Digital Signage 101

CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference

2012-01-20T10:25:00.004-05:00

Captive Indoor Media is proud to support the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Conference and the entire credit union industry. We hope you will join us this year for what is sure to be a revitalizing and energizing event. Register today and get inspired!

The CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council is March 7-10 in New Orleans at the Hyatt Regency. Come gain the knowledge and skills you need to grow your credit union and maximize your business potential. After four days packed full with workshops, keynote speakers and breakaway sessions you will return to your credit union rejuvenated and inspired to take your marketing initiatives to the next level.

Captive has been attending this conference for years and we always look forward to seeing our customers and other credit union marketers. Hope to see you in New Orleans!

Still Growing

2012-01-05T14:40:00.006-05:00

Captive Indoor Media has yet again made its way into Louisville, Kentucky’s Business First Fast 50. The award recognizes the top 50 fastest growing companies in Louisville, and for the third year in a row Captive finds itself in the same class as Louisville’s top businesses.

In 2011, Captive Indoor Media’s growth in customer base and lift in revenue can be contributed to a number of factors: new customers switching from legacy systems, a sales strategy focused on customer-based referrals, and the development of long-term, mutually-beneficial customer relationships.

“40% of new customers in 2011 switched from a previous vendor” says Brian Nutt, President/CEO and Founder of Captive Indoor Media. When asked why so many new customers had decided to switch to Captive, Brian replied “I would say this is due to more brand awareness in the financial industry, reliable products and services, a helpful and knowledgeable staff, and mostly to our current customer base.”

Captive Indoor Media gives the most recognition to its customers. “We let our customers do the talking for us” says Cash Rowland, National Sales Manager at Captive Indoor Media. “Most of the deals we won were either because a customer brought them to us or spoke so highly of our products and services.”

Captive Indoor Media employees go to work every day with the same goal in mind: Make every customer a champion. “We work side-by-side with customers daily to develop our offerings and best fit their needs” claims Brian. “We understand that in order to continue to grow year after year, we must keep our customers satisfied, and what better way to do so than through innovative customer collaboration.”

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-22T11:22:00.004-05:00

We did it again! Check out our new end of the year holiday video. Santa's belief numbers are down a lot this year. How will he boost awareness and spread his holiday cheer all across the world? You'll need to watch to find out.

Did you like the video? Please comment.

Happy Holidays from the Captive Indoor Media team!!

What's the ROI of 'here' or 'there'?

2011-12-15T14:18:00.009-05:00

Does screen placement effect digital signage ROI? For example, is it fair to measure the ROI of a screen placed in a retail environment the same way as a screen placed in an office cafeteria? The answer is obvious - No. It's unfair to measure their success, or failure, the same way. Think about it - the objective, or goal, of these screens are completely different. One serves the purpose to promote, advertise, and sell while the other is there to inform, remind, or entertain.

Measuring digital signage effectiveness is not a simple task, but before trying to monetize any return, make sure what you're measuring even makes sense. Start with measuring the objective - whatever that may be - Because the return on objective, most of the time, will often show whether or not you are getting what you expected from your digital signage system.

Screen placement is one thing. Deciding an objective is another. But content is the thing - and knowing when and where to schedule it can make a big difference. Let's say you have a beautifully placed screen in a bank lobby with the objective of entertaining and lowering the perceived wait time for customers. The screen is at eye level and anyone who sits down in the lobby looks at that screen. But, one thing is off - The content is not entertaining. Instead the screen is pushing information about bank products bank product and services with the occasional word scramble. If the objective is to entertain, then the majority of the content must be entertaining (TV,trivia, fun facts, etc). When you go to measure your return on objective, odds are you won't receive the return you expected. So, not even the best placed screen and clearly defined objective will save anyone from poorly designed and placed content.

In conclusion, YES, screen placement does effect digital signage ROI along with many other attributes. However, sometimes it's not the ROI that should be measured, but rather the ROO (Return on Objective). Digital signage is still a young marketing tool with a lot of grey area in monetizing return. As time goes on more and more formulas will form to help attach dollar signs to digital signage. That said, one thing will never change - the objective!

Tips from a Designer

2011-11-03T12:58:00.004-04:00

Need some assistance designing content for your digital signage? Well, below are 5 best practices that Captive's very own Creative Director, Brandon Bass, uses when designing content. Hope this helps to get you started. Happy Designing!

1. Size it up

It may seem obvious, but it’s critical to begin with a composition that fits your screen! Widescreen LCD monitors are sized to a 16:9 aspect ratio—and when you turn that same screen “tallways”, that portrait orientation now has a 9:16 aspect ratio. We design our typical content at a pixel dimension of 1366 x 768, but to create content at “Full HD”, you can size your composition to 1920 x 1080 pixels. Images should be at least 150 dpi (dots per inch), and animated graphics (SWF) should be set to 24 fps (frames per second).

2. Create a billboard

Digital signage screens are like billboards—a lot of people will look at them, but they might only have a short period of time to make an impact. Keep this in mind as you design content, making text large, legible, and on-screen for a comfortable amount of time to read and comprehend. It’s also important to keep your message simple and succinct. Chances are, you’re audience isn’t going to read the fine print on a retail digital screen, so it’s more important to hit the high points with big headlines, bulleted details, and a compelling call to action.

3. Catch glances

Using striking imagery and animation is another key facet of good digital signage content. The most effective graphics are recognizable instantly, hitting you with an immediate punch, but subtle images can get results, too. Aim to use photos that leave room for your text, so that the copy and image work together to occupy the ad space. When possible, use interesting animation effects on text to bring words to life and draw attention to the information, but avoid making images move too much while displaying text that you want your audience to read and digest.

4. Stick to a palette

The best brands in the world associate themselves instantly with a distinct color palette. When designing content, try to reflect the look of your logo or website, sticking to a restricted color scheme that viewers can begin to identify your company by. You might decide to tie a specific color to certain products or services so that, for instance, a content file with lots of red always advertises auto loans. The most important thing to remember is that consistency creates long-lasting connections between visual and mental functions, while inconsistency breeds confusion.

5. Make a storyboard

When it comes to any kind of design process, careful planning and organization never hurts. Make a storyboard of what you’d like your ad to contain, including ingredients like an introduction or headline, a main message or key points, and a conclusion or call to action. You can use thumbnail sketches of what each portion of the ad should look like to determine the best placement of images and text, making an effort to keep each section of the ad visually interesting and compositionally unique.

Best In Show

2011-11-03T10:27:00.003-04:00

Just getting started with Digital Signage? Having the freedom to play multiple pieces of content lets you provide more information to your audience but can also increase the likelihood of Visual Overload or missing important messaging. Here are some tips to maximize the effectiveness of your digital signage without going overboard.

1. Determine Your Message

Before you create a show or start to look for screen content, determine your message. Are you focusing on a certain product or service this month? Are you trying to reach a specific type of customer? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can build your show to promote specific services and schedule it to target specific audiences, helping you meet your goals.

2. Create Playlists of Similar Media Files

For the most captivating digital signage show, dedicate zones to play a specific type of media. That way,your audience will gain familiarity with the zones and will become comfortable watching specific zones. Building playlists is the easiest way to keep similar files together in groups. For example create a playlist with similar files such as a video message from your CEO and a TV commercial. With files grouped together as a playlist you’ll be able to keep them together regardless of what zone you drop them into or what show you’ve created. Also, because video and highly animated files can overwhelm some audiences, it’s a good idea to create a playlist of low-impact static JPEG images which could still include advertisements and announcements.

3. Choose a Layout That Fits Your Needs

Choosing how to layout your show is important. Create a simple 2-zone layout that allows you to display a scrolling ticker of community events, stock tickers or news feeds as well as a larger zone to focus on your services and promotions. Choose a 3 zone layout to display even more information! By determining your needs prior to creating the show, you’re more likely to have engaging and informative show that will provide consistent messaging, potential cross selling and the ability to educate your customers; keeping them coming back in the future!

4. Watch Your Aspect Ratios

Aspect Ratio refers to the shape of your screen or content, based on the measurements of the width and height, respectively. LCD screens typically have a 16:9 aspect ratio when displayed in landscape mode. Screens can be rotated 90 degrees for placement, style, or functional purposes. When this occurs, the numbers in the aspect ratio are reversed and the orientation becomes portrait.

5. Working with 2-Zone Layouts

As a rule of thumb, avoid letting your zones compete for attention with an overload of movement. For instance, use a larger zone for important promotional information and community events within the ticker zone or play new feeds, stock or a custom text ticker. A two zone layout with a ticker at either the top or the bottom accomplishes this goal.

6. Switch to Full-Screen for Emphasis

Sometimes you really need to get the full attention of your audience, so switch the layouts of your shows for emphasis. Create a new show with a full screen layout. When changing layouts for emphasis it’s important to include your current promotions, timely announcements, upcoming events and anything else that you want to occupy the whole screen. Schedule this kind of show for peak traffic times or switch to it at various points through the day or week.

7. Working with 3 or More Zone Layouts

The more zones you have the smaller each zone is, making it harder for viewers to focus. Avoid putting too much information into the smaller zones as they are often harder to follow. Shift the focus to larger zones that are playing marketing messages, services offered or community events.

In-Flight Entertainment

2011-10-31T09:55:00.003-04:00

People are traveling more than ever these days. We go from taxis to airports, airports to shuttles, shuttles to taxis, taxis to subways, from subways to; yeah, you get the point. Throughout our modes of daily transportation, it's no secret that advertisers are looking to reach us when we are most "captivated". Digital screens have been popping up in taxis, trains, subways, and planes for a while now and won't be going away anytime soon. They try to cross-sell products/services, keep us informed of travel information, build brand recognition by displaying branded content, or even allow their audiences to order in-travel refreshments. Most important, the digital screens help to lower the perceived wait, or travel, time of the trip. But, in my opinion, digital signage does something even more - add to the customer experience!

Let's take a look at your typical airplane trip. You board the plane looking for "Row G Seat 2." You struggle through the other passengers putting the luggage in the overhead compartment, and after a few minutes of "excuse me" you find your seat. After getting your luggage situated you look forward to see a digital screen in the headrest of the seat in front of yours. On the screen you see "Welcome (Enter name here), thanks for flying..." within the airlines branded content. Once everyone is settled, the Captain does a live broadcast from the cockpit and then the in-flight safety information video plays on everyone's screen. Although the video also explains what else this screen will do for you during your 12 hour flight. This touch screen allows you to call flight attendants, order food and beverages, even check whether the bathrooms are occupied - reserve a spot - and alert you when it's your turn.

Not only does the screen serve as your personal flight attendant, but as your in-flight entertainment as well. The screens make every seat a window seat. With the push of a button your screen shows the view from a camera on the outside of the plane. So if your on the right side of the plane and your Captain says "and to your left you will see the Las Vegas strip", you won't have to crawl across anyone to see it. If that's not enough, you can also watch satellite TV, purchase movies, or surf the web. No more watching boring in-flight movies. You chose what it is you watch. You chose how you are entertained.

Passengers aren't the only ones who benefit from the digital screens, but the airlines and in-flight staff do as well. The airlines benefit from the multi-zone content - In one zone you have the movie that a passenger may have purchased (which is revenue for the airline), but in a smaller zone on the right side of the screen are the ads of the airline, Sky Mall, or other paid advertisements. This would add a new and much needed revenue stream for the airlines. Then there's the in-flight staff. Being able to communicate with passengers via the screens would make their lives a lot easier. Attendants could take beverage or food orders, requests for extra pillows or blankets, etc and save themselves the hassle of making two trips. Airlines could then possibly reduce the number of flight attendants on each plane resulting in less overhead.

There's countless benefits for digital signage in transportation, but as I mentioned all these benefits really add up to just one thing - The customer experience! As many transportation companies are already implementing such technologies, I hope they remember to think about and plan around the customer experience. Goals and metrics should be measured by attributes such as perceived wait time - Measure the actual time of trip v.s. the perceived time, Expectations and Performance - Measure what was expected and how the company performed compared to those expectations.

If companies concentrate on the customer experience, I firmly believe that those customers will become fans of the brand and tell the world about their experience with a company. And today, that's what it's all about.

The High Cost of Wayfinding

2011-10-18T15:19:00.009-04:00

The Mall, According to Wikipedia, is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version of the traditional marketplace.

I kind of chuckled at the word "easily". Honestly, it's not so easy to navigate from point A to point B anymore. There's kiosk shops, carts, photo booths, rides, and other hurdles all over today's mall. But, if I look at the back-lit mall map, I don't see any of these obstacles. Just a clear, easy path to my destination. And sometimes the map is so outdated that when I get to where the Radio Shack supposed to be on the map, I see the new cookie shop that replaced it. Turns out the Radio Shack moved to the other end of the mall for more space. So, why not update the map?

It seems like at least once a month our local mall has a one store closing and another one opening. That would call for a lot of map updating, which could potentially be expensive. Think about it - There is usually several directory maps in the mall and continually printing new graphics is costly. Add in the labor expense to replace the old one and it's easy to see the potentially high cost in updating the ever-changing mall maps.

