of flat screen LCD and plasma panels as well as increasingly sophisticated digital signage hardware and software. To be sure, out-of-home advertising encompasses much more than digital signage -things such as billboards, transportation, bus shelters and kiosk. Still, the emergence of digital signage as a viable component of the sector surely contributed to this growth.

What this means precisely to marketers and advertisers is as varied as the Census Bureau’s statistical abstract. However, there are a few generalizations that can be made based on the data:
-The number of dollars spent on out-of-home advertising is growing;
-To the extent that digital signage is a component of this type of media it is benefiting from the category’s success;
-Dollars spent on newspaper and TV broadcast advertising dwarf the category;
-The relatively small percentage being spent on out-of-home advertising may indicate a smart effort on the part of marketers to protect their ad investment in newspapers and television by carrying their marketing and advertising messages over to the retail store and the point of decision where a consumer selects which product to buy.

Advertising and media are experiencing an accelerated rate of change as marketers turn to relatively new alternatives -like the Web and digital signage networks- to reach their intended audience. The signs of this change are everywhere. For instance, this week Media Holdings, owner of the Philadelphia Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer, announced it would lay off 71 journalists -about 17 percent of the Inquirer’s editorial staff- to trim costs in light of declining circulation and ad revenue. Another is newspaper publisher McClatchy, which announced plans shortly after Christmas to sell The Star Tribune in Minneapolis for $530 million and a tax benefit of $160 million, or $690 million. That’s a little more than half of what the publisher paid to purchase the paper in 1998. Television isn’t immune to these turbulent times, either. The New York Times Co. in September 2006 announced its intention to sell nine network affiliate television stations throughout the country to improve its financial position and strengthen its core property.

What these moves and the U.S. Census Bureau statistics indicate is declining newspaper ad revenue, flat television ad revenue and a small, but growing pile of cash being spent for out-of-home advertising, and the rippling consequences thereof.

As marketers and ad agencies evaluate media, they would do well to keep in mind these trends which track changing media consumption patterns and look for ways to reinforce their ad buys in television and newspapers with advertising that grabs and influences shoppers where they make their purchasing decisions and reach for their wallets.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/ad-spending-on-outofhome-media-grows-89833.html

One of my favorite places to shop in town reserves a parking space closest to the door for its employee of the month.

That retailer, like many businesses, knows the importance of small, regular gestures that publicly recognize employees. Such kudos build employee loyalty, inspire excellence and motivate workers to perform at a high level month after month.

A recent article by Charles Christian entitled “Motivate With An Employee Incentive Program,” summed up the value of such efforts. “Employee recognition programs go a long way to creating a happy and productive work environment. They create an environment that fosters the development of both individuals and the company in a way that is mutually beneficial,” it said.

While a choice parking space may seem somewhat unconventional, especially measured against other more traditional approaches like financial rewards, trips, and other tangibles, it does provide a concrete illustration of what makes employee recognition and rewards so powerful: namely, they’re public.

Writing in the Portland Business Journal, author and president of San Diego-based Nelson Motivation Bob Nelson advised employers to: “Present rewards in a public forum. Rewards are not meant to be presented in the privacy of an employee’s office. Schedule a special meeting for the occasion, and don’t camouflage the rewards. They must stand out and be highlighted; don’t squeeze praise among a dozen other topics of conversation.”

Traditionally, company newsletters and paper notices posted on bulletin boards have provided a degree of public awareness about employees who’ve achieved excellence. However, some employers are using a far higher-profile means to recognize company stars publicly.

Honoring employees on an in-house digital signage system elevates the visibility and effectiveness of employee programs. If executed properly, the digital sign-based recognition can enlist some of the intangible power and attraction broadcast television often imparts to an event or person.

What makes digital signage so well suited for employee recognition is the fact that by its very nature it is public. Scattered strategically around a corporation - in the lobby, the cafeteria, the corporate recreation center or on the factory floor- digital signs sew a thread of community awareness throughout an organization, uniting it in its endeavors and providing a public forum to recognize employees.

Recognizing employees on a digital signage network can be as simple as displaying a picture and text or as sophisticated as a video of the recognition ceremony complete with a few words from the award presenter and the recipient.

Equally important is the fact that digital signage taps into our culture’s obsession with and attraction to television. The very fact that the employee is recognized publicly on large plasma or LCD screens throughout the company carries a bit of the status the public ascribes to being on television. Thus, in the minds of those who are honored the perceived value of the public recognition on a corporate digital signage network is likely to be higher than similar recognition in a company newsletter or notice posted on a bulletin board.

To be sure, corporate managers are unlikely to decide to install a digital signage network solely to recognize outstanding employees. However, for those companies with digital signs, publicly recognizing the achievements of employees in living color for everyone to see makes good sense.

Doing so can amplify employee recognition programs intended to validate the contribution of an employee or group of workers in an organization. That in turn can motivate workers to turn in stellar performances, which is a critical ingredient to the success of any enterprise.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/star-gazing-66711.html

It’s no secret digital signage to this point has been a child amid grown-up media outlets. But a couple of signs have emerged that indicate this new medium may be reaching if not maturity at least adolescence.

While its boosters have long proselytized the medium as a powerful complement to other in-store promotional techniques and messaging, dynamic signage in the retail environment has remained “well poised,” “an emerging voice,” and other euphemisms for not mainstream.

That’s easy to understand, based on the timing of its arrival on the communications scene. A recent Self Service article reporting on the “Building Your Digital Signage Business” conference in Chicago last month, quotes CAP Ventures analyst Norman McLeod as saying that reasons beyond the control of the digital sign industry have held back its growth.

The article, by Bryan Harris, quotes McLeod as saying the 2000 bust of dot com companies sucked venture capital from the market. Then, “we saw the biggest decrease in advertising since they started tracking it,” he’s quoted in the article as saying, in 2002. Only in 2005, did the market fully rebound.

However, with that rebound have come a couple of signs that in-store and out-of-store dynamic signs may be hitting its stride. In Britain, the Screen Association has published the first-ever directory of UK-based digital signage networks that accept advertising from third parties, according to a report from Clickpress.com. The directory, “The Screen UK Advertising Networks Directory,” provides a full index of 62 such networks with details about the networks and contacts at each.

Publication of the directory indicates that diffuse digital signage networks at least in the UK may be congealing into a definable market that advertisers, advertising agencies and marketing professionals can quantify, measure and ultimately specify in their media plans. That’s a big step for in-store digital media on its path to reaching maturity.

In the United States, a similar development indicates dynamic signage may be entering adolescence. Clear Channel Outdoor, one of the leaders in the outdoor advertising market, announced last month that it was expanding its digital signage network with several new installations in Tampa, FL, and Milwaukee, WI.
Reporting on the move for MediaPost.com, author Erik Sass quotes company CEO of Clear Channel Outdoors Paul Meyer as saying the move will help Clear Channel attain its 2006 goal of deploying digital signage in four to six markets.

As with conventional billboards, the LED signs, which measure 14ft by 48ft, will be positioned near heavily traveled roads. However, use of digital sign technology will allow Clear Channel to “day part” advertising to better meet the advertising needs of its clients and potentially charge a premium.
As with news of the UK directory of digital signage networks, the latest announcement from Clear Channel demonstrates the congealing of the digital signage market into a medium advertisers can easily grasp. One can imagine national brand television advertisers supplementing their brand and product commercials on such giant electronic billboards. That opportunity will only grow as Clear Channel Outdoors and others build their inventory of outdoor digital signs across America.

What appears to be happening in the digital display market are the first signs of an amalgamation of individual signs and networks into something that more resembles a definable medium than a scattershot straying of public venues and retail shops with unrelated networks and signs.

Market researchers frequently set about measuring the strength of the digital signage market in terms of forecasts, such as researcher iSuppli’s recent projection of a $12 billion dollar value by 2010, its true health may better be predicted with the formation of viable advertising markets that exploit these sorts of digital signage networks.

While no one would argue that these networks trumpet the arrival of a fully mature medium, such developments indicate digital signage is reaching adolescence.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/signs-of-growing-up-whats-in-your-media-mix-79377.html

Sometimes you can learn a lesson from a big brother, and that seems to be the case when you consider large billboards -commonly referred to as outdoor advertising, or OA for short- and their smaller plasma and LCD siblings in the retail environment.

Consider the case of an advertising forecast for 2007 from Watchfire Digital Outdoors. Makers of outdoor digital signage that’s every bit as large as a conventional billboard, Watchfire Digital Outdoors does for outdoor advertising much of what conventional plasma and LCD digital signs do indoors.

