Digital Signage: You have to fit in fun sometimes..

Yes, I'm behind on my blog posts. Yes, I know I've neglected it. To those that have visited over last few weeks looking for an update to my promised experience article, I apologize. But it is still coming!!! For now I'll post some quick thoughts on a recent project we did at Captive Indoor Media that has direct correlation to experience although when we did it I had no intention to wrap it into the direction of my blog but here goes....

In my humble opinion, experience is something that extends beyond what your customer feels when he/she walks into your branch or store. If your employees haven't adopted your vision for the experience, you may as well pack it in. Experience starts internally!

At Captive Indoor Media, I am not only consumed with our product offering but how my employees feel about working here and then consequently how that feeling extends to our customer base. Hopefully it is positive on both fronts. It takes work to achieve this.

I've had the good fortune to work for both good companies and bad over my professional life. When I reflect back, I can see how my experience with each employer affected my interaction with customers and I try to use that to my advantage as I run my business today. The one thing that seems to strike me as most relevant when I reflect on past positions is the fact that when my mood was positive towards my employer, my customers attitude was more likely to be positive towards me. They were more likely to forgive not only my personal mistakes but that of the company I worked for and that makes life easier.

With that in mind, we did a really fun creative team building exercise in the office over the last couple of weeks. Follow the link listed below to see it in action. We filmed the entire thing and then sped it up by 4000% so it only takes 3 minutes to watch. I'd like to tell you more but the link is all you need to see what we did.

Yes, I promise I'll finish the experience article although I hope you will agree that this is a decent start although a bit off the initial path.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQUvUVVBD08

Digital Signage: Experience Counts

Last week I was in Seattle for the MAC (Marketing Association of Credit Unions) Conference. The conference draws around 150 professional marketers from within the Credit Union industry and is always interesting. If you are involved in the industry and have never attended, I encourage you to do so.



During the conference I spent much of my time interacting with other vendors and of course customers. The one topic which continued to repeat itself during these conversations was "Experience". "You have to give people a unique experience," said one. "The branch experience is what will set you apart" said another. Ok, fine but what is the definition of experience? Not one person repeated the definition that another had given me. Interesting.



I think about things as they relate to marketing in a retail space. And make no mistake, a branch is a store. If you don't think that it is, I suggest you take a closer look at what the high growth brands are doing. The most visible brand in the financial industry today is Umpqua Bank. If Umpqua Bank doesn't scream retail store at you, I don't know what will. Heck they even call the branch a store. Take notice.



Ok, so what is "experience" in a retail branch envirionment? I guess that depends greatly on who you speak with so I guess I'll add my definiton to the mix. But before I do, give me a few lines to set it up.

From my perspective I feel marketers today need to do their best to understand technology as it applies to the marketing realm. It is no longer good enough to say to a technology vendor that "IT takes care of that". If you find yourself saying things like that often, you are falling behind. Today's technology can get you closer to your customer and allow for better and more immersive communication. But you as the marketer must recognize the benefits of available technology as they apply to your marketing initiatives. In short, you need to know enough to be dangerous with technology as it becomes prevalent in the marketplace.

OK, so what is my definition right? I believe experience as it applies to a customer in a retail environment is the ability to fully immerse them in a brand from the minute they walk in the door until 5 minutes after they have left. That means giving them interesting interactive displays (check out this link from Infinity for an example) along with informative personal interaction in a unique setting (see Umpqua Bank) and backing it up with great service. If you do that customes will be wowed by your store and keep thinking about you for several minutes after they have left your store. They will also be more likely to talk about you to their friends. That is experience.

I'm going to do some more digging on this subject and post some follow up articles over the next couple of weeks. Be patient with me though. I'll be traveling quite heavily so posts might be sporadic.

Digital Signage: Microsoft Scratches The Surface

Say what you want about Bill Gates and his army in the Northwest. Call them evil, call them monopolists, call them whatever you want but be sure you recognize the significance of a product called Surface that was released last week. Surface will change the way digital signage is used in retail environments.
My view of digital signage is warped. I live it during the day and dream about it all night long. This I admit. I am wildly enthusiastic about the ever growing applications for digital signage and I’m constantly finding new ways to utilize the technology. With that said, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that digital signage is less about technology than it is about the consumer experience the technology can create for individuals.
Surface appears to do what our industry has been championing for years but somehow falling short. That is to present a fully immersive retail experience and take the customer through the entire purchase experience in an entertaining, unique and informative way. I have yet to see the Surface product myself so maybe they have an element of spin associated with their pitch as well. I will be interested to get my hands on this product and you can be sure I’ll post my findings here when the time comes.

Digital Signage: Is the Ad Industry Going the Way of Pluto?

If you read Advertising Age, you are probably familiar with Bob Garfield and his multi-year project entitled "Chronicles of the Media Revolution". As luck would have it, Mr. Garfield has added to his well authored series with a new article entitled “Chaos 2.0”.