So, what can be done to keep the mall patrons informed of new stores and store closings while keeping costs down? Simply go digital! By replacing these traditional back-lit maps with screens and designing a digital version, patrons would be able to get clear directions to the shops they are looking for, and the content could easily be updated using a web-based software. No need for printing or labor intensive replacements. Just edit the design and press 'submit!

Not only are digital maps easier to update, but patrons could interact with a digital screen. Let's say I'm looking for Foot Locker. Using my finger, I press Foot Locker on the screen. It shows me how to reach my destination, but also informs me of other shoe stores in the mall and tells me which shoe stores are having sales. Let's see that old kiosk directory do that!

Lastly, digital signage just looks better and brings life into the mall. Using animated or interactive graphics is a lot "cooler" than a boring static images. It's like a fresh coat of paint in your living room. Just ask any company that's replaced static posters with digital signage. They will tell you that more people are attracted to the screen than the poster.

Evolution of the TV

2011-09-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

Scrolling through my Twitter feed this morning, I found a great blog post from the always interesting Mashable.com. Their salute to the TV and it's evolving size, quality, and price got me thinking. Can you imagine hanging a high-end CTR on the wall of a retail space and displaying ads or way-finding content to your customers? Ha.

It's because of the evolution of the TV that digital signage was born. It's the continuously shrinking size and price plus the improvement in quality that allow the digital signage industry a chance to survive. So, not only am I saluting the TV for the endless hours of information and entertainment, I'm giving the TV a bear hug for providing me with a fun, and fulfilling career.

Cheers!

Using Digital Signage Internally

2011-08-31T10:01:00.003-04:00

By now, the usage and benefits of digital signage are clear to marketers. When I ask "what are your goals?" or "why indoor digital signage?", the most popular answers have been "to display ads to our customers at the point of purchase" or "to increase cross-selling opportunities." Every so often someone tells me they want to entertain their customers with news or trivia while they’re waiting. Almost all answers are customer-centric, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, there’s a huge potential benefit that companies often overlook when planning digital signage use: Employees!

How many companies have push-pin bulletin boards hanging in a break room, hallway, or lobby that employees use to communicate departmental progress or personal achievements? I've worked in a few places that used this easy-to-ignore method of communication, and most of the time documents would just hang there unnoticed until someone took them down. Another issue that I've noticed with companies is the lack of interdepartmental communication. If you are in Marketing - What's going on in Accounting? If you are in Accounting - What's going on in R&D? You get the idea. Things change so fast that there's not enough time (or space) on the bulletin board. Using a digital sign for a company bulletin board is far more eye-catching than papers hanging on the wall and provides more flexibility. At Captive, we have a screen in each department. Each week, department heads send updates to the project administrator. So, right now, I can tell you what each department did last week, what they’re working on this week, and where we stand YTD on company goals just by turning around.

I found a really great blog that talks more about using digital signage for internal communication. Check it out. Let me know what your company does to communicate? Newsletters, bulletin boards, digital signage? What methods are you using today and how could it improve?

Face 2 Facebook with Digital Signage

2011-08-29T15:43:00.002-04:00

Recently, I wrote an article that discussed combining digital signage with social media. In the video above, Coke Cola uses digital kiosks at one of it's summer festivals so those attending the event would share their experiences with friends and family via Facebook - Before they even leave the event!

This benefits Coke in a couple of ways:

Coke is encouraging people to tell their friends about the "good time" they're having in hope to attract more people to the event.

Plus, the post to Facebook will be there until the user takes it down - So, Coke is turning their customers' Facebook page into a Coke billboard

Digital Signage + Social Media = Very Smart Move

Digital Signage Projections

2011-08-26T09:41:00.004-04:00

Now more than ever, marketers have more choices on how they will promote their brands' products or services. The internet has given birth to a wide variety of marketing avenues such as corporate websites, web advertising, email, social media, QR codes, and more. The emerging internet technologies have clearly had an impact on the amount of print materials marketers are using in their strategies. Why use print when you can go digital? Digital marketing is more dynamic, easier to change, and often has a smaller price tag.

Since its inception, there's no question that digital signage has made itself into one of the fastest growing marketing mediums on the planet. In March 2009, Digital Signage Magazine published an article that quoted MultiMedia Intelligence saying that “the digital signage market will more than double in size by 2012, having grown by 34 percent from 2007 to 2008." And here we are in August 2011 and DigitalSignageToday.com published another prediction by Global Industry Analytics Incs. They say that "the global digital signage market should hit nearly $14 billion by 2017."

With the growth of new interactive marketing strategies, what do you think will happen with print marketing? Can print survive in a digital world?

Next Top AE Model

2011-07-21T12:32:00.007-04:00

American Eagle Outfitters recently launched a Bank-to-School campaign that asks customers to upload photos of themselves wearing their signature AE denim. Customers can upload photos either by visiting the AE website, Facebook fan page, or by downloading the smart-phone app. Each photo is classified into one of four categories, and the winners are selected by customer vote each week. Ten grand prize winners will receive a nice sum of cash plus a spot in a future AE photo shoot. Two hundred people will receive a little cash, but their photo will be featured on the 25-story LED screen outside its flagship store in Times Square. Read more .

Putting your customers' face on the brand-- Amazing strategy! What could engage their main demographic more than that? The AE brand targets 15 to 25 year old boys and girls. I can already see high school students, in the store with their friends, modeling in front of mirrors and uploading pictures from their cell phones. The coolest aspect of this campaign is that the winning pictures will be displayed on the BIG screen in Times Square. Not only is AE engaging their customers, but using the pictures as part of the ad campaign. I'm sure they're saving tons of money by not hiring actual models. It's a win-win.

I am curious as to why they chose to limit the amount of photos shown on the Times Square screen. I say more screens, more photos! AE should add screens in their retail locations that customers could interact with as well. Customers could be in the store uploading photos and see themselves in a matter of minutes. The photos could also be used for ads running on the screen during the campaign, as well as future campaigns.

Although there are a couple of things I would add to this campaign, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm highly impressed with the strategy AE built and I predict great results from the promotion. If anyone from American Eagle Outfitters reads this article, please let me know how the campaign plays out! Anyone else have thoughts?

Checking In

2011-07-14T10:49:00.003-04:00

You know at sporting events when they display the attendance on this big screen? Imagine if, throughout the game, the screen displayed the names of people who had checked in at the stadium using the popular mobile app Foursquare. Pretty cool, right? You might spot the name of a friend you didn't know was at the game—which could lead to a phone call and drinks after the game.

With the emergence of Foursquare, your friends, family, and followers can know exactly where you are and what you’re doing. Many businesses are integrating Foursquare into their marketing plans, often with great success. With a simple check-in, which advertises your commitment to the business you’re patronizing, you could earn reward points at hotels or free food at restaurants as part of a promotional contest. Foursquare promotions encourage customers to spread the word to their online communities, helping businesses bring in new business on a referral basis while increasing brand awareness. But how else can businesses take advantage of this new and upcoming marketing tool? Can combining Foursquare with DOOH media benefit your business?

I see Foursquare as more than just a lead generation or brand awareness tool—it’s a way to create that “wow” experience for customers. For instance, we've all had to wait for a table at a restaurant— Imagine if, while waiting, you check in on Foursquare and within seconds the digital screen in the waiting area shows this message "Welcome to Ruth Chris Steakhouse, #yourname#. Your table will be ready in 5 minutes." That sure beats waiting for the pager to vibrate and red lights to blink, right?

What are your thoughts? Share with us how you would implement Foursquare into a marketing plan.

2011 Captie Content Awards

2011-07-14T10:09:00.004-04:00

Captive Indoor Media put out a casting call across Codigo users nationwide to find the best digital signage content our customers had designed from scratch. What we got was an exciting glimpse into the various ways our customers are using the Codigo system to boost their in-store marketing efforts. The awards were chosen by Captive's Creative Department on the basis of professional aesthetics, creativity, purpose of message, and their ability to design using the SWiSH animation tool.

Many submitted entries, but one one could be crowned the first ever Captie Content King. Congratulations to the winner and thank you to all our wonderful customers for your entries. We already can't wait to see what you have in store for next year.

See Captie Content Contest Winner and Runner Up here

Back to the Future with Customer Service Part II

2011-07-08T11:39:00.002-04:00

About a month ago I wrote about using holographic images to improve the customer experience. I discussed how a holographic image could contribute to the WOW experience for the customer and mentioned being greeted by Sam Walton, himself, at your local Wal-Mart.

Well, it may not be quite Sam Walton, but Lawrence, A Tensator Goup Co, has deployed what they call the "Virtual Assistant". Placed previously in London and Birmingham airports as greeters, these "Virtual Assistants" are making their U.S. debut in the retail environment at Duane Reade in New York City.

The "virtual assistant" takes the form of a female greeter and has different scripts about the store. The next version apparently will be more interactive with customers. But for now, I guess customers will just have to settle for a script reading holographic image welcoming and cross-selling you products.

I know if I was a Wal-Mart greeter, I'd be a little worried. Imagine walking your kids into Disney World and boom, there's Walt Disney! Or, taking a tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performing a Scream duet with Michael Jackson. I'm WOWed by the idea. I hope to see this technology really take off - I'd like to see how far it can go.

Digital Display : Finding Payback

2011-07-07T11:23:00.005-04:00

In their July-August issue of Bank Marketing Magazine, The American Banker's Association profiled 4 U.S. bank's usage of digital signage in the branch. They highlighted the reasons these banks chose to implement digital displays and the results they have achieved. A special thanks goes out to Cheryl Hershner with First Financial Bank in Cincinnati, OH for speaking so highly of Captive and the products it provides; as well as to Walt Albro with ABA for the opportunity to be in such a prestigious magazine.

Below is a short excerpt from this article with a link to read it in it's entirety. Post a response, let us know what you think!

It’s a no-brainer: Digital display is a powerful new platform for merchandising the bank’s products and services. So why are so many financial institutions still hemming and hawing over the digital decision? The answer may be that the upfront investment in hardware and software is typically hefty. And with today’s tight budgets, marketers want hard evidence of the actual marketing return on investment before trying to sell the idea to their managers.

Does digital pay off? Is it worth the investment? ABA Bank Marketing magazine talked to four banks of varying asset size that had achieved some kind of success with a digital installation. We asked each institution how the investment had panned out. Click here to hear their stories

The Flipside of Social Media

2011-06-28T14:30:00.005-04:00

If you work in marketing, chances are you’ve heard this cautionary tale: “customers who had an awful experience will share their negative incident with an average of 12 other people. In turn, each of those 12 people will mention the occurrence to six others.” This statistic was culled from a website published in August 2009 (Just two years ago). Today, due to the amount of people using Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, I feel confident that those numbers have skyrocketed. For example, if I tell my 1,000 “friends” on Facebook about a negative experience I had in dealing with a company, according to this stat, collectively they would go on to tell another 6,000 people; totaling 7,000 people who heard about my experience. Clearly these are rough estimates, but my point is that a person’s voice has far more reachnow than it did a few years ago-- and companies not only need to monitor what’s being said about them, but embrace it!

Social Media is a great way to see what’s being said about any company. But on the reverse, it’s even better as a way for a company to tell customers how they feel about them. Imagine this – you just finished depositing a check at your bank and you receive a Facebook or Twitter message on your smart phone. It’s from the bank, and they’re thanking you for doing business with them today. Or, you’re opening an account at a credit union-- The representative asks if you use Twitter. You provide your user name and within a few minutes, the digital screen in the lobby displays a twitter feed from the credit union directly to YOU. They are welcoming you to the credit union and thanking you for your business. Both situations would let the customer know they are appreciated and add to the WOW experience companies strive to achieve.

Most companies use Social Media as a method of monitoring negative comments. What if your company used it to create positive word-of-mouth on the internet? By speaking to your customers via Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites, thousands of people will potentially see that communication. So, instead of thousands of people reading about a bad experience, they’ll read about their friends’ or family’s great experiences with your company.

Be A Manikin For A Day

2011-05-23T10:10:00.010-04:00

We've all walked by a clothing store and seen a manikin wearing the newest, trendiest styles the store is offering. Manikins have been standing in windows and sales floors for centuries, grabbing the attention of shoppers. These "life-size" figurines are supposed to resemble you, the buyer, yet they always seem to have skinny, model-like bodies, and, of course, no movement. Unfortunately for the clothing industry, not all people can relate to these lifeless statues. People come in all shapes and sizes, so how can a retail store customize a manikin to fit the needs of every buyer in their shop? Perhaps manikins aren’t the most effective way to sell clothes.

Imagine the window of a clothing store lined with digital screens. As you walk past, your own image pops up on the screen-- but you’re not wearing what you're wearing. You are wearing new jeans, shirt, shoes, and jacket. Not only is the screen showing you how you could look after leaving the store, but it also line-items the price of each product. Just by glancing at the screen, you can decide whether or not it's worth it to go into the store.

This idea would eliminate a lot of the pain points of shopping (at least for me). Instead of scouring through racks of clothes, just stand in front of the screen. The screen would take your picture and allow you to choose the sizes you need. Based on the criteria entered, the screen would display clothing it feels would be a nice fit for your body type and style. From here, you simply drag and drop the clothing to the mirror-like image on the screen using touch-screen technology. Once you find something you'd like to actually try on, simply press a "Try It On" button, and a representative would bring the clothes to you. As an added bonus, why not be able to post the picture of you with the clothes to your Facebook or Twitter accounts? You could gather feedback from your friends and family instantly - even if you’re shopping alone.