The Danville, IL, company earlier this month published a 10-point forecast for digital outdoor billboard advertising, many of which apply equally well to the indoor digital signage market in retail settings.

Forecasted points that could just as easily been have been made about retail digital signage and advertising include:

* The availability and use of more sophisticated selling strategies;
* Networks of digital billboards rivaling other media for ad revenue;
* Solidifying of revenue models.

With regard to more sophisticated selling strategies, Watchfire Digital Outdoors makes the point that new approaches, including “exclusive category sponsorships, unlimited copy changes and automated database-driven updates” will be used as incentives or upsells to entice advertiser to use digital outdoor signs in 2007. The same is true of retail digital signage networks. As that medium coalesces, retailers will find the same opportunities can be employed to attract and win advertisers. Like their bigger brothers, digital signage networks can be changed in an instant and offered on an exclusive basis to an identified category of advertisers.

Another commonality is in the emergence of digital signage as a rival to existing media, especially radio and television. As I’ve written about in the past, retail digital signage networks are congealing into a quantifiable, measurable, sellable medium that will offer advertisers more than a wish. These networks will deliver concrete demographics and audience numbers.

Just as Watchfire Digital Outdoors forecasts digital outdoor signage networks coming into their own as a competitive medium, indoor retail digital signage networks will offer advertisers a targeted demographic as an alternative to traditional media -one that reaches consumers closer to the cash register.

Watchfire Digital Outdoors also forecasts that revenue models will solidify as outdoor advertising companies get comfortable with offering “board sharing, day-parting, exclusive sponsorships, short-run premiums” and other incentives. Again, retail digital signage networks also are seizing on these types of new product offerings to create an entirely new medium. Tracking retail signage messages to match the demographics of shoppers as they change throughout the day and offering “short-run premiums” are also integral components of retail digital signage that will be exploited to drive ad sales.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a big brother. Finding retail digital signage networks share some vital commonalities with large

LED-based outdoor digital signs that are poised to explode onto the advertising scene should give marketing executives, advertisers and retailers something to smile about as we enter the New Year.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/sign-of-the-times-84214.html

Cutters are a natural fit in any decorated apparel business. The advantages they offer are numerous, including:

They work with a huge array of materials, including vinyl and film, and you can get a full-blown system, including supplies, for as little as £2000.

These materials can be applied to cotton, cotton/polyester blends, nylon, 100% polyester, leather, canvas, wood, and metal. And in addition to apparel, you also can decorate accessories and extras such as umbrellas, helmets, cd bags and coolers. It’s just a question of picking the right material for the substrate.

You have complete design control, allowing you to do things like custom fit long names on small jerseys, change fonts and colours, and so on.

You’re not dependent on a supplier’s schedule; you make designs when you need them. If you run short of a vowel or a number one or mess one up, you make one more.

Depending on the cutter you purchase, your new equipment may allow you to make a digital transfer of things like corporate logos, a left chest, or full-front design, which allows you to enter a host of new markets.

In addition to teams, you can expand your markets to include local community projects, uniform wear, and all kinds of corporate businesses.  

And when you figure that somebody is going to be making healthy profits doing that business — well, it might as well be your shop, right? In the long run, this kind of market and decorating versatility can only help your business. With that in mind, here’s a look at what you need to know about buying a cutter.

Understanding the Basics
Cutters are available in two types: friction-fed, which includes roll cutters and sheet-fed cutters; or flat bed.

Most friction-fed cutters aren’t designed to handle twill, although there are a couple of significant exceptions. Typically, flat-bed cutters costs around £4000, can do the job extremely well. The ability to handle twill and appliqué means your shop also has to add a sewing or embroidery machine.  And you need to be aware that flat-bed cutters can’t be used with roll materials. Many shops that do both have a friction-fed and a flat-bed cutter.

In either case, the cutter hooks up to your computer (generally not included as part of the purchase); much like you’d connect a printer. You’ll also need a heat press and materials to feed into the cutter. You send a design from the computer to the cutter, which then cuts it from the material — which you then weed (to remove unwanted material) and heat seal to a substrate.

Some suppliers offer packages that include the cutter, a heat press, and materials. In all, expect to spend roughly £2,000 and up for all the required equipment, including a good heat press and supplies — a low price given all the capabilities you’ll be adding to your shop.

Software. Cutters usually come with the software required, either in standalone form or as a plug-in for graphic arts programs such as CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator. Essentially, the software acts as a driver for the cutter. While it’s a plus if you know graphic arts programs, you can happily get by without that knowledge; with some other software available that automates many of the functions, that would normally take more knowledge. Still, having the flexibility of a full-fledged graphic arts program really expands your capabilities and what you can do for your customers.

There also are CAD-cutting design programs that offer a wide range of predesigned templates geared to the team and sports market. Customers simply choose the typeface, design, colours, and layout they like best, and these are plugged into the template, and out comes a professional-looking design ready to be heat sealed. Another option is to rely on suppliers who offer artwork services. They will clean up your customer’s artwork and vectorize it so it’s ready to output to your cutter. (Cutters work only vector artwork, not bitmap or raster images.) Most clip art companies also offer thousands of mascots and images that can easily be imported into your CAD cutter programme and incorporated into a design.

Material. Materials come in sheets and rolls. One big advantage of roll goods is you do not have to stand there and feed sheets into the machine. You can load up a roll, which will then continuously cut until the job is done. There’s also no limit to the design’s length, since the roll is continuous. Rolls generally come in 38cm and 50cm widths.

Cutters also can do sign vinyl, which is usually a self-adhesive material; film, which is a heat-applied material used for apparel; sand-blast material; magnetic material for making refrigerator magnets and magnetic vehicle signs; and, in some cases, transfer paper. This means that not only can you offer the school football team numbered shirts; you can print up the team’s season schedule on magnetic material and sell it to teams and fans who want to put it up on the fridge.

As an alternative to vinyl, certain select suppliers also offer polyurethane materials, or PU which is more environmentally friendly. It is actually thinner, looks better and feels softer than vinyl. Furthermore, the PU product “loves itself” and you can, therefore, stick more layers together. An important feature of PU is that a two-colour, two-layer design will feel like just one layer However, some customers may prefer the thicker, shinier look of traditional vinyl.

For markets such as dance, fashion, and safety, you’ll find a multitude of film options, including foils, glitters, metallic, fluorescents, and reflectives. Reflective materials, which have recently become available in a variety of colors, are popular for safety where visibility is crucial, for example, for school children walking with backpacks. Now children can be safe and make a fashion statement at the same time!

Size. Cutters come in many widths — anywhere from 20cms to 160cms. Of course, the cutter’s cost increases accordingly, from about £700 to £10,000. Generally, though, expect to spend roughly £1000 to £1,500 on a quality cutter.

Unless you’re only going to use the cutter for hobby work, you should avoid anything less than 38cms wide. A 60cms width is considered a standard minimum size for a sporting goods dealer doing team shirts.  

Other Cutter Considerations

When shopping for a cutter, there are some other features to be aware of. They include:

Memory. Look for cutters with an adequate buffer memory as. This allows the unit to quickly download designs from the computer to the cutter.

Down force. Find out how many grams of force the cutter has. Some have about 150 grams of force, while others have about 450. Depending on the material you’re cutting, more down force may come in handy. You must have sufficient down force to cut heavier materials like twill, for example. So make sure your salesperson is aware of all the materials you anticipate cutting.

Optical eye. This is a relatively new feature available on cutters but one that can save a tremendous amount of time increasing productivity. A cutter with an optical eye sets up registration points and, with the software included, allows you to quickly set up contour lines around even complicated designs. It then quickly and precisely cut around any design.

If your cutter has an optical eye (this should cost from £1,400 – £2,000), you can then add a low-cost inkjet printer, and cut out full-colour designs for dark garments.  With an optical eye on your cutter you will not have to worry ever again about using scissors to laboriously cut away the white border around your designs. Just print the designs on transfer paper using the inkjet printer, use the cutter to contour cut the printed image, and use the press to heat seal the image onto the garment. An optical eye also allows you to contour cut items such as window stickers.

Presets. For each type of material you cut, the machine must be programmed with the specifics of that material. If you’re going to switch back and forth between vinyl and film, for instance, it’s handy to have a cutter that has a number of presets. This way, you simply push a button and the unit is ready to handle that material.

Warranty. Some suppliers offer extended warranties at no additional cost, so be sure to ask what type of coverage is included. Also, ask if the supplier will offer a free loan machine to use to keep production going should your equipment need servicing.