This particular article is incredibly interesting to me because it does not simply predict (as some of his previous article’s have done) but references his “Chaos” article of 2 years ago and then diagrams out the time line of events that have taken place since that article was run. If you do remember the Chaos article, you will also remember the industry rumblings that surrounded it.

Chaos 2.0 is not only certain to send rumblings through the traditional advertising channels, but will most definitely send some for the hills. With comparisons to the recent demise of the planet Pluto and quotes from industry pros and even folks like Bill Gates chiming in, this is a must read for anyone involved in the advertising industry. And make no mistake; if you work with digital signage, you are in the advertising industry as well.

Digital Signage: Hey That Screen Is Talking To Me!

I’m fresh off the CUNA (Credit Union Nation Association) Marketing Conference in Las Vegas last week and, as you might imagine, digital signage was everywhere. What was even more obvious was the use of audio in more and more installations.

The best example was in the airport. Now the Las Vegas airport has had digital signage in some form for several years. The new additions are 32” and 42” LCD panels along the security check-in gates. The screens came dressed with some heavy duty enclosures to prevent tampering and were mounted from the ceiling out of arms length. This was a major installation yet I have not been able to find the provider despite some search time on Google.

What I found most interesting about this installation was the use of sound. It was well done, creative, unusually funny and incredibly targeted. It did what digital signage is supposed to do. It entertained, informed and brought down the perceived wait time to a tolerable level (and if you’ve ever been in Mcarren airport you know this is quite an achievement). The media included funny quips from Carrot Top, Pamela Anderson and other Las Vegas Celebrities. While I’m not sure what Carrot Top said, I’m quite sure Pamela asked me to get all of my documentation ready before I made it to the security person awaiting a few paces away :).

Audio has been a touchy subject with many a digital signage installation and industry pundits pick both sides of the fence. The ones that refute the use of audio argue that it can become annoying to employees and redundant information to customers. I would agree that this is the case, especially in retail situations where repeat customers exist and employees are in constant ear shot of the screen. However I could easily suggest that this can be avoided with diligent management and production of new, creative and entertaining media. So now it comes down to budget and employee resource available to manage a digital signage system.

Proponents of the use of audio might say it is an integral part of a marketing campaign. After all, television and any form of .mpeg video is most likely going to be heavily reliant on the audio to reinforce the visual message. This is also true but I could argue that other types of media such as Flash have a more functional use on a digital sign while requiring less bandwidth and offering a wider pool of talent to pull from for media as well as less money to create.

So what is the answer? To me it is clear. You need to do 3 basic things:

1- Be Creative- If you want to use audio on your signs, be sure that you have the resources to constantly create new and entertaining media. This is not a :30 TV commercial run once a day during the local evening news.
2- Be targeted- You have to know your audience. By this I don’t mean just demographic. I mean you need to understand dwell time, situational circumstances and environmental influences. The airport in Las Vegas has the luxury of using the same media for a longer time than the local Bank because the airport customer might not be back for days weeks. The Bank is well…. “banking” on regular customer visits (Sorry for the bad joke)
3- Be Different- You must, have fresh content on a regular basis. Yes, I know this is a repeat from #1. But it needed to be said again.

Digital Signage: LCD vs Plasma

I came across a great article in Self Service World about the use of LCD vs Plasma in digital signage applications. It does a good job of briefly explaining the differences between the technologies as well as outlining what industry folks have to say. You can find that article here.

Digital Signage: More on the video wall

As promised, I'm posting pictures of the video wall installation we did for the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau. We will be releasing this product to the masses in a month or so. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures and if you are ever in Louisville, you can find this installation at 4th and Jefferson in downtown Louisville, KY!

Digital Signage: Are Digital Billboards a Driving Hazard?

I came across an article at MediaPlannerBuyer.com that goes over the growing concern with digital outdoor billboards. According to that article, digital billboards are expected to grow from a current install level of 400 to 4,000 over the next 10 years. I actually thought that projection was low but I should mention I have not seen any other numbers on which to base my opinion. The article goes on to suggest that digital billboards demand more attention from the driver therefore making them less focused on their driving situation. You can find the article I’ve referring to here.

This article was timely for my company. Captive Indoor Media recently became involved in a video wall project that faces a high traffic intersection in Downtown Louisville, KY. Although not a traditional digital billboard, that project needed a lengthy project review by the City of Louisville before approval. During that process, they invoked limitations on media that could be displayed but little else.

Our project involves eight, 46” LCD screens stacked 2x4 and positioned in a corner of the building that faces the street through floor to ceiling glass windows. The intent of this project is to grab and retain the attention of passersby and the potential hazard introduced at the intersection was a concern for everyone.

Iwill post a picture of our project once installed. That is scheduled to happen this week :-).