Based on your selection, the screen would also give you style recommendations, inform you of current sales promotions, or provide you with buyer reviews of chosen products. The digital screen would serve as a personal stylist and could eliminate a lot of overhead due to excessive staffing. The digital screen would also help with inventory control-- So many times I've seen shirts on racks that don't belong because someone picked it up and put it down on a different rack. By having the store representative bring the clothes, inventory would be easier to control.

Ultimately, I see this idea adding to the customer experience. For those who don't enjoy the traditional shopping experience, this could serve as a great way to attract new customers and sales.

Back to the Future with Customer Service

2011-05-19T09:36:00.012-04:00

Remember in the movie Back to the Future Part II when Marty McFly goes into Cafe 80s? The first thing you see is a woman sitting at the bar placing her order with Michael Jackson. Well, not the real Michael, but a screen that allows the customer to interact with the late musician. When Marty goes to order his Pepsi, he doesn't talk with a waiter or waitress. Instead, he orders with Ronald Reagan and Khomeini-- or better said; their avatars.

I'm taking you down memory lane because of a recent article I read. The article got me thinking: Is the idea of using avatars in customer service bad for business? My initial thought was that customer service should be hands-on-- a person-to-person interaction with a friendly smile or a hand shake. Customer service should involve a representative that can’t break down. But then I started thinking of how many times I've gone into a retail store, airport, or hospital only to find that there was no one around to help, employees were too busy, or I received bad information. I guess humans can break down, too.

Imagine walking into Wal-Mart and rather than seeing a friendly, elderly man as the greeter, you are welcomed by a holographic image of Sam Walton himself. Actually, that doesn't sound too far-fetched. We already have interactive digital signs, 3-D animation, and holographic images-- why not combine all of these technologies to enhance our customer service? In my opinion, it would be cool to ask the founder of Wal-Mart which aisle the orange juice is in.

Now, I'm not saying I want holographic avatars to take all of the Wal-Mart greeter jobs. But it would be functional and captivating to see this technology. Instead of kiosk directory outlining how to get from point A to B, the avatar could simply tell you (or print it for you). I can see this concept being used for way-finding in the near future, but believe its capabilities are limitless.

Adding to your customers' experience with digital signage

2011-05-17T14:51:00.011-04:00

Imagine being stuck in your car for hours with two kids screaming in the backseat and nothing to do. Sounds terrible, right? How grateful would you be if you and your passengers had some entertainment to pass the time? Let's say, popcorn, a movie, and a Coke.

Coca-Cola recently took a highly congested traffic area and transformed it into an impromptu drive-in movie theater. Making a traffic jam into a vehicle for brand recognition, loyalty, and ultimately, an uplift in sales. They saw a need for entertainment and seized the opportunity-- A very smart and innovative marketing strategy.

In a recent poll of banks and credit unions, we asked them what their main priority was for using digital signage in the branch. 87% said they use digital signage to cross-sell products and services, 10% claimed the main purpose was branding and only 3% professed that it was purely for entertainment. Coke would be in that minority. They recognized that using a digital screen to entertain would give the person in traffic a great experience with the brand and that would result in sales uplift and brand loyalty.

What if your bank or credit union took a page from the Coke playbook? Here’s a scenario: While a customer is waiting in line, the digital screen is entertaining them with trivia, video, or maybe even a movie. A representative from the institution offers them a cup of coffee, soft-drink, or a small snack. Then, when it's time to process the transaction, the teller or font-line employee talks with them about their financial goals and introduces them to products that fit their needs.

Instead of using digital signage as a "sales representative", try using it as a part of the in-branch experience. Lowering perceived wait-time could have a very positive impact on the experience a person has with your financial institution. More positive experiences can result in greater loyalty, trust, improved word-of-mouth exposure, and ultimately more accounts and customers.

Don't be content with your content

2011-04-12T10:39:00.005-04:00

When there are so many possibilities that will target customers more effectively and increase your ROI, why be satisfied with the same old, boring digital signage show? There's no right or wrong answer to what you should be displayed on the screen, as long as what you're playing aligns with your overall goals.

I would assume that most people want to see some dollars, ROI, from their signage. Does the content displayed attract the viewer's attention? If they aren't looking, then you aren't getting anything in return. So, what's the best way to ensure that people look, pay attention, and then act on what they see? The answer is Compelling and relevant content.

First, what exactly is considered "compelling"? Use words that will grab the viewers attention such as "New", "Free", or "Easy". For help choosing the right word, reference some copywriting websites for some advice from the pros. Once you have their attention, give them adequate time to view and absorb the information before transitioning to new content, making sure the copy is readable for the average viewer (this is relative to your audience). And, of course, give them a call to action -- Encourage them to "ask for details", "text this number to..", "or "mention this ad and get.." Not only are you moving them towards an action, but you're able to measure results more easily, too.

Secondly, how is it possible to make content more "relevant"? I think the real questions are, "Who is my audience? And, "When?" Understanding your audience is critical to maximize relevancy. Look into your transaction data and research the demographics during different time intervals. Based on your research, what kind of person are you targeting and at what time of the day or week? What products or services are they most interested in? Answering these questions will help you to decide what content will work best on the screen. Most digital signage systems give you the ability to "day-part" - which lets you schedule multiple shows to play during specific times of the day. Schedule applicable shows to target these specific audiences with the products you've chosen to promote.

With content that is though-provoking, timely, and relevant, you'll capture more attention and ultimately capitalize on cross- or up-sell opportunities.

Captive Indoor Media: Customer Interviews

2011-03-24T16:16:00.003-04:00

Find out what Captive's customers say about our products and services on our new web commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs614niS37k. .

We would like to thank you for your time, effort, and kind words. We promise to use your feedback and continue to innovate and improve more and more each day.

Audience Education

2011-03-22T15:24:00.005-04:00

Bank and Credit Union employees are faced with several challenges, particularly with today’s unpredictable legislation changes. One of the big hurdles in the wake of Regulation E revolves around making up for fee revenue lost by those who chose not to opt-in to the program. A recent article published on TheFinancialBrand.com, suggests that this gap can be closed using your salespeople’s ability to educate the audience. There are a few issues with that— Most frontline employees don’t have much sales experience, and most people in your retail space don’t have time to listen to another sales pitch. So, what can you do to educate people on new products in a short amount of time and make it easier on your frontline employees?

Digital signage helps communicate with your customers or members during in-branch situations. In one of our case studies, we found that 99% of bank customers noticed the screens in-branch and 91% could recall the exact promotion they had seen.

Digital signage can be used to assist with cross-selling opportunities, too:

1 - Design your content to target the foot traffic in your branch.
Having a good understanding of who is in your branch at various times throughout the day, you can schedule advertisements for products that fit these demographics.
2 - Use a call-to-action to reel customers in
By reminding your customers or members to “ask a teller about...” or “mention this ad and receive…” you’ll set up the frontline for easy sales dialogue. It’s selling without actually selling.
3 – Use content to train
You’re on-screen media can also be used to educate the frontline about products and services. Giving them the knowledge to sell will inevitably give them the ability – without having to spend a lot of money on training courses or books.

On The Box, What's Playing at Captive

2010-10-22T09:54:00.010-04:00

Here at Captive, the average workday can be very fulfilling. Our software developers get their kicks from solving complex programming problems, and our graphic designers find happiness in creating beautiful animated screen content. However, there’s one thing that unites the entire office—the desire to rock. For the first in what will be an ongoing series of Captive employee-curated mixtapes, we’ve compiled a list of tracks chosen by our people, each one revealing a bit about the varied personalities that make our office unique.

Electric Light Orchestra – “Livin’ Thing”
Cash Rowland – National Sales Director

Passion Pit – “Moth’s Wings”
Nikki Offutt – Regional Sales Representative

Ray LaMontagne – “Beg Steal or Borrow”
Brian Nutt - CEO

Gold Panda – “You”
Mark Parris – Graphic Designer

Givers – “Up, Up, Up”
Michael Downs – VP Sales and Marketing

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention – “Call Any Vegetable”
Gary Hottinger – Development Manager / Database Analyst

David Bowie – “Ziggy Stardust”
Daniel Davis – Quality Assurance

Wilco – “Jesus, Etc.”
Matt Deaton – Regional Sales Representative

The Rolling Stones – “Shattered”
David Cahan – Senior Software Developer

Breakbot – “Baby, I’m Yours”
Brandon Bass – Creative Director

James Brown – “Superbad”
Dave Averdick – Graphic Designer

Paul Simon – “Late In The Evening”
Chris O’Bryan – VP Operations

Santana (feat. Rob Thomas)– “Sunshine Of Your Love”
Bruce Nunnelley – IT Director

Journey– “Don't Stop Believing”
Susan Murray – Project Manager

Codigo 3 – “Como Soy Yo”
Alex Vance – Creative Programmer

Start Listening Now.

Choose your Digital Screen Wisely

2010-10-04T14:42:00.003-04:00

Giving our customers the flexibility to choose their own hardware is something that Captive has always done, but we also pride ourselves on being digital signage hardware experts driven to help customers get the best gear within their budget. Sometimes it’s necessary to repurpose screens purchased for legacy systems, and sometimes customers prefer to leverage other resources for their monitors. While this flexibility offers many benefits, having that freedom can ultimately affect the success of your digital signage installation if you purchase the wrong equipment. Before you choose to go down to your local big-box electronics retailer to buy your LCD screens, it’s critical to think about the differences between consumer and commercial grade hardware. Not only do commercial grade monitors work harder, last longer, and come with better warranties, they also offer many unique options that can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your digital signage installation. To learn more about what makes commercial grade screens ideal for DOOH purposes, check out this informative white paper from Digital Signage Today.

Click here to view the PDF

Better Targeting With Digital Merchandising

2010-09-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

It goes without saying that the current economic climate poses significant challenges to marketers, in particular those in the Financial Services industry. New regulations, increasing competition, mobility of customers, and the rapidly emerging world of social media, all add up to a chaotic marketing environment. However, one thing that remains fairly consistent is the number of people visiting their Bank or Credit Union branch every month. As such, having a well crafted Digital Merchandising strategy can pay huge dividends. Some of the key benefits include:

Improve the Overall In-Branch Environment

Target Messaging to Specific Customer Segments

Achieve Message Consistency Across Entire Branch Network

Lower Cost of Production of Marketing Materials

Greater Control Over Message Delivery

Increase Speed and Success of New Product Introductions

Improve Delivery of Training to Increase Sales Productivity

Maximize Available Data
One of great advantages of Captive Indoor Media’s system is that it enables you to leverage existing customer or member data to more accurately target messaging. An MCIF or CRM system contains plenty of information that can be used to maximize your Digital Merchandising strategy. For example, you should be able to gather basic data on:

Branch Traffic Patterns

Heaviest time slots (e.g. 9-11 am, 11am-1pm, 1pm-4pm)

Customer segments visiting the branch in those time slots

Average Time in Branch

Demographics

Product Mix of the customers/members visiting the branch

Using the data from above, one can begin to determine overall trends and the best times at which to reach specific people who visit the branch. These trends will help guide the selection of content, product focus, content schedule, show duration, and the weighted distribution of content in the show.

Content Mix
The follow is a very simple example of how the mix of content can be determined by simply knowing the average time spent in the branch.

Assumptions

Each product file is :30 seconds

Each "Entertainment" file is :30 seconds

Weather & News files are 1 minute & 30 seconds each

Calculations

Average In-Branch Time = 12 minutes x 60 seconds = 720 seconds

65% Targeted Product Ads = 720 x .65 = 468 seconds (or 16 files)

25% Weather & News = 720 x .25 = 144 seconds (or 2.5 files)

o 10% Entertainment = 720 x .10 = 72 seconds (or 2 files)

As the example illustrates, we were able to quickly determine that we need to build a show containing 16 product files, 2 weather and news files, and 2 entertainment files. Marketers can go several layers beyond this and begin to identify specific files within these categories that would best target the desired audience.

The flexibility and dynamic nature of Digital Merchandising make it a very powerful tool. With a little bit of data gathering, analysis and planning, marketers can achieve outstanding results.

McGraw Hill Interviews CEO Brian Nutt

2010-09-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

Check out this informative video about the digital signage industry - featuring our CEO, Brian Nutt. Big thanks to McGraw Hill Publishers and SL Creative for this great video.

Copyright McGraw Hill Publishers - video produced by SL Creative
http://www.slcreativemedia.com/
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

Digital signage for Financial Institutions- Top 5 questions you should ask.

2010-09-16T16:02:00.000-04:00

This year’s ABA marketing conference was in Minneapolis, MN from September 13th-15th and for the 7th year running Captive was an exhibitor. Like every other year, there were many digital signage vendors and we fielded the age old question “How are you different from so and so?”

I think this subject is relevant for any customer in the market for Digital Signage, bank or otherwise. I remember walking the floor at InfoComm this past June and feeling confused and frustrated by the way each digital signage company seemed to blend into the next. Let’s face it, as much as each company tries to differentiate itself from the other, the goal remains identical. It is to get impactful media on a screen via a web based application in the easiest and least resource intensive way possible.