Training. Using a cutter requires only limited training, which you can get online or in person. In fact, many training programs take only an hour before you’re up and running. Find out whether the supplier offers in-person or virtual training, or both — and at what cost, if any.

Speed. Find out how fast the cutter operates. Most suppliers measure in terms of cms per second. A speed of about 38cms per second and higher is good. Keep in mind that more complicated designs will sometimes require a much slower speed.

Cut quality. Take a close look at the manner in which the cutter does its work. Are the cuts clean and smooth, or are they ragged? Watch the unit in action, and carefully examine samples produced on the machine.

With these considerations in mind, you’re ready to start shopping for a cutter for your business. It’s almost as if you’re purchasing not just a piece of equipment but a new employee who can handle an amazing array of tasks. With a cutter, you’re no longer limited by anything but your imagination.

Printer/Cutters Close Up 
While a cutter has an incredible amount of versatility, a printer/cutter unit ups the ante by adding printing capabilities to the mix. A single unit can output full-color images—usually using inkjet technology—and do contour cutting all in with the same machine.

Using such a unit makes it easy to create customized signage with UV-resistant ink, and do digital transfers for apparel and other items—and it can still do everything a traditional cutter can handle. Of course, such capabilities come at a cost: Prices start at about £6,000 and reach £10,000 and upwards.

Target can be contacted at www.targettransfers.com or call +44 (0) 1376 326351.

Martin Borley
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-ideas-articles/boost-profits-expand-markets-with-a-digital-plotter-cutter-724675.html

Not everyone is a physicist or a LED expert and designer. The average electronics consumer (that might know a few things about LED devices or any other illuminating apparatus) has to be informed on the important place LEDs hold in our life. Because everyone has seen a LED, but perhaps doesn’t know of its existence, we consider it our duty to tell you some things about it.

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode and it performs a great variety of functions, being found in many household appliances. Every blinking LED is a genuine unsung hero of the electronics’ landscape. The amazing LED colors vary, depending on the composition of the materials used and the outside conditions of the above mentioned semiconductor, ranging from almost ultraviolet to the visible spectre or even the infrared light. To put it shortly, a LED sign is simply a small series of light bulbs that can be inserted rapidly into electrical circuits. The major difference between a LED and some other common incandescent bulb is that, the LED doesn’t contain any filament which may burn out or get too hot. You can burn your fingers with a LED, as every LED is illuminated just by the rapid movement of electrons in a semiconductor material. A standard LED generally lasts as long as a normal transistor.

These devices can create the ciphers on digital clocks, light up your wrist watch, send information from a remote control or even warn you when an appliance is turned on. When altogether connected because of decorative or practical reasons, they can accomplish marvellous things as the LED illuminating sign of an everyday traffic light. In fact, the most obvious purpose LEDs have is to advertise and sell services and products.

After getting acquainted with what a LED is, one can focus on the uses of a standard LED. Our company has to step in at this moment to give you some ideas on how you can use a LED. We welcome you to the LED Signage Revolution, a concept created and put into practice by sign experts and top LED specialists. Xstreamsign.com offers you the most recent sign LED solutions in colour changing signage. This revolutionary sign technology gives you the chance to accomplish extraordinary things with your company’s branding sign and attract as many clients as you wish.

If you know exactly how you want your clients to perceive your image, if you want your brand to stand out when people pass by, if you want to capture everyone’s attention, then you have to appeal to the best LED effects and use the best colors and shapes for your sign. To get your brand profile known on the market and to develop new and improved connections with your company’s clients you have to use the advantages a LED sign can give you. Yes, LED signage is useful not only for appliances, but for marketing also. Sign LED technology can make it easy for you to change your corporate colors and improve your business.

These complex devices are organized by a Sign Brain Cell, meaning an extremely tiny controller, the smallest in stature digital LED programmable controller built until now. Even though it measures only 80mm x 40mm x 20mm, this piece of equipment for sign illumination does a miraculous job. It ensures that your company’s colors attract potential customers by all means. It enlightens about the possibilities your company can offer and sells your image in the most appealing way.

The X-Stream Sign system is represented by a modular RGB LED signage option. This modular system refers to the fact that it can be complex or simple, depending on your choice. Some high-tech sign modules are interconnected to form small basic systems or larger ones for more sophisticated signs of different scales and with color changing animated Sign drawings. These last complicated ones are run from a computer over a connected network and can indeed be called a work of art. A lot of work is put into the creation of a LED sign, but the effort is repaid through an eye-catching light show.

Our company can provide digital LED signage that can vary from the simplest advertising text to still pictures and to 3D animated videos. There are even available audio options. Generally, retail industry operators of digital signage firms see their colorful full-motion banners as comparable to TV broadcasting channels, entertaining parading or data distributing advertisements. The LED signs are popular and they enchant, inform and thrill just like any of the above mentioned ways of promotion. So, if you are company looking to get noticed, you should definitely try a LED sign!

Amelie Mag
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/led-signage-a-way-to-make-your-company-seen-58543.html

Last week, I made a simple point in this space, namely that just because a display device, such as a plasma or LCD panel, is flat doesn’t mean that it’s capable of displaying high definition content as part of digital signage messaging.

By way of review of last week’s column, a display panel can be SD, or standard definition, ED, or enhanced definition, or HD, high definition. Displays are made up of individual picture elements, called pixels. Basically, the idea is the more pixels, the higher the resolution of an image. Thus, an SD display with a pixel count of 704 (horizontal) x 480 (vertical) has less resolution than an ED display with 852 x 480 pixels. HD displays, which have even more pixels and are at the top of the resolution food chain for displays, come in three flavors: 720p, 1080i and 1080p. (More on the “i” and the “p” in a moment.)

A 720p HD display has 1280 pixels (horizontal) by 720 (vertical); 1080i and 1080p displays have 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels, or more than 2 million individual picture elements. The letters “i” and “p” stand for interlaced and progressive, respectively. Interlaced displays, like ordinary TV sets and 1080i HDTVs, paint individual lines of pixels back and forth top to bottom across the display on the odd numbered lines (in HDTVs those are 1, 3, 5…1079) first and then the evens (2, 4, 6…1080) before beginning the process over and over. Taken together the odd numbered line “field” and the even numbered line field create one “frame,” or complete still image. There are 30 such frames displayed per second.

Progressive displays, like computer monitors and 1080p HDTVs, display lines sequentially (1, 2, 3… 1080) before beginning the process again. These 1080p HD displays paint 60 new still images on the screen every second. With twice the frame rate (60 versus 30), 1080p demands twice the amount of data as 1080i.

That difference in frame rates means different things to different parties interested in high definition. To marketers using an HD as the display technology in a digital signage network, 1080p is the top-of-the-line image quality they can expect to achieve for the foreseeable future. If the message they are communicating requires the utmost resolution, 1080p may be the right choice. However, 1080p displays are more expensive and there will be a price to pay in terms of content storage required to drive that messaging.

To broadcasters who must work within the law administered by the FCC for transmission of HD, 1080p is too much. Simply given what they must work with, 1080p is beyond their capacity to deliver. Thus, 1080i and 720p are the broadcast HD formats.

To movie studios wishing to distribute their films in the highest display format available in the home, 1080p is the answer. Much of the buzz over Blu-ray and HD-DVD optical discs is in part about the ability of the competing formats to deliver superb image quality. Those formats –and their use of a blue frequency laser with a shorter wavelength that can write more data per area of storage- were designed to be able to write the all of the 1080p data to disk that’s needed to playback a full-length movie plus bonus material.

But here’s the most important party in the 1080p HD resolution equation: the audience. Whether you’re a digital signage marketer, a broadcaster or a movie studio, you are faced with same question: How do I affordably deliver the level of quality to my audience that satisfies my desired communications goal? In other words, how much resolution is enough for the communications task at hand?

Only you can answer that question. To illustrate how subjective the answer is, consider this: ABC, ESPN, Fox and My Network TV rely on 720p, or 720 progressive lines, for HD service while NBC, CBS and PBS rely on 1080i. Perhaps before you decide which level of HD resolution is most appropriate for your high definition digital signage network, you should flip between ESPN’s “Sportscenter HD” (720p), “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (1080i) and “March of the Penguins” (1080p) playing back from an HD-DVD player or “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (1080p) from a Blu-ray player on your 1080p display. You may be surprised by what you observe.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/digital-displays-a-little-more-about-high-definition-135215.html

The most obvious thing about digital signage is the display panel. It’s the first thing you see, and probably the last thing you think about once it’s hung and showing the content you want others to see.