The problem with my goal summarization is that although true, it is very broad and vague to a consumer. With this in mind, I’m going to make a few suggestions on how a financial institution in particular might go about trying to decide on the best vendor for their digital signage initiative.

Viability- The digital signage industry is growing at a rapid pace and because of this, it is an attractive entry point for many businesses, both big and small, that want to find a growth engine. In many respects this is a good thing because it keeps companies like Captive on our toes and ensures competitive pricing and features. The bad news is it can lead to poorly supported and executed systems that quickly become expensive and quite likely go unused. Be sure to check out the company you are purchasing from and get lots of references. If they don’t have an installation near you and can’t come up with some solid references, leave it to the next guy to be the case study.

Experience- I may be partial but I think vertical experience from a vendor is more important in the banking space than elsewhere. Simply put, the financial industry is a tough place to do business of late and unless your vendor understands your challenges intimately and can explain to you how their solution is going to address your specific needs, you may want to look elsewhere. The reality is that there are several hundred vendors in the digital signage space but really only just a few that are recognizable brands in the financial industry. Use resources like the ABA exchange if you are a Bank or CUNA marketing if you are a Credit Union and ask your colleagues for vendors. If your vendor can’t come up with more than a couple customer references and explain to you what REG-E stands for, you probably don’t want them.

TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)- During the ABA tradeshowmy explanation of the above question was that our goal at Captive is to deliver the lowest TCO to our customers as possible. In my opinion, the biggest cost driver of digital signage is not the software but the time it takes to learn and use the application as well as the price to create content that goes on the screen. Our customers spend less than 5 hours each month on average in our software and we think that is a good thing. As for content, Captive and several other providers in the financial space offer a wealth of content specific to the industry. This is important particularly for the Community Bank or Credit Union where the Marketing Director often wears multiple hats and is stretched thin on resources from both human and finance perspectives. Make sure your vendor has a full time content creation staff with industry experience. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Support- As with any successful industry, there are many vendors of digital signage software that do not own the software like Captive does but choose to be a reseller. Clearly there is nothing wrong with this but it is an important thing to know before you purchase. As I mentioned above, there are literally hundreds of software applications in the marketplace but scarce few with any true scale of branch installations. Make sure you know the provider behind your vendor if you choose a reseller. Equally as important as understanding what provider is behind the reseller is to know how long the reseller has been working with the software provider. If the reseller has jumped from product to product in the last couple of years, that is probably a bad sign. Conversely, if you are talking directly to the software company, you need to know how often they update their product. At Captive, we are constantly making improvements but I know of many companies that have not done significant updates in years.

Consulting- Many people think of digital signage as a magical instrument that once installed is sure to draw the eyeballs of every customer as if they had been desperately seeking this form of advertising their entire lives. And while many customer do get luck by simply throwing up a screen with content, it is important to have a provider that can walk you through screen placement, content creation and maintain an ongoing dialogue about the success of the installation. If your vendor can’t help you decide where to put the screen and then implement a method to judge success, you probably want to look elsewhere.

Those are just a few ideas but ones that will certainly add context to the decision of an interested customer in the financial industry looking for digital signage.

Digital Signage: The Key Ingredients

2010-09-14T16:57:00.000-04:00

In order to create a successful digital signage solution, it’s critical to consider three key ingredients. First and foremost, you need a powerful online software system to schedule media to the screens in your retail or corporate location. It should be simple and intuitive, yet robust enough to allow more advanced users to customize content and fine-tune media scheduling. Next, you need hardware capable of playing media on your screen. While the computer unit serving as the player is the most commoditized piece of the puzzle, it’s important to balance power with size. Find a player unit that can fit in small places or even be mounted inconspicuously behind the screen. Finally-- and most importantly—you’ll need media content to schedule to your screens that effectively communicates your message to the audience. This requires timely messages that are eye-catching, readable, and fresh.

From day one, Captive understood that digital signage users would be lost without applicable, customizable content. We began building a library of such content in 2005, and have watched it grow steadily to include thousands of easy-to-edit templates, dynamically-powered entertainment content that always stays fresh, and vital components like weather, news, and stocks. The Captive Content Vault, located within our web-based Codigo software, grows every month with new, timely content files that reflect the changing world we live in. Templates are great, but most financial institutions and retail businesses have a very specific brand identity that must be conveyed in all marketing efforts. Our Content Vault gives you two unique options for customizing: Download the file and work with it using SWiSH, a third-party content design tool that lets you change colors, photos, backgrounds, and effects, or use our exclusive GoMedia feature, which lets you edit text and logos without ever leaving the simple online software. Since keeping your audience’s eyes on the screen is the goal, we also provide dozens of entertaining categories like ‘Did You Know’ and ‘Spare Change: Facts About Money’, trivia for Sports, Movies, and Music, and even visual games like Word Scramble and Riddles. The options are almost limitless when you start browsing the Content Vault-- in minutes you can have a customized advertisement, your hours of operation, a 5 day forecast, and a World News update, all on your screen. And if you're looking for media specifically tailored to your needs, you can order Custom Content, which allows you to work with Captive's expert team of designers who are trained to help you keep your digital signage consistent with existing brand materials. In the end, Captive Indoor Media gives you an all-in-one solution that covers all of the bases: Software, Hardware, and Media.

Digital Signage in 3D?

2010-09-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

When it comes to the entertainment industry, everyone is excited about the potential of 3D graphics, animation, and video. You’ve surely noticed the increased number of 3D movies playing at the cinema and may have even noticed that ESPN has released an entire channel devoted to 3D content. Here at Captive, we’re keeping a close eye on the potential of 3D as it relates to the digital signage industry. There are already several companies who have focused their business model around the idea that 3D is the future of digital signage. On one hand, we’re excited about its potential, but there are several reasons to be skeptical about its practicality.

The first thing you should know about 3D digital signage is that it must be autostereoscopic, meaning that viewers don’t need those silly red and blue glasses to view the 3D images. In fact, no glasses are necessary. This enables passers-by to become engaged with the screen’s brilliant color and motion, which holds great potential for retail and public space digital signage. Autostereoscopic screens are currently only being manufactured in small numbers and can cost 5 or 6 times more than a comparable 2D LCD monitor. While that’s certainly an intimidating price tag, it’s not a reason to write off the idea of 3D digital signage – every new technology is expensive in its infancy. Autostereoscopic screens will eventually become more affordable as the technology improves and they begin mass production.

The real problem begins when you’re faced with the challenge of developing content to play on that screen. There are some companies who claim they can convert 2D Flash or video files into the 3D format. While this “easy button” solution sounds great, it almost certainly has to be too good to be true. Content creation for a 3D autostereoscopic screen is an extremely complex process. First, your animated message or video must be created using a 3D program such as 3D Studio Max. Next, for each scene it’s necessary to set up nine unique camera devices to capture the 3D object from every angle in the screen’s viewing range. After each of these different camera angles have been exported as an image sequence, they must be converted to nine separate videos. With all these videos rendered and saved, you’ll still need software that can display all nine different video perspectives based on the specifications of the lenticlar overlay on the screen. Sound complicated? It is. But it’s also very space-hogging-- nine videos each with 30 frames per second leaves you with 270 frames of rendered images being seen in a single second. That’s more than 16,000 individual images for a minute-long retail advertising spot. The video will be huge in both size and resolution, and the cost of producing these videos is astronomical compared to today’s 2D content. While the idea of 3D digital signage is compelling and has some potential, it’s still a long way off-- and the content creation is going to be the biggest hurdle.

To learn more about the future of autostereoscopic screens and content creation, visit: http://autostereoscopic-3d.blogspot.com/

THE RESULTS ARE IN, CUSTOMERS ARE HAPPY WITH CAPTIVE

2010-08-30T15:24:00.000-04:00

In late July, Captive conducted a comprehensive customer survey that measured the company’s performance in areas such as content selection and quality, technical support, ease-of-use, and installation quality. The survey went out to several hundred customers of Captive Indoor Media, and they were given one week to respond.

A few key findings from the survey include:

Overall Ease-of-Use: 90.5% Good or Excellent

Technical Support: 94.3% Good or Excellent

Content Quality: 92.5% Good or Excellent

Other Highlights

76.1% of customers indicated that they spend less than 5 hours per month managing the system

96.2% of customers indicated that they would be likely or certain to use Captive in the future

In total, the survey responses validated the quality of Captive’s software, content, and service. In addition, it provided insights that will enable Captive to continue strive for excellence in all areas of its business.

Digital Signage- What screen is right for you?

2010-08-30T08:48:00.000-04:00

There was a great article in Digital Signage Magazine this month entitled "Flat Panel Displays: The Evolution Continues". The article does a fantastic job describing some of the leaps the technology has taken the last couple of years. It also outlines the diffences between Commercial grade panels and Consumer grade. To read the whole article, follow this link.

Connecting with Customers

2010-08-26T12:47:00.000-04:00

The Captive team routinely spends time at customer sites to listen to feedback and fully understand their specific Digital Merchandising and Marketing objectives. After all, those objectives are the driving force behind the future product and service enhancements at Captive.

Following several recent visits with customers in Michigan, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Georgia, we wanted to share some key insights and best practices gained from our experiences.

Screen Placement – Never underestimate the importance of good screen placement. Great messaging and content can easily be wasted if nobody sees it. Always consider traffic flow, viewing distance, screen size, and the overall interior design.

Content Selection – Choosing compelling content that resonates with your target audience is critical to success. Getting someone’s attention is one thing, but keeping it in a way that inspires action is a whole different challenge.

Content Scheduling – One of the most powerful attributes of Digital Merchandising is its ability to more precisely target your marketing messages. When utilized to its fullest potential, Users can place very specific messaging in front of targeted customer segments.

Digital Signage; another video wall installation

2008-03-13T17:05:00.000-04:00

We recently had the good fortune of working on an amazing project for Eclipse Bank in Louisville, KY. They really took the use of digital media to it's maximum and it was neat to see them use not only our technology but many others throughout the branch. I am most proud of the video wall installation we did with them. Attached is a picture. Enjoy!

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

2007-08-15T09:57:00.000-04:00

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: More on the video wall

2007-06-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

Sound and Video Contractor did a rather large article on our video wall installation for the City of Louisville in their June edition. If you have not yet seen the print edition, follow the link to Sound and Video Contractor and check it out!

Digital Signage: Experience Counts

2007-06-05T09:09:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-04T08:07:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-03-26T13:46:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-03-20T17:03:00.000-04:00

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

2007-02-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-31T18:23:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-01-22T10:09:00.000-05:00

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 :-).

Digital Signage: A few tips for attaining good A/V contractors and a quality installation process

2007-01-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

Digital Signage is all about software and content right? That is what your customers are seeing and ultimately the benchmark of success right? Easy to use software, great content and a plan to execute is all I need to get up and running right?

Ok, stop right there. If we can reverse that order and start with “A plan to execute”, now we are on pace. And one of the most integral yet often overlooked aspects of that “plan” is the question of who is going to hang the screen on the wall, hook up the player and service that equipment over the coming days, weeks and years. “No problem” you say, “we’ve got the guy to do it.” Ok, but what happens when you have an installation of 400 screens in 5 states on 200 walls within a tight time frame and in varied construction scenarios? Hmmm. It gets a bit more difficult doesn’t it?

With that question in mind and several scenarios which closely adhere to the above characteristics, I thought it would be beneficial to post a quick list of elements key to a good installation.

1- Work with a known partner

As a company we have used both individual A/V companies and networks of A/V companies provided by an aggregator. The aggregator’s job is to screen the contractor used for each installation and then help project manage the entire process. While this seems to be the most logical approach for implementing large orders, it also presents the most pitfalls. There always seems to be finger pointing and never a firm allocation of fault when a problem happens.

At Captive Indoor Media, we have assembled a team of A/V partners over the years which we work with on a regular basis. Today our network of partners spans across the country and we handle project management in-house. Through the combination of an existing relationship and a single point of contact (us) for our customers, our projects run much smoother and when we do have problems, we can handle them without all of the finger pointing.

2- Make sure the Audio/Visual contractor has experience with Digital Signage

This is absolutely critical if you cannot utilize an installer that either you as an end customer or your software vendor can provide. In these cases, it is necessary to have a qualified person on hand to check the basics from signal quality to the screen and dB levels for audio to network connectivity for the player. When you do use an unknown company, their experience with most any digital signage product should be a key component of your due diligence as to their ability to install a system cleanly, professionally and quickly.

3- Have a punch list

Here is the reference to my initial comments about executing a plan. Part of the process is the up front work which includes site surveys and a concrete set of requirements for each installation. Is the screen always 8 ft’ above the floor centered behind the tellers or are there deviations? What are the power requirements and is there any existing infrastructure the system can piggy back on? What happens when a truck shows up and things are slightly different than agreed upon when the punch list was created? Do you allow that vendor some flexibility to install anyway or do you have them come back at a later date? Who is responsible for configuring the network connection for the player and who will take the call when that connection is not allowing traffic for the player? These are just some of the obvious questions that need to be covered up front before work begins. Those questions set up the document which lists a set of requirements to be met when an installer begins at each location. When each of those requirements are met, a manager at the location should be required to check each to ensure they have been done and then agree that work is complete with their signature.

4- Have an experienced Software Vendor

As much as I would like to preach that Captive Indoor Media is in the software and content delivery business, we are also in the project management business. We carefully follow progress of each project, big or small, and manage constant communication (both verbal and documented) between all parties involved. Experience in this area should be a part of any vendor selection.

5- Maintain Consistency of labor

When large installations are taking place, we try to assign project teams that will gain efficiencies over the course of the installation project. It seems common sense to claim that 5 teams doing 40 locations each will be moving much faster on locations 30-40 than on locations 1-10. They gain confidence, relationships and knowledge which ultimately transcends to a good, clean installation. If there are constant changes in labor, it is more difficult to attain efficiencies and consistent quality.

Digital Signage: When you peel the layers… It seems like everyone is adding layers…

2007-01-16T12:08:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, before your eyes glass over about another blog post concerning Cisco digital signage, just give me a few minutes to explain. I’ve got an idea here and maybe we can learn something from all this Cisco news.

For a couple years now I’ve thought that the key to building a successful digital signage product and therefore company is to ensure the ability to layer service on the software platform without great expense or deviation from the business model. In the case of Captive Indoor Media, we have acted out this approach and currently deliver everything from content creation to syndicated news feeds and touch screen applications all with the intent of adding value for our customers while increasing our average bill (yes, we are trying to make some money).

Take a second to admire the cell phone/PDA/MP3 Player in your pocket to get a glimpse inside a successful business model based on layering services in the face of margin attrition. That device probably looks much different from the brick like thing you carried just a few years ago and the service you receive today most certainly is.

Cell phone providers 5 years ago were selling little more than voice service with varied packages for roaming and long distance. Today long distance is free; roaming is a word used mostly for cattle and every mobile service provider I know of is pushing email, fast internet access and text messaging. In the face of product price attrition, they layered new service and retained or increased the average monthly bill. In my unfortunate case, I have actually seen a pretty steep increase in my bill but the service is so necessary to my day to day activity I would probably pay double if I had to.

As Digital Signage continues to get more competitive (300 vendors and counting) we will certainly see pricing come down within the more commoditized digital signage products such as remote access and scheduling capability. Success will be based in the ability of each company to introduce compelling service products which ride on that company’s software backbone and deliver further value to their customers while also increasing the barrier to entry for the competition.

OK, now it’s time for the Cisco reference. Cisco is not in the digital signage game just to start developing content and fulfill delivery of that content. They want to sell the whole kit and caboodle. They want to add on video to the desktop. They want to add VOIP and teleconferencing. They want to sell digital signage not as a unique technology (pssst. It is not new anymore nor unique) but as a means to an end (gulp). They have the expertise, money and capability to plant customer flags fast and implement with speed and precision. Once the flag is planted, it is time to farm the account and sell every product they can over as few platforms as possible.

The good news is that Cisco is big and most of us are small. Well all of us are small in the face of that logo. We will be the ones innovating and they will be the one’s purchasing and consolidating the industry. In my humble opinion there is plenty of room for both of those activities in the coming months and years. We shall see.

To read the article that prompted this post, please follow this link

Digital Signage: Shark in the Water...

2006-12-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

This morning an article was posted to The Street.com which announced the official entrance of Cisco Systems into the digital signage market via the acquisition of Tivella. Whoa..... if ever a validation of the market was to be made, this is it.

I guess this is really no suprise. I've been to several tradeshows of late only to find Cisco teatering on the edge of a true digital signage product via their new ip telephony and training applications. They have also drilled me with questions and I had a suspicion their interest was beyond just learning about the space.

Now I don't know much about Tivella but a quick read of their site tells me their product is more geared towards the Corporate Campus. It is also built from the ground up on Cisco equipment and technology. Another check mark on the "makes sense" scale for a Cisco acquisition.

My conclusion on this announcement is that the consolidation game is on for real in the Digital Signage space. The race has been on years now but the big boys are going to start coming hard. We only have to look at NEC, Planar and now Cisco to see that writing on the wall. This is definitely a good thing for the industry. More money, more talent and certainly more visibility will propel our products and opportunities at an even faster rate than before.

If you would like to read the article about the acquisition, you can find it here

Digital Signage: Ad Agencies Say They Are Taking the Leap; Sounds good to me!

2006-12-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

I’ve been in the marketing business for quite some time now and I’ve always pushed a non traditional product of some sort. I fully believe that the more unique the promotion can be, the more memorable your product will be. I also continue to preach that the combined effect of a unique and memorable promotion will make for a more successful impression on your audience. The problem is that the “unique and memorable” media vehicles are often difficult to measure, lack the longevity necessary to prove a concept and do not offer the reach needed to create the buzz across a brands target audience which exceeds the expense of each event. In other words, you might remember the inflatable Dean’s milk bottle mascot at the football game (obviously I do) but there is little chance you will find Dean’s Milk dumping the greater percentage of their ad budget into funny mascots.

Now please do not misinterpret my comments from above; I am not comparing an inflatable milk bottle to digital signage. But I am saying the in many respects we have been lumped in with other interesting and innovative advertising vehicles that are believed to make an impression but have yet to be measured with any uniformity.

Digital signage, in my opinion, has been a bit of a leap of faith on the part of both vendors (like me) and customers that implement the technology. By leap of faith I mean that we have been pressing along without the advantage of hard statistics generated from years of studies performed under the direction of similar or universal rules. As I’ve repeated many times on this blog, until we have a set of principles in place, the fragmented state of our industry will remain. This fragmentation becomes particularly challenging as advertising agencies start to take part in the review and introduction of digital signage products for their customers. .

Ad agencies are in business because they sell and create media. That media might be in the form of a local ad in a small newspaper or a Super Bowl ad. Regardless, when they go to a multi-million account for approval of their media plan, they are hesitant to risk the entire account for an untested vehicle. That has been the state of affairs for many decades but a recent article from Adage suggests things might be changing a little.

Today, no one can deny that grabbing the attention of a consumer via advertising is more difficult than ever. In order to be successful, a brand must be focused in their message, placement and delivery. Advertising agencies know this and are eager to find a vehicle which can alleviate the declining rate of return being presented by traditional Print, Radio and TV. With that in mind, they have turned at increasing levels to digital forms of media.

To date the digital media I just referred to has been on the internet. That media has also been effective and measurable. I think it would be difficult to find an agency of any scope which does not have a department dedicated to purchasing of media on the internet as well as generating media plans which include increasing percentages of budgets directed towards online initiatives and advertising.

From my perspective, the success of this media sets the stage for Digital Signage to be the next great vehicle. We still have a few years to go until true convergence comes to fruition but we are getting close. One by one we have to each continue to push customers, vendors and agencies to take the leap of faith. If we can do that, statistics and principles for gathering statistics will certainly emerge. That emergence will close the chasm which sits below the person or entity taking the leap of faith with Digital Signage.

You can find the link to the Adage.com article here .

Digital Signage for Banks: A Report from the BAI Retail Delivery Show

2006-11-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

I spent last week exhibiting at the BAI Retail Delivery Show in Las Vegas. For those of you not familiar with BAI, it is the largest show in the financial industry which is focused entirely on technology designed to improve the customer experience at the retail branch level.

I’ve been to this show before and it is always interesting. You see everything from Check 21 systems to ATM’s and fraud detection systems. But this year, the growth of digital signage at the show was very interesting. The expected names in the industry were on hand but the thing that really grabbed my attention was the attempt by other product vendors to make an effort to consolidate digital signage technology into their products.

This was most visible among coin counting companies like CoinStar and Magner. Both showed up with an approach to digital signage yet each was very different. I had the opportunity to speak with the founder of Magner during the conference and he is making use of an existing software product from AdCue which controls his counting system as well as displays messaging during the wait time associated with counting the coins. I think this has value.

Magner took the path of least resistance. They simply mount a 32” LCD to the top of their coin machine and then AdCue integrates their software with that of Magner. I was not able to confirm if they connect the units to the internet on every installation but I assume that they push for it. AdCue functions much like our product and it is necessary to utilize the internet for media updates.

As for CoinStar, they went to the opposite end of the spectrum from Magner. While I’m not sure what software package they are using or if they wrote their own, what is clear is that they are serious about selling digital signage with their product. CoinStar fully integrated a screen into their coin machine.

Here is where I will admit my ignorance of coin counting machines. I have never even opened up the cabinet of a counter before. With that said, I feel confident that there are plenty of moving parts in there and it probably creates some heat and vibration. Unfortunately heat and vibration are both enemies of digital signage systems. That being the case, I have to assume CoinStar spent some time and money to develop a product that will be stable and reliable and that can’t be cheap. I guess time will tell as to whether they get their money out of the initiative.

Regardless of the true success of this approach, I find it very encouraging to see more and more vendors embracing digital signage as an augmentation to their product portfolio. If you have been reading my blog, you will remember my recent post about vending machine integration. To me this is very similar as it validates the strength of the digital signage within the retail space.

I expect to see many more attempts by myriad manufacturers over the course of 2007 to integrate digital signage software with their offerings in an effort to maximize the retail impact of their products as well as offer additional ROI opportunities.

As always, I will post those findings when I come across them.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Digital Signage: ABA Study Confirms Budget Growth

2006-11-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

A recent study published by the ABA (American Banking Association) definitively states that marketing budgets among community banks has been growing for the last few years. According to the study, budgets grew with in banks with less than $100 million in assets by 61.5% from 2003-2005.

As a company we are very involved in the financial industry and I have no problem believing the numbers quoted in the study. Now I need to find some numbers on what percentage of marketing budgets with in the space is being allocated to alternative media and digital signage in particluar. I am hoping the second part to Steve Platt's initial study released last month will give some insight to this. You can be sure I will post the new study (at least what I can) when it is released.

In the meantime, you can find the full ABA study here

Digital Signage: A Framework For A/V Contractors

2006-11-14T09:34:00.000-05:00

I came across a good article from Pro AV Magazine this morning which covers many of the issues involved in selling and fulfilling a digital signage project. As the article suggests, digital signage is cretainly a growing wave in the A/V world, but it still remains little understood.

I suppose that any technology in it's beginning stage should expect to have some confusion populated in the marketplace. It is not that we don't have knowledgable professionals working hard to ensure education of the market happens, but the speed with which changes are taking place within the digital signage industry. Our application has had 7 new releases in 2006 and we're expecting 2 more before the end of the year. The challenge of keeping just employees up to date on that type of change is daunting enough. Now take that example and multiply it by the mountain of competitors which exist or are entering the space and it becomes clear that the digital signage industry has it's hands full as we grow.

The good news is we don't have to look too far in the past to see examples of this scenario. I compare it to the telecommunications industry in the late 1990's. Back then, equipment and capabilities changed so quickly, it was possible to quote a solution one way and 3 weeks later have a totally different approach available for the same customer. Then the challenge became to determine which one best suited the requirements of the customer and deciding if the introduction of a new solution would add vvalue or cause confusion on the part of the customer. In the end, some telecommunications providers would suggest the newest solution and others would go with what they knew. It was very possible for an IT professional to face a decision to go with the newest (but unknown) or the standard (but possibly less effective) solution. The problem was, the decision they made also controlled their job stability.

I don't think Digital Signage has quite reached the now ubiquitous critical nature of internet connectivity and dial tone but I'm not sure we are far away from that. As more installations such as the one described in the Pro AV Magazine ( University of Tennessee's Football Hall of Fame) take place we may start to face the same issues on a bigger scale than they exist today.

Click here to find the article written by Mike White of Multimedia Solutions

Digital Signage: Equipment Plays Role In Exposure Growth

2006-11-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

An interesting article was published the other day by Automatic Merchandiser regarding the growing interest in digital signage among vending machine companies. To me this is a natural fit and I look forward to seeing it work.

But regardless of this initiative's long term success, the attempt by several manufacturers within the space is an initial validation that digital signage has a place in most any retailing experience.

The full article can be found here

Digital Signage: This Smells Big

2006-10-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

I'f you've ever walked down the aisle of a grocery store with a specific task in mind only to find yourself enamored by the smell of the pig in a blanket stand 2 rows over, you've experienced the power of the olfactory sense (smell) within a marketing program. Now it seems, some big names are taking the power of smell to the next level and some of them including digital signage.

Advertising Age published an interesting article this morning about the growing number of companies taking an aggressive approach at an age old tactic. One such company, called Smellavision (sorry, I couldn't find the link to this one) says they are going to 8,000 "scent delivery systems" in Kroger stores over the course of 2007. And if that isn't ambitious enough they've also named 2007 "The year of the scent" :).

Whether you take this approach seriously or not, the likes of Mars, P&G, Kraft and Pepsi Co. are giving it a sniff. Those brands do "stink" of enough cash that they would be able to support the introduction of such systems. It will be interesting to see if the scent of this one lingers or fades away like the smell of the last cold pig in a blanket from the sample stand.

The article in Ad Age can be found here

Digital Signage: Minicom Gets a Mighty Investment

2006-10-26T09:03:00.000-04:00

Anyone involved in digital signage knows that the flow of investment capital into the market is growing at a fever pitch. It seems that anyone with a decent bank account, or access to one, is starting up a business and putting their proverbial hat into the digital signage ring. Most of the investment news has centered on new product launches and new start-ups or, more recently, acquisitions. I guess some of these new products must have had some sticking power because some traditional players are raising money and ramping up development and sales efforts. Minicom is the latest.