But did you know that just because your digital signage messaging is playing back on a flat panel plasma or LCD that it’s not necessarily being shown in HD quality? While they’re somewhat less common today, for the past few years display makers have marketed -right next to the HD panels- something known as ED panels or TVs. EDTV stands for “Enhanced Definition Television” –something that’s better, to be sure, than the ordinary television in most homes across America, but nowhere near as good as HDTVs and HD monitors. So, what makes one panel “enhanced” and another “high-def”? Basically, its pixels, scanning and terminology.

Pixels first

If your interest in digital signage is more about what it can do for you than how it does it, you might not be very familiar with some of the basics. First, a pixel is a picture element. Many say it’s the smallest picture element in a display, but maybe a better way to think of it is as the smallest whole picture element in a display. That’s because just like Gaul, all pixels are divided into three parts –red, green and blue. Those parts are often referred to as sub-pixels. But for the sake of this discussion, let’s stick with pixels.

In plasmas and LCDs, pixel count is pretty cut-and-dry. These displays are made up of rows and columns of picture elements or pixels. An SD panel –or standard definition panel, the closest thing to your ordinary home TV- will have 480 rows and 720 pixels across. EDTVs have the same number of rows, 480, and 853 pixels across.

Besides having about 20 percent more pixels across, another important distinction between the two is the type of scanning used. An SD display is interlaced just like your fingers are when you do “Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple….” Drawing one complete picture, or frame, in an interlaced display requires the monitor to scan the odd number rows in an image sequentially first, i.e. 1, 3, 5 etc. and then the even numbered rows 2, 4, 6 etc. Together those two interlaced “fields” make up a frame. There are about 60 fields per second, or about 30 frames per second in SD video. (I won’t trouble you with the why regarding the term “about.”)

These interlaced fields are displayed so quickly that the scanned odds are still aglow, although decaying, while the evens are being scanned. However, that decay in the glow and constant refresh account for a flicker that’s visible to some.

ED monitors are progress scan displays. Like computer monitors, they scan lines, 1, 2, 3, etc. all the way to line 480. It’s the greater number of pixels and this progressive scanning that makes them better than SD, or in other words, enhanced.

Enter HD

HD or high definition can produce a view of the world that’s lifelike. If you doubt that, flip on the Discovery Channel and then flip over to Discovery HD on an HDTV. You will be amazed.

There are many different types of high definition standards, but you only have to be concerned about a few things when it comes to digital signage. First and foremost, HD is pixel count. If it’s got at least 1280 x 720 pixels, it qualifies as HD. However, here’s where things get a little confusing. HDTV and monitors also come with 1920 pixels across and 1080 pixels vertically, and they come with lots of different pixel counts in between. Those “tweeners” have more to do with the manufacturing capabilities and priorities of the company making the panel than they do with the actual HD standard.

Like the difference between SD and ED, there are scanning type differences among HDTVs as well. First, there is progressive scan called 720p (row 1, 2, 3… 720). Then there is 1080i, or 1080 interlaced (1, 3, 5…1079 followed by 2, 4, 6…1080). Finally there is 1080p, which some HD marketers call Full HD (implying that the rest aren’t quite HD, which is misleading and self-serving in my opinion).

Not quite as they seem

Without a doubt, HDTVs are burgeoning in the home and HD panels are becoming popular displays for digital signage. Their ability to reproduce lifelike images is breathtaking. That’s powerful clay in the hands of digital signage sculptors.

But don’t be confused. Just because a panel is flat, it’s not necessarily HD. Look for the panel’s resolution in pixels. Find out what type of scanning it uses. Together, those two pieces of information can tell you what you’re looking at, even if your eyeballs aren’t sure. It can also save you the headache of mistakenly acquiring the ED monitors that seemed like a steal when you thought you were buying HD.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/ask-an-expert-articles/digital-displays-things-are-not-always-as-they-appear-133643.html

Experienced signage network operators often deploy content that fails to produce results. Even worse, if they haven’t implemented a reliable tracking mechanism (a topic for another article), they may not even realize that their creatives are hitting a wall. The problem isn’t exclusive to the folks who are in charge of the system; a lot of times, the ad agencies and firms who are brought in to assist have the same problem.

Today, we’re going to take a look at how well glossy content works when it’s deployed throughout your signage network. The fact is, slick-looking creatives may look fantastic, but still fail to produce sales, leads, contact information, and other actions. But, there’s a simple science to developing messages that can captivate your audience while delivering the goods. Let’s get started.

The Effect Of High-End Production

First, let’s consider creatives that are developed with high-end production. Unless you’re leading a talented team of designers, you’ll probably hire a design firm to come up with them. These creatives cost a lot of money, draw viewers in, and hold eyeballs. But, do they actually drive people to take action (for example, buying a sales item)? Or, can they support a brand?

In fact, they can. People have a natural tendency to investigate dazzling, artful displays. So, a team of designers who can employ the latest Flash tricks with tantalizing music can easily capture the attention of passersby. What’s more, the high-end content they produce will often create a lasting impression in the minds of those who see it. Think about how films affect moviegoers. When Jurassic Park was first released, it dazzled audiences. It created an impression. High-quality creatives that are slickly produced can generate the same response.

The Beauty Of Simplicity

On the other end of the spectrum are simple messages. There’s nothing in them that will astound your signage viewers. The graphics are clean and often produced by using templates. The message is clear without the distractions of audio and visual effects. Most importantly, assuming the network operator or designer of the creative is knowledgeable about advertising, there’s a clear, concise call for action. So far, so good. But, does it work to generate a response?

It does. In the same way that people are drawn toward the glitzy, smooth, slick creatives, simple messages can be powerful. It may not be glossy or seductive, but when it’s created with an eye for effective advertising tactics, it can drive customers to the register (or kiosk). The trick, of course, is knowing how to develop that kind of content. Here’s a hint: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. The AIDA formula has been used with great success for decades. It’s just as potent when used in your signage content.

One Or The Other

So, which should you and your team generate, high-end content with a lavish production or simple creatives? Well, it depends upon your goals and your budget. If you’re building a brand, aren’t interested in immediately-trackable actions, and aren’t limited by a finite budget, glossy creatives may be a great solution. On the other hand, if you’re working with limited financial resources and need to produce measurable results, focus on developing simple messages. The trap you definitely want to avoid is blowing your budget on glossy content development that doesn’t generate the results you need to justify your signage network.

One last recommendation (and we’ll go into more detail on this topic in the future): avoid taking the middle road. Glossy content works. So does simplicity. But, the middle ground loses effectiveness quickly. There are reasons that are beyond the scope of this article, but stay tuned. We’ll get into that soon.

Frank Lucer
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/digital-signage-does-glossy-content-work-745131.html

Taking a page from the entrepreneur’s notebook, non-profit organizations are now utilizing digital signage, touch-screen kiosks and interactive donor walls to promote capital campaigns, enhance donor recognition, deliver important fundraising messages, attract new donors and bolster their bottom line.

The convergence of interactive technology with multimedia content has created a wealth of new fundraising possibilities.

For-profit corporations and leading retail outlets embraced the superior attraction capabilities of multimedia displays to increase profits and cut costs long ago. Now that the technology has matured, progressive non-profit organizations are implementing similar systems in an effort to compete for the increasingly scarce fundraising dollar.

While traditional donor walls and static signage will always have their place in non-profit organizations, self-cycling and interactive multimedia presentations are now being used to attract inform, inspire and motivate donors, visitors, volunteers and staff at first point of contact.

Imagine the powerful attraction, retention and emotion-generating capabilities of a medium that allows for vibrant graphics, animation, full-motion video, audio and compelling text messaging – one that also allows for interactive participation and instant updates.

An exhibit where contributors are recognized in dynamic fashion; where they share stories of hope, gratitude and the future; where history unfolds in an illustrated, moving chronicle; where a capital campaign is illustrated and advanced by animated timelines, moving testimonials, and current contribution results – in effect – a display that inspires while also reflecting an organization’s mission, culture, values and ideals.

Multimedia displays provide a powerful marketing, communications and fundraising edge that is limited only by the imagination of the content creators. The presentations can be delivered via plasma displays, LCD screens and touch-screen kiosks and can either be self-cycling or interactive. They can be also be integrated into traditional donor walls, recognition displays and capital campaign promotions or can be utilized as standalone systems.