Minicom is an Israeli company that has been around for many years. Their core product category has been in the Audio/Video space and it sounds like digital signage applications have been good to them so far. The company manufacturers equipment that helps to amplify and distribute video signal over CAT5 which greatly increases the viablity of digital signage applications where distances from the player to the screen(s) are greater than 50 feet.

With that solution in hand, as well as several other strong KVM products, Minicom went to Intel Capital and raised $7 Million in Venture Capital. The article from Globes Online does not specify if the investment will focus on digital signage products or the other areas of it's portfolio but I'm guessing the digital signage industry is playing into this move heavily.

Digital Signage: We're Snowballing Now

2006-10-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

The digital signage advertising model seems to have no limits. Companies have put them in bars, malls, bathrooms, and everywhere in between. Now comes along a company that has decided to put a bet on installing digital signage in the lift lines at ski resorts across North America and beyond. That company is called Sitour.

When I first saw this article I had no idea who Sitour was. It turns out that they are a multinational company involved in selling advertising at over 1,000 resorts in 14 countries. Wow. Oh yeah, they've been around since the 1960's too.

Now I've seen a lot of advertising models based on digital signage over the last few years (uhh umm, I'm guilty of trying it as well...) and most of them have failed or are floundering. If you've read my blog before, I have repeated the fatal flaw of advertising business models. That flaw in my opinion is lack of scale and reach offered by fragmented network operators. Without the scale of many hundred displays it is not possible to offer the reach required by large advertisers which is where the real money is. From the looks of Sitour, we may have a player beyond Walmart and Captivate Networks that can give some solidity to digital signage as an advertising medium.

For now I'm happy to sit on the sidelines and watch how the advertising model develops. I'm convinced it is here to stay but I do think further maturation is necessary before we see a true convergence. This is certainly a step in the right direction.

The article I came across on this subject was Media Life Magazine and can be found here.

Digital Signage: Statistics for Banks

2006-10-23T10:17:00.000-04:00

The most recent publication from the American Banking Association's "Marketing Journal" included an interesting article from the highly regarded Platt Institute about the use of digital signage within a branch.

The article itself lacked in specific measurements but was quite informative about the method which financial institutions should employ as they consider the implementation of a digital signage network. For those (like me) that have experience working with financial institutions the emphasis on method rather than hard numbers will not be a suprise. As the article suggests, each instution needs to develop their own specific agenda and execute their digital signage initiative according to that plan.

With the above said, I hope the next article published by the ABA in conjunction with the Platt Institute will have gone through the motions with several institutions on method and measurement. Although it is certainly a challenge to generate solid numbers from an industry that does it's best to sell "relationship" and not "product" like banks, I hope that as time passes the real numbers will start to graduate into the public forum.

You can find the ABA article here

Digital Signage: As Panel Prices Decline, Signage Shipments Increase

2006-10-20T09:48:00.000-04:00

According to a study released today by iSuppli, combined shipments of flat panel displays and digital signage are to increase at a CAGR rate of 3.6% through 2010 and produce revenue of 13 Billion. That number is up from 10.6 Billion in 2005.

The study goes on to project a continued decline in pricing for flat panels but does not make mention of price pressure for digital signage software applications. It does estimate that the market for digital signage applications will grow at a blazing 24.1% CAGR. A Compounded Annual Growth Rate of 24.1% over a 5 year period is phenomenal. I suppose we will need to wait and see what happens.

To find the full article, follow this link to DigiTimes.

Digital Signage: Impart "parts" From Advertising Model

2006-10-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

Impart Media Group released comments about anticipated 4th Quarter results early yesterday in a press release stating they have changed their business model. Impart had a heavy weight towards advertising revenue and had made a strong push to establish itself as a leading network operator of digital displays over the last 18 months.

If you look at Impart's 2nd Quarter results, it is easy to see why they have had a change of heart. Although revenue increased by $700,000, their net loss went from $161,00 for the first 6 months of 2005 to an incredible $5.9 million loss for the first 6 months of 2006. To be fair, it appears they made a few acquisitions along the way but let's face it, a cashflow negative company balloning their loss to 5.9 million over 6 months is a monster issue to face regardless of future revenue projections.

I believe the lesson to be learned here is that the advertising model demands that the cost of the equipment necessary to operate such a network must be absorbed by the customer who hosts the equipment. In otherwords, convince the venue of the value of the software for their need and then sell advertising as a way to offset the cost of the equipment and software. Unless the location has some "skin in the game" they will be reluctant to help with advertising sales, equipment upkeep and other issues that may arise.

If the value delivered is software first and advertising second, I believe the medium has a chance to proliferate at a much quicker pace.

Digital Signage: Let's Define & Measure not Measure and Compare

2006-10-16T11:11:00.000-04:00

If you've visited my blog in the past, you've probably come across an article or two about statistics. Statistical data is the key success factor to any form or media. It is what fuels value in the eye of the media buyer both within Fortune 500's and small Mom & Pop stores. Without a benchmark to reference, the successful sale of an advertising or marketing vehicle will be difficult at best.

Thankfully, the Digital Signage industry is now at the point of transitioning out of early adopter technology and into mainstream. With this progression, there have also been a flurry of statistical studies. Over the last 2 months alone it seems like the study of Digital Signage has really ramped up and it is very encouraging. The problem is, the industry can't seem to decide what is mainstream.

Is Digital Sigange an advertising tool which generates revenue from the sale of time on a network of screens? Is it a corporately controlled medium designed to push product at the right time and in the right location? Is it an interactive technology which executes a transaction itself? Is it a combination of all three? The answer is probably a little of each. But more important than coming up with one complete answer as to the targeted use for Digital Signage, I tend to think we need a set of measurements relative to our medium which will help both vendors and consumers to hash out useful applications.

The above soapbox type rant is a product of an article published this morning by Media Post. The article is a basic overview of the recent survey by BIGresearch entitled "Simultaneous Media Usage Survey". The survey is meant to be a representation of 'In-Store Media" and it's influence capability on consumers within a retail environment.

The study itself is very informative but I would be interested to know the metrics used to compare what they call "In-Store TV" as it compares to the other marketing vehicles included in the study which cover everything from "Product Sampling" to "Parking Lot" and Sidewalk Events". As our industry grows and large deployment implementation decision cycles acclerate, we are doing ourselves a disjustice to allow traditional metrics to control our medium's success.

In the end, we must respect the traditional statistics and work to understand how Digital Signage can best augment the reach of a customer message.

The article from Media Post I've referred to in this posting can be found here

Digital Signage- Statistics That Hit Home

2006-10-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have frequented my blog in the past you know that I have commented about digital signage statistics (or better said the lack there of). I am always interested to hear the findings of our fellow industry partners and encourage each to continue gathering data so digital signage can continue to move towards an accepted and measurable medium.

The success of media has always been reliant on measurement. Looking to traditional media, many a company has been formed to generate elaborate measuring schemes designed to determine the success or failure of a particular campaign. And although the viability of these measurements can be debated, each additional study furthers the strength of the measured medium. It appears that digital signage is finally being added to the measurements being made by third-party statistical houses.

In my recent post entitled “Neilsen completes measurement study”, I addressed the need for more third-party studies. I’m happy to post another report which was published by Arbitron and is much wider reaching than the information currently available from Neilsen. For those not familiar with Arbitron, they are a company with equivalent credibility to Neilsen when it comes to media measurements which help advertisers justify their investment in a particular medium.

I’ve listed what Arbitron calls “Significant Highlights” below but you can download the entire report for free here.

For those interested in more statistics, we’ve started another blog focused entirely on reports on the industry. We’ll keep that updated daily and be sure to post the big stories over here or at least reference our other blog articles.

Significant Highlights

One-third of Americans have watched in-store video. Thirty-three percent of consumers recall seeing video screens in a store--not counting sets for sale in the television department.

One in 10 shoppers make a habit out of watching retail video. Ten percent of consumers who have seen video screens in a store say they either always or frequently stop to watch. Another 32% sometimes stop to view video screens they pass in a store.

Most video programming viewed featured products sold in the store. Eighty-one percent of shoppers who have seen retail video say the programming focused on merchandise available in the store. Almost half (47%) recall learning about specials or sales from the video displays.

Over half of retail video viewers think more stores should install displays. Fifty-two percent of the cnsumers who have watched in-store video feel that more stores should run video programming.

More than three-quarters of retail video viewers find the screens helpful. Sixteen percent of the consumers who have seen video in a store feel the displays that feature product or sale information are very helpful, and another 62% find them somewhat helpful.

Close to 30% of retail video viewers have made an unplanned purchase. Twenty-nine percent of the consumers who have seen video in a store say they bought a product they were not planning on buying after seeing the product featured on the in-store video display.

If given a choice, 42% of retail video viewers would prefer to shop in a store that has video displays. Over 40% of consumers who have seen video in a store say that in the future they would choose to shop in a store with video screens versus one without.

Consumers are most insterested in video that focuses on store sales, product information, and special events. Eighty-one percent of all consumers, regardless whether they have already experienced in-store video, are most interested in seeing video programming for the store they are in--including sales and specials (81%), product information (72%) and special events (68%).

Young adults are interested in watching music videos while they shop. Seventy-two percent of consumers age 18-34 are interested in watching music videos on video screens in the stores where they shop.

Almost half of male shoppers are interested in sports news and scores. Forty-six percent of men are interested in getting sports updates from video screens while shopping.

More on the Ad Revenue Model

2006-10-04T09:56:00.000-04:00

There are many companies today making efforts to create a company based on selling advertising on digital signage networks. We receive frequent calls from prospective customers with high hopes for building signage networks. Unfortunately few of these companies achieve their goal.

In my opinion the model is viable yet premature at this point. It is a capital intensive project to start and has an extended ROI based on the ramp up time for both installing a decent network and getting traction with advertisers. To date most of the major brands have shyed away from digital signage for several obvious reasons. I've listed a few below:

1- Lack of scale- Major brands are not interested in purchasing time on 10 convenient store screens within a market. They want scale. By scale I mean penetration into the majority of MSA's (Metropolitan Statistical Area) in the USA or atleast the top markets. To reach this level is expensive and difficult to achieve unless you can convince a retailer like Kroger or Walmart to get on board. Luckily for the model, those two retailers are already testing the waters.

2- Fragmented ownership- I've seen advertising models where the ad company gives away equipment (PC, Screen, even internet connectivity) to 3rd party locations and then shares a portion of the ad revenue with that location. This is a precarious model depending on what type of location is being added to the network. As time goes by those operators tend to loose interest in protecting the equipment or helping out with a network issue. Possibly more important is they do not have the knowledge nor time to help trouble shoot an issue which can then prompt an expensive truck roll out to the location.

3- Lack of metrics- Although Digital Signage is becoming more popular for out of home advertising, the industry as a whole lacks defined metrics. In my recent post about Neilsen, I referenced a study completed by Neilsen which tracked performace of a network controlled by SignStorey and located in Albertson's. This study was a positive step in the right direction but the industry needs many more examples. Until recently most of the metrics published in the marketplace have been done by digital signage companies themselves and lack the power of 3rd party studies.

In addition to the above reasons, I suggest reading an article from the folks over at Networld Alliance. You can find that article here http://www.selfserviceworld.com/article_16268.php

Digital Signage: Information for A/V contractors

2006-09-29T15:19:00.000-04:00

The world of digital signage and Audi/Visual are so close sometimes it is scary. But even scarier is the miscommunication that can occur between solution vendors and the Audio/Video professional managing the actual implementation.

I don't think any A/V contractor would deny the opportunity that digital signage presents. In an age of declining equipment margins, the Audio/Visual world is more than happy to see another layered service which will fuel equipment sales and augment monthly service contracts. On paper, everything looks great.

In reality, there continues to be a void between an equipment solution and the fully managed digital signage solution which includes not only equipment but content creation, media asset management and software scheduling . Unlike a traditional A/V installation, the real work in a digital signage project starts AFTER the equipment is in place.

Below is a link from an article I came across at Canadian Technology News which does a great job of describing the digital signage market as it sits today as well as where it is projected to go over the next several years. This is a great article for A/V dealers and professionals to read because it speaks to channel partners rather than end users.

Digital Signage: Nielsen completes measurement study

2006-09-28T16:51:00.000-04:00

In the marketing world one of the age old challenges is measuring impact. Whether it is managing a network spot purchase or scheduling media to a network of digital displays, the impact can sometimes lie within the gray area. As a consequence, it is no suprise that one of the most often asked questions I hear is "Do you have statistics to back up digital signage?".

The answer to that question is of course yes. With hundreds of our Codigo systems installed across the US and abroad, we have done many studies in many different verticals. We do know that now just our system but digital signage in general can do wonders to boost sales and brand recognition when done right. Now comes the tricky part. Nearly all of the statistics we offer our customers as proof of impact are studies we have done and not a removed third party.

It is for this reason I am so pleased to see Neilsen get involved in measuring the impact of digital signage. I can only hope that we see more studies done by independent houses such as Neilsen and Arbitron over the coming months and years.

Below is a recent article from aka.tv which describes the Neilsen study.

Two Thirds Of Shoppers
Influenced By In-Store
Networks, Says Nielsen

Nielsen Media Research is finding out that digital signage does influence consumer behaviour.
The researcher – a prominent player in the measurement and assessment of traditional advertising, to which many agencies and ad-buyers look for media justification – recently conducted an examination of in-store media, specifically in the grocery sector.

In its first customized analysis of supermarket data as it relates to digital signage, Nielsen studied shoppers at Albertson’s and Pathmark, two U.S. grocery chains that utilize digital-signage technologies from SignStorey.

The researcher found that 68 percent of those surveyed said in-store messages would help sway their product-purchasing decisions. A further 44 percent said they would switch a product they previously intended to buy for one advertised.

Overall awareness of the in-store networks was close to 40 percent – a figure which included those who briefly glanced at the screens, as well as those who listened to messages or watched intently.

Many in the digital-signage business have called for formal studies such as Nielsen’s to provide the advertising community with the necessary metrics to determine the effectiveness of in-store digital networks.

Don Graves aka.tv staff

Digital Signage: When will Technology and Media truly converge?

2006-09-27T17:59:00.000-04:00

I came across an interesting article today from the folks over at signindustry.com entitled Digital Signage and Brand Building. The intriguing aspect of this article was Lynn's comments about the new found convergence of knowledge among both the tech folks that design and build the software that runs these great systems and the media people who use them day to day. Traditionally, digital signage companies have been primarily composed of people heavy on technology and light on application. This is in all actuality why I started my company 4 years ago.

This next part is not meant to be a shameless plug, it is simply true. Until recently we felt as if we were one of the few vendors in the industry to have a strong understanding of both media and software. Although I am reluctant to start relinquishing our claim to fame, Lynn points out that more and more digital signage companies are starting to hire the talent needed to truly understand the media mindset. I am pleased to see other companies start to put more weight on media. Ultimately this convergence will help fuel the ever growing rate of adoption for digital signage.

I hope you enjoy the article. Check back soon!

Digital Signage, sometimes called In-store TV or Digital Display Networks, is of critical importance to brand managers and retailers because of the new capabilities it brings to branding, their success and to the definition of their relationships with retailers and markets.

Digital Signage, sometimes called In-store TV or Digital Display Networks, is of critical importance to brand managers and retailers because of the new capabilities it brings to branding, their success and to the definition of their relationships with retailers and markets.
Branding and merchandising and other information in video, text or animation can be presented on electronic displays that might include multiple regions, each controlled by playlists that can present different content files every few seconds if need be. Digital Signage is not just a new “better than static signage” display capability that exploits the inherent economies and flexibility of “digital”, but is a dramatic shift in the business communications that underpins retailing.

It’s all in the branding

To brand is to gain a favored position with consumers for a product, service, experience or organization. Branding is to create revenues that are sustainable with positioning for greater growth at contained costs.

Not only can dominant brands stay in that position, but any advertising in the brand’s category supports the brand leader.

That is, unless the sale is made by a challenger. In-store profile offers an immediate opportunity to motivate the sale, and create a new customer in the best way that brand management can persuade.

This new “on-location” alternative display medium, presents a significant threat and opportunity to brand management because it is “outside-the box”. It changes display processes, improves display location and reduces the entry level of investment for consumer branding and sales activation spending. It heralds an enormous change in marketing communications a paradigm shift, or what the Harvard Business Review called a Blue Ocean Strategy in an October 2004 article.

Digital signage has emerged as an integration of technologies in response to the business need for lower cost, more reliable, more flexible, more cost-effective marketing communications. Early providers of digital signage (though this is changing) are not the people who deeply understand “audience”, “consumers” and “categories”, as brand managers do; but are those who can bring enabling tools that better business processes. It is a sharper tool for the hands of capable marketers.

Enabling technologies take hold when the value in using them exceeds their cost, and when the capabilities, cost and availability of component technologies can be effectively integrated. Digital signage has been at this point for several years, the greatest impact being the ongoing reduction in the cost of electronic displays. Digital signage is in the “killer app” category. It is a proposition so compelling that it heralds a widespread shift in business processes, supply chains, partner collaborations and the speed of transactions.

Leverage of technology

Technology advances have reduced the costs and improved the effectiveness of communications. This has occurred as the pace and critical nature of training, education, merchandising, branding and stakeholder communication have increased, and the need for investment effectiveness (ROI), and return on communications effort (ROCE) are under growing pressure. With its dynamic content, controlled playlists and day-parting, digital signage enables message targeting to preferred demographics at the point of choice, of consumption, where and while consumers shop at the “moment of truth”.
As such, Digital Signage approaches consumer communications differently much closer to a retailer’s way of thinking than that of brand thinkers, which interestingly is where brand thinkers try hard to be.

Successful brand managers stay very close to retailers. The partnership is essential to the brand because of the growing power of the retail location provider to impact the success of the brand.
In-store Digital Signage is like jet engines for retailers. When shelf space is allotted and stocked, and customers are in-store, digital display generates sales, increases basket size, improves the shopping experience and deepens the retailer’s relationship with the customer.

But the “moment of truth” is of greatest importance to the brand. It is the last three feet of the marketing plan, the point at which all planning, production, distribution and marketing dollars have been spent. At the moment of truth, revenue is achieved and a customer gained, or not. This moment of truth merits investment above all.

Digital Signage focuses on revenue acceleration in the retail environment using digital technology. So the management of organizations who make their money from consumer spending such as retailers, brand managers, ad agencies, marketing service providers, franchise and chain store operators, must look carefully at the competitive impact of Digital Signage. It will work for them or against them it is not neutral.

The great rewards are realized when all disciplines gather around the opportunity together including brands, creative, display owners, location providers, research, ad sales and technology providers. Because digital signage does something new, that is delivering dynamic images to the at-shopping experience, traditional approaches to creative, display, measurement and pricing are not adequate.

Communicating

The communications areas of marketing display, staff training and business collaboration have generally developed independent of each other (from both organizational and objective standpoints). But the common characteristics of these business communications applications are that:

1- Content originates from a single location.
2- This content is delivered to many (all) locations.
3- The minimizing of cost related to the downlink is very important in containing ongoing operating cost.
4- The communication is primarily display based, and can include an instructor or a spokesperson, as well as visuals such as video, static or animated graphics.
5- The content should compel a behavior. Whether training, education or merchandising, the intention is to motivate a behavior in the interest of the organization.

Digital Signage infrastructure can also be used for sponsored event private broadcast, instruction, staff training, subject-focus edutainment and business collaboration, therein providing multiple contributions to the development of the brand.

The customer experience and their relationship with both the brand and the shopping experience change when digital signage infrastructure is used for other communicating.
So long as there is production overcapacity and market opportunity, marketing that is cost-effective in achieving branding and merchandising goals is attractive, if not essential.
Patrons and staff can be trained through sponsored events and distance education. Customers can be acknowledged and entertained through private in-store broadcast. Locations and personnel can be merchandised and the distance between suppliers, management and staff can be reduced through business television.

Reaching people is the new domain of digital signage in supporting brand building.

Lyle Bunn is BTV+ Director, Digital Signage and Rich Media. He has published over 25 articles and Whitepapers on Digital Signage, presents at all primary Digital Signage events and is formerly Chair of the Education Committee, POPAI North America Digital Signage working group. . lbunn@canbtv.com

Back in the Game

2006-09-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

Captive Indoor Media has been humming along at an incredible clip the last few months and suffice it to say that I have completely neglected our blog. For those of you who do frequent our site for information, I apologize and promise a new found conviction for updating our blog on a consistent basis.

In the spirit of the above statement, I am going to start doing more to not only author articles on what I see taking place in the marketplace but to also post articles which are of value to our industry as a whole. One such article was recently published in Media Post and speaks to the broad acceptance digital signage is starting to enjoy.

For the last several years, digital signage has been at top of mind for many retailers but often the larger roll outs lagged behind and many of the RFP's never developed into full roll outs. I believe the 4th Quarter of 2006 will be the beggining of the true tipping point for digital signage and this article certainly backs that up.

Please enjoy the following article and be sure to check back soon. I will be posting as much as possible and at least once each week going forward.

Digital Ad Boom Shifting From Online To Out-Of-Home
by Joe Mandese, Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006 9:02 AM ET

THE HOTTEST FORM OF DIGITAL media on Madison Avenue isn't online. It's out-of-home. Digital out-of-home networks are popping up virtually everywhere: in stores, in theaters, in health clubs, in office buildings, and perhaps most importantly of all, on media planning flowcharts. The new networks, a subset of the outdoor media industry that is sometimes referred to as place-based television, are growing at a rate of about 10 new per month, according to a new report being released this week by marketing consultants Profitable Channels. The report estimates that the 700 digital out-of-home networks launched since 2002 will account for $1.2 billion in national ad spending this year, making it the size of a major network TV daypart.

"The 700 number is probably low," says Stephen Diorio, a partner at Profitable Channels, and the author of the report. "It's a lot like when all the dot.coms were coming out. Anyone with a venue and a good audience is launching something and calling it media."

In fact, digital out-of-home networks are popping up everywhere from high-rise elevators to gas station pumps to public rest rooms, creating new places and states of mind for marketers to reach their consumer and business prospects. The growth is being spurred by a combination of entrepreneurial zeal from venue operators looking to tap the fast-growing advertising sector, as well as from increasing demand form advertisers and agencies seeking alternatives to traditional media. Much of the growth is coming from retail-savvy marketers such as packaged goods companies seeking to get closer to where their consumers are making their purchase decisions, but it also is giving rise to new units within major ad agencies and media buying shops that have begun consolidating or integrating their out-of-home operations into new "shopper media" divisions.

"All the major agency networks - Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP - have established within their network 'centers of excellence' that are equipped to deal with the unique nature of planning this media," notes Diorio.

One of the key drivers influencing the growth of the new networks is their ability to deliver conventional sight, sound and motion advertising that big TV advertisers have grown accustomed to, as well as their ability to deliver an extremely relevant message to consumers at a decisive moment in their purchase cycle.

"A gas station isn't going to be the right venue for every advertiser, but for certain types of products - oil additives, etc. - they can be super highly relevant," says Diorio, who interviewed more than 50 senior marketing and media executives while researching the 700 networks covered in the report.

"It is one of the smallest segments, but it is also one of the fastest growing segments," concurs Leo Kivijarv, vice president-research at Stamford, CT-based PQ Media, which is planning a similar report on digital out-of-home networks. "Anecdotally, what we've heard is there is a difficulty selling this stuff to advertisers the first time, but once people try digital out-of-home, they are re-upping at a very high rate because they are seeing a stronger ROI."

Kivijarv says PQ looks at the market slightly differently, grouping the new digital outdoor billboards being rolled out by companies such as Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor in with digital video networks. And unlike Profitable Channels, it does not include cinema advertising in the category. However, if cinema advertising was combined with PQ's estimates for digital out-of-home networks, Kivijarv calculated that the total market would be about $725 million.

Profitable Channels estimates that cinema advertising currently accounts for about half of the digital out-of-home market in the U.S., but that in-store networks such as In-Store Broadcasting Network (IBN), Premiere Retail Networks (PRN), and Sign Storey represent its fastest growth and greatest reach potential. While cinema advertising networks currently available in the top 40 markets, they only have the potential to reach 32 percent of the U.S. population. In-store networks are currently only available in the top 25 markets, but Diorio estimates they have the potential to reach 93 percent of the U.S. population, making it a broader reach medium than the burgeoning mobile marketing sector.

The rapid growth of digital out-of-home networks has even spawned its own trade association - the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau, or OHVAB - which Diorio says is trying to bring some structure to the emerging marketplace the way the Interactive Advertising Bureau did for online advertising in the 1990s and the way the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau did for cable TV in the 1980s.

"I think we're at the tipping point," says Diorio. "This is a market that is poised to explode."
While Profitable Channels doesn't forecast the advertising market potential, PQ Media has begun to calculate the market's future growth, projecting that in-store advertising networks are growing at an annual rate of about 45 percent, while other alternative forms of digital out-of-home networks - gas stations, convenience stores and unconventional locations such as rest rooms - are growing at a rate of 15.2 percent per year.

Joe Mandese is Editor of MediaPost.

Screen placement for digital signage in the branch. What works best?

2006-06-15T10:54:00.000-04:00

Screen placement is a critical issue for any digital signage project implementation. Amazingly however, we’ve found it is sometimes overlooked by customers in the design stage This is especially common when an industry professional has not been involved in the initial phase.

Because of our recent experience changing poorly placed screens or replacing less than optimal video distribution environment, we suggest that there are 2 elements to screen placement of overwhelming importance in a branch implementation. The first is where and how your line forms. The second is general branch structure and layout.

The good news about screen placement is that most any area can be used to hang a screen. The mounting equipment available today is very flexible. From floor mounts and reticulating arms to ceiling and flush mounts, all are proven to last and look good. Additionally, there are several ways to distribute media from the player out to your screen(s). A good A/V company will be able to consult you on how to best get a quality image to your screen(s) and get past limitations such as distance and interference. With the help of a professional, it is possible to deliver quality media over everything from wireless VGA to CAT5.