With virtually unlimited capacity, multimedia displays solve the age-old non-profit problem of finding additional recognition space when needed. They are also quick and easy to update from the comfort of any office with an Internet connection, addressing logistical and budgetary concerns that include updating and editing donor names and keeping fundraising messages current. Electronic multimedia displays can now also feature integrated credit card swipes complete with printer. This enables a visitor to make a donation and collect a receipt while enjoying and interacting with the presentation.

Interactive and self-cycling multimedia presentations are quickly becoming standard occurrences in non-profits and charities. Prestigious organizations currently using dynamic multimedia displays to enhance their donor recognition, promote capital campaigns and communicate their important fundraising messages include, among others:

Harvard School of Dental Medicine (touch-screen kiosk); United States Air Force Memorial Foundation (multiple outdoor touch-screen kiosks with credit card swipes and printers); Glens Falls Hospital Foundation (plasma display), Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation (plasma display), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (digital signage), St. Boniface Hospital and Research Foundation (touch-screen kiosk and integrated plasma display), Shaarey Zedek Synagogue (electronic Yahrzeit memorial) and the Jewish Foundation of Milwaukee (touch-screen LCD display).

The future of donor recognition, capital campaign promotion and non-profit marketing – has arrived.

G Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/nonprofit-organizations-embracing-interactive-donor-walls-digital-signage-and-touchscreen-kiosks-to-promote-capital-campaigns-enhance-donor-recogn-137728.html

I had dinner the other evening with some friends from New England. The couple splits its time between a home in the southern part of New Hampshire during the winter and a scenic farm in northern Vermont during the summer. In the past, I’ve had opportunities to visit both places and travel with them between their homes.

As dinner progressed, the conversation turned to the Old Man of the Mountain, a natural rock formation on the New Hampshire landscape that serves as a symbol adorning state highway signs and license plates. I’d stopped on several occasions at Franconia Notch State Park to view the Old Man from a distance.

In May 2003, erosion, wind and weather finally took their toll on the Old Man, when in an instant the rocks gave way and the landmark slid down the mountain and into history. At dinner, I asked in passing about the event and my friends told me a few things I had never known about the landmark.

The Old Man of the Mountain had existed in a tenuous state for years, my friends said. In an effort to preserve the landmark, the state had wrapped chains and cables around portions of the face to keep it in place. Plastic was strategically placed in an effort to prevent rain from penetrating crevices, freezing, expanding and making the face more unstable. Volunteer quarryman even regularly inspected the landmark and did their best to maintain its integrity. However, despite everyone’s best efforts, the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in a heap May 3, 2003.

As my friends discussed the Old Man and the efforts to preserve it, I couldn’t help but think about the similarities between the fallen-away landmark and TV, commercials and digital signage.

As a mass medium television is the undisputed champion, but I see signs of erosion, unstable features and steps at preservation that ultimately are likely to prove futile. TV is in a state of transition, and the medium as it’s been known for the past 60 years or so is undergoing radical changes.

Sure there’s the transition from analog to digital that the government has mandated for February 2009, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to a transition being forced upon the medium that’s about as welcome as the rain and snow were to the Old Man.

Since it’s inception as a commercial medium, television in this country has been linear. Programs have a set starting time and known finish –for the most part. In between show segments are commercial breaks; and in between shows are more commercials. Networks and stations have relied on this structure to build program lineups, audiences and desired demographics that advertisers wish to reach.

However, with the roll out of digital video recorders over the past few years, viewers –not network programmers- are in charge of when a show gets watched. Worst of all for the marketers and the networks, viewers can use the same recorder to “zap” or zip by commercials. Each time a viewer does so, it’s like another drop of rainwater penetrating a crack in the Old Man’s face, wearing away the underlying soil and rock holding the structure in place.

Add to that the growing availability of video-on-demand from cable and satellite TV operators, TV network Web sites that make popular shows like “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy” available on-demand via streaming broadband connection, and the countless shows, movies and events available for download via file sharing, and it’s easy to see the cracks are growing and the edifice is nearing a shift.

To be sure, the networks rolling out the chains, wrapping up their franchise tight to hold the status quo. Shows like “American Idol” garner huge ratings and encourage viewers to buck the VOD trend by asking them to call in and vote for their favorite performers live. But that strategy raises some interesting questions, like how broadly can it be applied, and doesn’t it just feed the desire of viewers for interactive control over the content they view?

Technology and interactivity are only two of the elements eroding the status quo. The other is demographics. Closely tied to technology and interactivity to be sure, the highly sought after younger demographic is fluent in technology. From text messaging to gaming, on-line chats to music downloads, younger audiences are immersed in the stuff. Unfortunately for television networks and their advertisers, this group also appears to be less interested in television than older viewers.

All of these shifts, as gradual as they may be, are good news for digital signage networks. On one level, digital signage gives marketers who may grow uncertain about the stability of the Old Man of Television a refuge for targeted advertising. On another, digital signage bears a close resemblance to television and can easily take advantage of the cache of the medium without falling prey to the elements eroding its stature. On yet another, digital signage displays can be configured to work in hybrid mode, offering the benefits of linear program playback, which can be interrupted with something as simple as a touch of the screen and sent into an interactive, digital kiosk mode. This in particular, positions digital signage to capitalize on the propensity of younger viewers to feel at home with interactive technology, and thus offer marketers direct access to a highly desired demographic.

Will television slide down the media mountain just as the Old Man did in New Hampshire? Perhaps, but I can’t say when with any more reliability than the surveyors 100 years ago who predicted the demise of the Old Man. What I can say is this: The forces buffeting the edifice of television are growing in strength. Whether or not that media landmark can withstand them in the long run, television and its traditional business model are likely to continue changing. As they do, the prospect of digital signage networks to offer marketers an attractive alternative will only grow.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/digital-signage-payoff-whats-a-challenge-for-tv-may-be-a-boon-for-digital-signage-networks-115866.html

Out-of-home advertising –the nice-sounding term for all types of advertising consumed away from home, including digital signage- is likely to become an even more important component of the advertising landscape with this week’s announcement that Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings will roll out digital billboards in four more cities: Akron, OH, Columbus, OH, Memphis, TN, and Wichita, KS.

Making up the digital billboard network in each city are:

• Memphis: five 14-foot-by-48-foot digital displays;

• Akron: six 14-foot-by-48-foot digital displays;

• Wichita: six 12-foot-by-24-foot digital displays;

• Columbus: six 12-foot-by-24-foot digital displays.

While the size of Clear Channel Outdoor’s displays and its ongoing commitment to building digital billboards networks are impressive, what’s more impressive is the flexibility the new medium brings to the advertising community. The company plans to rotate advertising copy on each network display in an eight-second loop, totaling a minimum of 1,250 advertising spots every day!

Compare that staggering number to the paltry 23 advertising messages the signs would have carried for weeks or even months if they had been made of paper and ink.

What’s clear from the Clear Channel Outdoors example is the dramatic impact technology is having on the way advertisers can communicate their unique marketing messages to people away from home.

The same is true of indoor digital signage networks. They combine the appeal of television –graphics, text, animation, sound and video- with a growing presence in retail stores, malls and other venues where consumers go to shop. Perhaps even more important, just like the Clear Channel digital billboards, the messaging on digital signage networks can change frequently –even more than a thousand times per day if required.

The flexibility to update messaging easily throughout the day is huge in retail. Consider only a few examples. First, many large retail stores spend seemingly countless hours changing thousands of printed signs in various departments to keep their promotional and marketing messages in line with their retail goals. Digital signage can slash the time spent on this activity. Second, updating or replacing signs at different times of the day to match the changing demographics and desires of patrons is at best difficult. Imagine a café in a mall that must post its specials on a placard outside its entrance three times per day –once for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now extend that concept to other retailers in the same mall that would like to target their messaging to seniors in the morning, students after school and families in the evening. With printed signs, such day parting is nearly impossible. But with digital signage, day parting marketing messages is simple and fast. Third, consider ROI. Traditional signs do not lend themselves to advertising support in a retail setting. Digital signs do, and best of all because they’re easy to change, advertising messages can be sold again and again.

There’s one other important component of Clear Channel Outdoor’s announcement that relates to indoor digital signage networks. The four newly announced cities join deployments in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Minneapolis/St. Paul. In total, the company intends to roll out networked digital billboards in at least 100 markets by the end of this year.

How long will it be before Clear Channel Outdoor’s parent company, which owns or operates 40 TV stations throughout the country, begins combining the sale of commercial TV time with the sale of networked digital billboard ads? What sorts of economies of scale and sales synergies would that type of approach bring?

In the indoor digital signage areas, how long will it be before competing, fractured digital signage networks coalesce into a unified market that can be sold in the same way? Just forward this column to Google. Given what they’ve been up to in the online, radio and television ad markets, they might just be the ones to pull it off.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/printing-articles/digital-signage-strengths-resemble-those-of-growing-digital-billboard-networks-131161.html

Perhaps you’ve read a few interesting articles about digital signage and have the notion that getting your message out with this exciting technology is a great idea. Or, maybe you work for an organization where a key manager has done the same thing, except that manager is delegating the responsibility to you.

If so, may I offer a bit of advice? Know the precise purpose of your digital sign or network of signs. It’s tough to state this anymore bluntly: You will waste thousands of precious dollars, hundreds of hours of unproductive work time and aggravate managers, co-workers and even yourself, unless you have an exact, clear understanding of what you wish to accomplish with this new communications tool.

It’s not good enough to “sort of” have a goal. You must know up front —before you ever spend a dime, take the time of your co-workers asking for help, or even pick up the phone to call a digital signage vendor— what it is that you wish to accomplish. My reason for feeling so strongly about this advice is simple. Success with digital signage will only come to those who can recognize it.

Without understanding precisely what you wish to accomplish, you will never be able to judge how well your sign is performing. Increasing sales, raising awareness, communicating effectively, improving your organization’s image are all fine goals as far as they go. But they aren’t specific enough.

Why? Because without quantifying these goals, without measuring the status quo pre-digital sign –whether it’s sales volume, profitability, consumer perception, level of knowledge- and without measuring the results post digital signage installation, you’ll never know whether your individual digital sign or network of digital signs network has achieved its purpose.

Once you’ve identified your goals, write them down. Schedule a meeting with your management team and discuss these written goals. Ask for management’s input in further honing these goals down to a sharp edge. By involving management in this early phase before a single monitor is purchased or a single cable run, you are getting them to invest themselves in the success of this project. Be sure to have your management sign off on the specific goals you jointly identify.

Doing should insulate you from misunderstandings about the nature, purpose and value of the digital signage installation down the road. However, let’s be clear. Management isn’t signing off on achieving these goals. That’s your job. It’s simply confirming in writing that these are the goals for the project so you have a quantifiable, measurable goal to achieve.  

Digital signage is a powerful communications medium. It can inform, brand, sell, educate and entertain. It can attract attention, build interest, brand a product, explain a concept and even give people a reason to stop what they’re dong and pay attention. In fact, digital signage literally can do hundreds and hundreds of different things. But the one thing it cannot do is succeed without a clear understanding up front about what defines success.

If you are seriously considering adding a digital sign to your organization, the first step is defining your goals. Doing so will make it possible for you and your new digital signage system to succeed.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-tips-articles/digital-signage-goals-define-successful-measurement-716050.html

Many people and businesses are entering 2009 with a healthy dose of trepidation about what lies ahead –and with good reason.

Billions upon billions have been pumped into the financial system to keep banks afloat. The nation’s auto industry is on its knees, pleading for government loans. New and existing home sales are tanking. Foreclosures continue to rise. The number of people unemployed is mounting. The list goes on and on. No wonder many get that gnawing feeling in the pit of their stomachs when they consider what the new year will bring.

But before you hit the panic button, consider this: even in declining markets and times of economic contraction, opportunities exist to survive and thrive. While it’s beyond the scope of this space to discuss all of the ways a business might go about this, it does seem like a good time to reiterate that advertising, promotion and marketing are not luxuries that are easily dispensed when times get tough. Rather, they are essential components of surviving and even increasing market share while competitors succumb to a slowing economy.

Even in a severe recession, there is economic activity. People continue to buy and sell, albeit to a lesser degree than during an expansion. The question for business really is how to best spend limited marketing, promotional and advertising dollars to achieve the greatest return on investment. Note that during economic recession this question isn’t really much different than it is during an expansion. The difference lies in the added importance on answering the question in a way that reflects the realities of how consumers change their behavior in response to the tougher economic environment.

Over the past few years, digital signage has established itself as a viable alternative to traditional forms of advertising and promotion. Digital signage has distinguished itself as the only medium to offer dynamic messaging that reaches consumers when they are making purchasing decisions. During a recession, this presence at the point of sale along with three other advantages –immediacy, responsiveness and economy- make digital signage a critical tool to help businesses succeed.

When it comes to in-store immediacy, digital signage cannot be beat. Printed signs, banners and point-of-sale displays require relatively long production times. Add to that the time needed to coordinate special offers from suppliers with these sorts of promotional materials and the time from concept to fruition extends further. Digital signs, on the other hand, offer the ability to respond immediately with messaging appropriate to special offers, unexpected new merchandise that shows up on the loading dock and corporate decisions to offer sales on items that somehow don’t get communicated to sales floor managers. During a recession, the ability to respond immediately with appropriate messaging keeps managers and shopkeepers nimble, which can translate into sales that otherwise might be delayed and ultimately lost.

Such nimbleness is at the core of being responsive to changing conditions in the marketplace, allowing retailers to promote new pricing, new offers and new specials. But this responsiveness isn’t limited to these types of circumstances. Digital signs can also meet the individual consumer’s need for specific information by fulfilling a dual role as a digital sign and an interactive kiosk. For example, a digital sign playing back linear promotional content, can be interrupted with a simple touch or via a signal from a pressure-sensitive or photo-electric sensor to switch into an interactive mode, offering consumers a way to find the information they require and facilitate the sales process.

Finally, consider the economy digital signage brings to messaging. No one would argue that a flat panel display and digital signage controller costs less than a single printed sign. However, consider how many signs must be printed in a year in addition to the labor involved in replacing old signs with the new, and the economic equation begins to shift. In my experience, it is not uncommon for many organizations that frequently update their printed signs to reach a break-even point with their investment in digital signage within a year’s time.

So while 2009 promises to see the recession continue and potentially deepen, there can be a silver lining in these economic storm clouds for those individuals and business that can adapt and take advantage of opportunities when they are presented. One tool essential to doing so is improving the effectiveness of promotions, marketing messages and ads. Digital signage offers a powerful means to do just that.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/digital-signage-facing-the-challenges-of-2009-head-on-728809.html

Whenever I write these columns, I share a common predicament with those who create content for digital signs: How do I communicate my message to a mixed audience, some of whom have a detailed knowledge about my subject and others who at best have a passing familiarity?

I’ll do my best in this column to serve up some information that old hands and newcomers alike can take away that I hope will make the next few moments of your time well spent.

If you’re brand new to digital signage, struggling to understand where it fits into the communications landscape, here are five basic principles that will help you put digital signage into context –whether you’re thinking about using it to greet visitors in your company’s lobby or influence shoppers to make a purchase.

• Dynamic messaging: Digital signage transforms dull, static signs into a dynamic mix of video, graphics, text and animation that can communicate and influence viewers in ways more akin to television than a printed placard.

• Easily changed: Unlike signs that have to be reprinted to update messaging, digital signage text and graphics can be changed in a matter of moments to reflect the exact messaging that’s needed at any given moment.

• Scheduled to maximize impact: Because it’s easy to update digital signs, they can playback messaging needed to address an audience that changes throughout the day. For example, a digital sign outside a hotel restaurant can entice early risers to visit for breakfast in the morning, transition to lunch fare in the afternoon, display an elegantly appointed table with dinner specials in the late afternoon, and promote featured music acts that will appear in the lounge after dinner.

• Comfort and credibility: The very fact that digital signage relies on LCD and plasma panels and even CRTs for display –just like the one’s in the living rooms of most U.S. households- and that it can present messaging every bit as appealing as anything on television, imparts a degree of credibility to the medium that’s easy to take for granted but difficult for other new media to attain.

• Linear and interactive playback: Digital signage can be used to playback a series of pieces of linear content –that with a beginning, middle and end- as well as stand in for digital kiosks that give users access to branching interactive content to meet their needs. The same digital sign can do double duty in a hybrid application to attract an audience with linear content and deliver specific content in interactive mode at the touch of a screen.

For the old hands, here are five factoids about digital signage that are worth considering:

• Fine Art: With so much attention focused on the commercial aspect of digital signage, it would be easy to miss the fact that large flat panel plasma displays are currently being used as a digital canvass for the a series of 30 high definition video portraits at New York’s Phillips de Pury and Paula Cooper galleries and at the Ace Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibit, VOOM PORTRAITS by ROBERT WILSON, underscores how the technology at the heart of digital signs is becoming increasingly common.

• Changing media markets: On their own, digital signage networks are becoming a significant advertising medium. Well-positioned to complement the skyrocketing online advertising market, which is expected to grow 35 percent this year, digital signage networks are coming into their own as a viable advertising medium.

• Proximity sensing: As hybrid interactive digital signs increasingly stand in for digital kiosks, the need to recognize the presence of viewers grows. Not only can such knowledge automatically launch a presentation, it also can control audio volume to prevent audio from closely spaced signs from competing with one another and creating an audio mess. Proximity sensors that easily interface with interactive digital signs can take control and create order from what otherwise would be chaos.

• Projector alternative: New technologies that allow projected images to be clearly seen on screens mounted in full daylight are emerging. Coupled with new technology that corrects for geometric distortion of projected images from oddly placed projectors, the new screen technology opens new opportunities for projectors to be used in digital signage applications.

• Flatter all the time: For the first time, flat panel displays have surpassed CRT-based televisions in consumer sales. Not only does that mean economies of scale will continue to make digital signage displays less expensive, it also means digital signage will continue to blend easily into the media landscape.

There you have it, five things you need to know about digital signage and five things you may not have known. Whether you’re an old hand or newcomer, I hope it was time well spent. If you have a digital signage topic that you would like me to research and write on, please provide feedback.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/digital-signage-five-things-you-need-to-know-five-may-not-122187.html

“Just what do you think you’re doing, Dave?” Those words, made famous by the artificially intelligent computer HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” resound in my ears every time I think about the topic of this week’s article: virtual assistants.

For those of you too young to recall, HAL was the artificially intelligent computer aboard Discovery in the film that attended to the myriad of details requiring oversight as the ship’s crew made its way to Jupiter. Its seemingly omnipresent red camera lens monitored all ship activity.

With HAL’s words still fresh in my memory, even after all of these years, it is with a bit of personal trepidation that I will discuss how digital signage can be used to add a virtual assistant to any sales or marketing process. But don’t worry, with this sort of application there’s no danger of getting sucked out into the cold recesses of space.

As in “2001,” the concept behind a virtual assistant is simple: make a complex process simple and manageable through the use of an efficient, “intelligent” computer. Putting that concept into practice here on earth is helping two Wichita, KS, area businesses extend their sales and marketing efforts and better serve their customers while freeing up personnel for other critical tasks.

At Walnut Valley Garden Center in Andover, KS, outside Wichita, an elaborate, interactive digital signage setup helps customers determine how much product they’ll need for a given landscaping or garden project by combining maps from Google Earth, a digital signage controller from Keywest Technology and an Orion touch-screen LCD panel with a data base of landscaping products that the store carries and their recommended coverage area.

Customers simply type in their names and addresses when using the system, and a map of their individual property is summoned from Google Earth. By touching the screen to define the boundaries of their project, customers trigger a computer to determine the types of products to use and how much they’ll need. For instance, by designating an area on the map, they can learn what type of fertilizer they need for their lawn and how much to buy.

For those who are new to gardening, the system cycles through digital signage presentations encouraging them to touch the screen to select one of 12 different types of gardens. After settling on a design, the system allows customers to interact and tells them exactly what’s needed -including plants, mulch and rocks- to build a similar garden in their yards.

At Randy Dean Construction in Wichita, another interactive digital signage system using a Keywest Technology digital signage controller, a touch-screen sensor interface from ELO and a 32in flat panel LCD greets potential buyers as they enter a model home. While Randy Dean’s sales agent can answer the questions of one buyer, the interactive digital signage system can take other prospective buyers on full 360-degree virtual tours of all Randy Dean homes, access and print floor plans, examine the builder’s home inventory and access the company’s Web site -all without taking the sales agent away from the prospective buyer.

Out-of-home media specialist DSX Media in Wichita designed and delivered both systems, including creating digital signage content, interactive branching and delivering digital signage hardware and software, touch-screen controller and flat panel LCD screen. In the case of Randy Dean Construction, DSX Media also sold advertising contracts to aligned businesses like mortgage bankers and title companies so their commercial messages could be interwoven into a loop of content that plays till the screen is touched.

While the specifics of both applications differ, they share the concept of using interactive digital signage -a hybrid of digital kiosk technology and conventional linear digital signage pages- to boost both businesses’ sales by in essence projecting the presence of a virtual sales assistant to answer many of the questions consumers typically ask. Doing so elevates digital signage to a new plateau, somewhere far beyond the role of an electronic equivalent of a printed sign, where it becomes an integral part of an orchestrated sales process.

Like all analogies, the one between the virtual assistants in Wichita and HAL eventually falls apart. While the garden center and homebuilder applications rely on some pretty specialized data bases to create content on the fly that’s relevant to shoppers, neither uses artificial intelligence like the fictional HAL. Still, the similarity in human-computer interaction, conjures up that all-seeing red camera lens in my mind’s eye.

Which brings me back to where I started this article: “Just what do you think you’re doing, Dave?” Unlike “2001′s” astronaut Dave Bowman, who disconnected the technology, my answer is to turn you on to the possibilities of using interactive digital signage to create virtual assistants like the ones at Randy Dean Construction and Walnut Valley Garden Center to boost your sales success.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/digital-signage-can-extend-your-sales-success-91154.html

Often in this space, I explore a small slice of digital signage development, such as the role of digital signage in meeting the evolving media appetites of people; the ability of digital signs to blend the functions of traditional signs with the interactive aspects of digital kiosks; or the potential of digital signage to command an increasingly larger slice of the media budget of marketers.

While those are important topics, this month I want to get back to the basics of digital signage –specifically why should professional communicators turn to digital signage to convey their important messages? Actually, there are several reasons, including:

-To increase a company’s visibility. One of the biggest problems retailers have when it comes to self-promotion is cutting through all of the marketing noise generated by every other business –be it on radio or TV, in newspapers and magazines or from competing store front signs. Digital signage can cut through those distractions by attracting and directing the attention of the most important potential buyers of all –those in a store who are ready to spend money on a purchase.

-To help solidify relationships with customers and vendors. Consider an auto dealership waiting room with customers seated waiting for their cars to be fixed. With well-positioned digital signage messaging –as opposed to an ordinary TV displaying a cable news channel- the dealership can promote special offers aimed at its captive digital signage audience as a reward for choosing to do business with the dealership. Or, in a corporate setting, a digital sign in the lobby can be used to welcome scheduled vendors, guests and other visitors as they arrive –a simple move that builds goodwill.

-To deliver critical information more efficiently. In times of emergency, an existing digital signage network can be a lifesaver, providing critically important messages alerting employees, customers and other patrons of exit locations, storm shelters and other vital information.

-To save time. Preparing a static, printed sign is labor-intensive, expensive and time-consuming. The same message can be created and displayed far more quickly with a digital sign. Add to that the recurring expense of printing new signs as needs change versus simply updating a digital sign with a few keystrokes and it doesn’t take long to begin earning a tidy ROI from a digital sign.

-To attract greater attention than is possible with static, printed signs. The other drawback of print is that it is static. Human brains are programmed for motion. Our eyes are automatically drawn to moving objects. Digital signs displaying full of motion video are dynamic not static. They tap into something that is innately human to demand attention and hold it.

-To increase the efficiency of employees. Imagine a small industrial plant where management wants to communicate vital information to hundreds of workers. Perhaps it’s production quotas vs. actual performance; perhaps it’s mean time between accidental employee injuries; perhaps it’s delivery information regarding vital components that are en route. In all of these instances –and others too numerous to recount here- digital signage has the ability to convey important information to a workforce that is vital to employees maintaining a safe, efficient environment.

There you have it –several reasons why digital signage is an important, effective communications alternative that professional communicators cannot ignore. Sometimes it’s good to get back to basics.

Digital Signage…
1) Can increase your company’s visibility,
2) Can help solidify your customer and vendor relationships,
3) Can deliver critical information more efficiently,
4) Saves time,
5) Attracts attention better than static signs,
6) Can increase the efficiency of your employees.

And, digital signage can be less expensive than what you are already using.

What do you think?

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/digital-signage-why-digital-signs-are-important-694009.html

Well it appears that the 800-pound gorilla Google has set its sights set on the digital signage market.

The New Scientist Web site broke the story earlier this month that the search-engine company has filed for a patent on a way to divvy up ads on a network of electronic signs. The ideas seems to be to give retailers and others a simple way to organize an advertising campaign to promote inventory on, for example, a digital signage network display or displays near their stores in a mall.

Just as Google allows advertisers on the search engine to specify characteristics of their online ad campaigns, such as what keywords to use, how much money to spend, and what to say in ads, the new Google system is likely to give retailers a way to get very specific about what product is advertised, how and where it’s advertised and how much will be spent to advertise it.

Granted, Google is only at the patent filing stage, and it’s much too soon to discuss this approach in detail. However, that’s not what’s important. The point is that Google’s approach is another sign that digital signage networks are organizing into a market that can be meaningful to advertisers. Google’s patent filing is further evidence digital signage is quickly transforming from an amorphous marketing concept into a concrete, definable reality.

Like the November ’06 Screen Association announcement of the first directory of UK-based digital signage networks that accept third-party advertising and the news a month later of the formation of Nielsen In-Store to help marketers quantify in-store audiences, the Google patent move is a further indicator that digital signage networks are coming of age as a legitimate, quantifiable ad medium.

Another is the financial health of the out-of-home advertising market, which in 2007 is expected to be the second fastest growing advertising medium behind the Internet. A New Year’s Day article in MediaWeek quotes a forecast from private equity and mezzanine capital investment firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson as saying the out-of-home ad market will grow 6.7 percent to $7.25 billion, following a 7.9 percent growth rate in 2006. It goes on to say PricewaterhouseCoopers projects even stronger growth of 7.9 percent for 2007.

To be sure, out-of-home advertising encompasses many things, like digital and conventional billboards, cinema and mobile (i.e. bus, taxi, etc.) However, it also includes digital signage networks, which surely will stake out a growing piece of the out-of-home ad pie as they organize further into a media buy individual companies and ad agencies can measure and understand.

That could not come at a better time as ad agencies and ad buyers increasingly question how effective their traditional television and print ads are. Digital video recorders (DVRs) and video on demand are giving television viewers more control over what they watch and when. Zapping commercials -fast forwarding past them- continues to grow along with consumer uptake of digital video recorders.

Newspapers aren’t delivering the audience they once did. Circulation is down nationwide and that’s taking its toll on the commercial value of the medium. One need look no further than McClatchy Co.’s sale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune for about half of the $1.2 billion purchase price the publishing company paid in 1998 to see the impact of falling circulation.

All of these factors -including the congealing of digital signage networks into a quantifiable market, new convenient ways for retailers to ties their inventories to ads on digital signs near their stores, TV commercial zapping and the decline in newspaper circulation- point out that digital signage advertising is poised to skyrocket to new heights in 2007.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/digital-signage-market-poised-to-skyrocket-97239.html

A new trend in digital signage is emerging that combines the strength of digital signs with the interactivity of digital kiosks. For many areas, such as retail shops, the sum of the two holds greater potential for marketers than either of the individual parts.

Known in some circles as hybrid digital signs and by others as interactive digital signage, these combo systems can capture the attention of those nearby by playing back compelling linear content -for example an enticing commercial or news feed- and immediately switching to an interactive mode when triggered by an external input, such as the touch of a viewer, the mere presence of a passerby or even environmental conditions.

Like a standalone digital sign, a hybrid system allows communicators to playback a pre-built sequence of elements, including video files, graphics, text, animation and live television. Those staples of digital signage are the makings of an effective message that entices interaction with the very flat panel on which the content plays.

Once viewers touch the panel or step within its proximity, the hybrid sign automatically interrupts linear content playback and displays a digital kiosk-like interface that lets a shopper touch hot spots on the screen, launching a pre-built interactive branching presentation. Navigating through the presentation, shoppers can find the information they want like product recommendations, pricing and availability.

Depending upon the level of sophistication needed, such hybrid interactive presentations can link to company’s servers, pulling information needed for the presentation and collecting information about the consumer that can be stored on the server.

For instance, a hybrid system at an automotive retailer could send an inquiry to the store’s server to access a database of recommended filters and oil viscosity specified by each car manufacturer. Matching information the customer entered about his car with the recommendations in the database, the system could check inventory for the right products, retrieve availability and pricing and present the information to the shopper standing at the hybrid sign.

Prior to offering that information, the system could ask the shopper to enter his name and address and to grant permission to be notified of future specials. With that data saved on the server, the retailer’s marketing department can automatically send out coupons for oil and filters when next estimated time for an oil change rolls around.

What enticed the shopper to touch the screen in the first place? Perhaps it was a video playing back in linear digital signage mode of a favorite racecar driver discussing why it’s important to stay current on oil changes.

On the front end of customer interaction, the hybrid system cast a wide net, cycling through a playlist of content designed to sell oil, followed by tires, then batteries, air filters -the list goes on an on. Each linear segment is backed up by an interactive kiosk component that’s triggered when a shopper’s curiosity is piqued by one of these linear presentations and touches the screen. On the back end, the system uses data that’s collected to stay in touch with shoppers once they leave the store, offering special incentives to have them return. In essence, hybrid digital signage can help to extend the marketing reach of a retailer well beyond arm’s length from the display panel and into the homes of shoppers who are willing to interact.

Interactivity doesn’t haven’t to begin with a human touch either. Imagine a hybrid digital signage system in a ski shop at the base of mountain. Skiers donning their boots and gloves might see a digital sign in passing as it plays back linear content; however, their attention might be focused when temperature, wind and solar sensors at the top of the mountain report conditions and trigger specific presentations. Lots of sun could call up reminders about needing sun screen. Heavy snow might trigger another presentation that makes them think twice about leaving the store before having the right gloves or goggles.

The possibilities for interactive, hybrid digital signage are only as limited as the imagination of creative marketers. To be sure, this aspect of the digital signage market is in its infancy. However, with the recent availability of the hardware and software needed to bring together the separate worlds of kiosks and digital signage, hybrid systems will certainly play an important roll in the unfolding digital signage market.

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/multimedia-articles/digital-signage-hybrid-interactive-systems-amplify-marketing-impact-111863.html

Often in this space, I explore a small slice of digital signage development, such as the role of digital signage in meeting the evolving media appetites of people; the ability of digital signs to blend the functions of traditional signs with the interactive aspects of digital kiosks; or the potential of digital signage to command an increasingly larger slice of the media budget of marketers.

While those are important topics, this month I want to get back to the basics of digital signage –specifically why should professional communicators turn to digital signage to convey their important messages? Actually, there are several reasons, including:

-To increase a company’s visibility. One of the biggest problems retailers have when it comes to self-promotion is cutting through all of the marketing noise generated by every other business –be it on radio or TV, in newspapers and magazines or from competing store front signs. Digital signage can cut through those distractions by attracting and directing the attention of the most important potential buyers of all –those in a store who are ready to spend money on a purchase.

-To help solidify relationships with customers and vendors. Consider an auto dealership waiting room with customers seated waiting for their cars to be fixed. With well-positioned digital signage messaging –as opposed to an ordinary TV displaying a cable news channel- the dealership can promote special offers aimed at its captive digital signage audience as a reward for choosing to do business with the dealership. Or, in a corporate setting, a digital sign in the lobby can be used to welcome scheduled vendors, guests and other visitors as they arrive –a simple move that builds goodwill.

-To deliver critical information more efficiently. In times of emergency, an existing digital signage network can be a lifesaver, providing critically important messages alerting employees, customers and other patrons of exit locations, storm shelters and other vital information.

-To save time. Preparing a static, printed sign is labor-intensive, expensive and time-consuming. The same message can be created and displayed far more quickly with a digital sign. Add to that the recurring expense of printing new signs as needs change versus simply updating a digital sign with a few keystrokes and it doesn’t take long to begin earning a tidy ROI from a digital sign.

-To attract greater attention than is possible with static, printed signs. The other drawback of print is that it is static. Human brains are programmed for motion. Our eyes are automatically drawn to moving objects. Digital signs displaying full of motion video are dynamic not static. They tap into something that is innately human to demand attention and hold it.

-To increase the efficiency of employees. Imagine a small industrial plant where management wants to communicate vital information to hundreds of workers. Perhaps it’s production quotas vs. actual performance; perhaps it’s mean time between accidental employee injuries; perhaps it’s delivery information regarding vital components that are en route. In all of these instances –and others too numerous to recount here- digital signage has the ability to convey important information to a workforce that is vital to employees maintaining a safe, efficient environment.

There you have it –several reasons why digital signage is an important, effective communications alternative that professional communicators cannot ignore. Sometimes it’s good to get back to basics.

Digital Signage…
1) Can increase your company’s visibility,
2) Can help solidify your customer and vendor relationships,
3) Can deliver critical information more efficiently,
4) Saves time,
5) Attracts attention better than static signs,
6) Can increase the efficiency of your employees.

And, digital signage can be less expensive than what you are already using.

What do you think?

David Little
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/digital-signage-why-digital-signs-are-important-694009.html