An Initial study

In the Financial Industry, we generally deal with 3 types of digital signage installations. Those include: new construction, remodel and existing infrastructure. Each of these has their own unique considerations which should be studied before an install can take place.

When addressing either a remodel or existing infrastructure installation, you many have the luxury to conduct a site survey over a 3-4 week period. If this is possible, we strongly suggest it is done. During the course of the study, take notice of how lines form and where customers gather. Answer questions such as; does line formation change throughout the day or week? Does the line curl mainly to the right during lunch yet wrap around on the afternoon of paycheck Friday? Is there a brochure counter which designates how the line will form? Do customers mingle before and after a transaction? To gather this information, it often takes little more than patience. Stand in the back of the branch and get a clear vantage point. Then move to behind the teller counter then over to each corner. What direction does the line grow in? Does it split evenly around the brochure counter; grow left, right or straight back?

In new construction, we highly recommend talking to a design/build partner to help you map out the structure of your digital signage initiative. Our customers have had great success with their digital signage initiatives when they work with companies like Weber Marketing, DEI and Level 5. Professionals such as these will help you determine not only placement but full integration with your overall branch merchandising goals.

Branch structure/layout

Even with the help of creative mounts and knowledgeable professionals, there are still instances when the top choice for screen placement is not possible. . Some frequent barriers to placement are listed below:

Security cameras – Make sure your proposed screen will not block or cause security cameras to be moved.

Power – In any scenario, your screen will need a power source. This seems elementary but when a concrete exterior wall is involved or a floor mount needs power delivered via conduit below the floor, getting power to the screen quickly and in an aesthetical manner is not always easy to do.

Installation Costs – Distance between the player and the screen(s) often dictates much of an installation’s cost. Coupled with the example above (power), another common hurdle is the installation height of the screen. When distance between your ceiling and floor is greater than 14ft your installation team may need a special lift which can be costly.

Glare – Today’s screen technology is better than ever. Higher contrast ratio and greater brightness make screens clear and crisp. Still, ambient light from windows and skylights can create competition for any plasma or LCD. Because of this, it is important to take note of how light enters your branch throughout the day. If you screen is placed directly adjacent to a large window, visibility of your graphics will be reduced.

As a rule we suggest doing one simple thing to help ensure a successful placement. Visit each of your branches to do the site survey and during those visits, take a few photos of your branch from different parts of the building. Once you have those pictures, use a tool such as Photoshop or even PowerPoint to superimpose an image of a screen in the area you are considering. Going through this simple process often can bring to the forefront issues you had not considered initially.

Advertising and Compliance. Can't we all just get along?

2006-06-12T09:19:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to be able to post our fist guest article from our customer Republic Bank. Brian Waters, their VP of Compliance, was kind enough to cover some basic concerns of compliance as they relate to advertising in general. Going forward, my intention is to cover compliance issues as they relate to Digital Signage specifically. We are going to reach out to both current customers and industry experts to help us in our efforts. If you or someone you know would like to contribute to our efforts, please send your comments to me at brian@captiveindoormedia.com. Again, thanks to Brian Waters at Republic Bank and be sure to check back soon for more on compliance issues as they relate to Digital Signage in the branch.

Advertising and Compliance. Can't we all just get along?

Anyone who has tried to advertise a checking account or loan knows about the struggle that can ensue between trying to cover all of the federal requirements without turning the advertisement into a block of fine-point text. In truth, what needs to be said is often simple! Here are a few helpful hints for some common products.

It goes without saying, that any advertisement has to be accurate and not misleading. Also, be sure to avoid the use of the word “free” if there are any charges attached to the free service.

When advertising a checking or savings account, remember you have got to comply with the Truth in Savings Act. It sounds complicated, but it actually simple. As a rule, remember that any interest rate should be stated as the Annual Percentage Yield or APY and be sure to list the minimum balance to open the account. Also, if you have a bonus offer be sure to explain what your client need to do to qualify for that incentive. Finally, don’t forget to reference any penalties that may apply.

For consumer loans, be sure to check out the requirements found in the Truth in Lending Act. It clearly spells out the “triggering terms” that will require additional disclosures. It is important that you familiarize yourself with the triggers, because if your ad does not state them, you do not need additional disclosures! However, if you do trigger disclosures, you need to be sure to include the amount of down payment, the terms of how the loan will be repaid, and the Annual Percentage Rate. Finally, for mortgage loans, be sure to include the required Equal Housing Lending logo.

Advertising rules are fairly simple. They have been around for decades and rarely change. Just take a few minutes to embrace them and you can rest easy knowing you are in compliance without sacrificing the message you wanted your advertisement to convey!

Brian Waters,
VP, Compliance & BSA Officer
Republic Bank & Trust Company

ATM Advertising- Is it really so simple?

2006-05-11T08:39:00.000-04:00

The use of ATM’s for the purpose of one to one advertising has gained momentum of late. On paper it seems like a great idea but in reality it requires great care in planning before a full scale roll-out can take place.

The transaction at the ATM is unlike any other customer activity within a financial institution. When a customer approaches a machine, they are interested in speed. Anything which impedes the delivery of their transaction can be interpreted as an annoyance. And, if the delay is related to the advertising being displayed, it could very well thwart the return of that customer to not only your ATM but your institution. This is certainly not effective marketing.

Still, the marketing opportunity which is presented cannot be ignored. It is for this reason customers continue to ask us if we can integrate our software with ATM machines. To date the answer has been no and I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future. This is mainly because our system is built to distribute dynamic media. And, although our customers can and certainly do use still images on screens driven by our software, we like to see a heavier weight given to motion graphics. Today’s environment as it relates to ATM transactions simply does not allow this.

The bigger marketing opportunity appears to be the full integration of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) applications with ATM advertising. Under this scenario, the marketing message to be displayed would not be random but driven by the information delivered by the CRM application. Several of these types of products are starting to enter the market.

NCR is one manufacturer trying to make head-way with advertising on the ATM. Although I do no have hands on experience with the Aptra product from NCR, it appears to follow along the lines of what I am suggesting about integrating CRM with the ATM. In other words, don’t blindly push advertising to machines but make a product offers based on what you know of specific customer based on real time data. The value of this proposition has merit. There is a clear difference between “Ask us about our Home Equity Programs” and presenting a qualified customer with “You have been approved for a $10,000.00 Home Equity Line. Would you like one of our representatives to contact you?”

The systems that allow for this type of targeted messaging remain in relative infancy. I think it will be interesting to see how they develop over the course of 2006 and subsequent years.

Should You Use Television In Your Branch?

2006-05-01T12:50:00.000-04:00

Should you use television in your branch?

Over the past couple of months the integration of television in the branch has been a hot topic. So hot in fact that we have begun development of an enhancement which will allow our customers to control when T.V. is displayed, the duration it is displayed and even the channel that is on the screen. Better still, this control will be available through our web portal. But this feature was not added without careful consideration of both our application and the effect this ability might have on the impact of marketing oriented media at the branch level. There were several large concerns, but the biggest ones fell into three categories; Competitive brand intrusion, effectiveness and control.

1- Competition- The unfortunate reality of television is that the advertising displayed during normal program breaks cannot be controlled by the user. In other words, there is no way to select that your competitors advertising does not display in your branch. This is something each customer will need to confront when deciding on the use of television. The only way around this is to purchase custom produced content which is available but very expensive.

2- Effectiveness- The vast majority of our customers (90%+) do not employ sound during branch hours. This poses a problem because T.V. by nature is very dependent on audio. And, although closed caption can certainly mitigate the confusion created by displaying television without sound, it is still is not as effective as intended.

3- Control- I have visited many a branch only to see Oprah being played on the screens in the branch when a news oriented channel like CNN or CNBC was intended. Without a method to control the channel at the corporate level, there is very little that can be done to ensure the channel your management has selected to play is actually being used.

Television integration and use in the branch is something we will most likely not be able to avoid in totality. Special situations such as severe weather storms, pressing news or sporting events will always be requested by customers. So, for those financial institutions which choose to use television in the branch, the critical detail is choosing a system that allows you to control, to the best of your ability, when, what and how often television is used. This control should help you control the frequency of competitive intrusion and help limit any drain on effectiveness.

With the above in mind, we have set out to build a feature in our application which will allow our customers to have this control. Through our web based interface it will be possible to schedule what plays on an individual screen or a group of screens based on various time/date parameters.

This feature will be available in August 2006 and we hope it will add control to the use of television in the branch. To learn more about this feature, please call your sales representative at 502-896-0947.

Content is King- Create and Schedule Media that Will Make an Impact

2006-03-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

In the marketing world, presenting a unique and interesting message is critical to producing a positive result. Would be customers are bombarded with messages at an astounding rate and advertising, in any format, is often seen as clutter. With so many factors that play into Digital Signage, how can you ensure that your content stands out from the “clutter” today’s media presents?

Understand your Content Mix

Digital Signage can be used to distribute a limitless number of content types. Everything from live TV feeds to interactive kiosk applications populate screens. But in the Financial Industry, we find the most often used content types are as follows:

· Promotional Content- Represents specific products and service offerings.
· Entertainment Content- This might include live television, news feeds, stock tickers, trivia, famous quotes, riddles, local weather forecast etc.
· Community Events- Philanthropic involvement, local sports team affiliation, company awards, customer recognition and employee recognition to name a few.
· Training- This information could range from a previously recorded video on Cross Selling to a live video conference feed from the CEO to the branch employee or even a Training Manager addressing compliance issues.

Understand your Goals

With the types of content defined into the four categories listed above, it is now just as important to understand how each of those content types can contribute to the objectives of the institution. Below is the short list of goals our customers say Digital Signage can help them achieve and the correlation each has with specific content types.

· Lower perceived wait time.
· Increase product sales.
· Strengthen the brand.
· Promote goodwill.
· Lower training costs while increasing frequency of contact with front line employees.

As might be expected, content types and business goals are nearly identical. It is important to point out, however, that the right content mix contributes greatly to the successful attainment of each business goal. It is also necessary to recognize that goals may fluctuate from day to day and even from hour to hour. Considering the following 3 scenarios:

Paycheck Friday

Your branch is filled with customers from 1-5 and they come in waves. At certain times, you may have people in line for 10-15 minutes with the equivalent queue in the drive-thru lanes. Now is the perfect time to push product right?

The answer is yes but in moderation. We suggest a 60/40 mix of entertainment to branding and product content with the length of the loop as near as possible to the specific wait time during each event. In other words, if you have a 10 minute wait in your branch lobby line, mix in 6 minutes of content which concentrates on Goodwill, Community Events and general entertainment (trivia etc.) and use 4 minutes for your product promotions. By taking the edge off of the effort to sell product, you will have better success retaining the attention of the customer in line and ultimately make more impact when your product message is displayed.

Midweek Afternoon

It is Thursday afternoon and some of your commercial accounts are visiting the branch to make deposits. Your teller line is approximately 2-4 minutes in length and you know your customers are in a hurry. They are all in a hurry. Now is the right time to lower perceived wait time and impact the experience of your best customer’s right?

Not really. Small business owners have one thing on their mind- their business. Although the elimination of entertainment content is not recommended, a higher percentage of product content focused closely to this demographics needs is crucial. Again, it is important to consider the length of the loop as it pertains to the wait line in the branch. We like to suggest a mix of 70/30 product content to entertainment media in these scenarios.

Early Morning

It is Tuesday morning and you have a low number of customers in the lobby. Most of them are long standing clients that your tellers know by name and they are typically from the Baby Boomer Generation.

These customers like personal interaction and they place high importance on feeling good about the relationship they have with their financial institution. This is a great time to reinforce brand image and promote the goodwill events your institution supports. Make sure that the right product is interspersed with your goodwill campaign messaging and make the best effort to enhance cross sell opportunity.

The Basic Keys to Success

Keep it fresh:

No matter what make up your content ultimately takes, the single most important aspect to employing impact media is your ability to regularly update messages. As the previous scenarios represent, Digital Signage allows for the display of pertinent media based on time of day and location. Be sure you have the budget to allocate towards the consistent creation of new media and that you choose a vendor who supplies you relevant media on a continuous basis.

Flexibility:

Ensure the Digital Signage system you are employing allows you full access to change media when and how you want. If you have very complex scheduling requirements, be sure your vendor meets those demands without great expense or time commitment.

Continual Review:

Digital Signage is a powerful marketing tool and carries a significant investment to deploy. Once installed, it is important to continually review the success of your media plan as it relates to your business goals. There is no exact science which can be used to ensure performance but through constant review of branch statistics and content choice, the opportunity for improvement can certainly be narrowed.

Is Branch Growth The Answer to Deposit Growth?

2006-03-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

When it comes to growing market share in the financial world, most institutions will say they plan to increase their scope through adding branches. And, if you look on any street corner on the main drag of any city across the United States, you will find most are populated with a bank. So with all the branch building going on, is it justifiable to make the assumption that location remains to be the single most important facet of successful growth?

According to the March issue of the ABA Banking Journal’s Community Bank Competitiveness Survey, 7 out of 10 banks have either built or renovated at least one branch within the last 5 years. Yet those same institutions that are building and renovating also agree that their markets are overbranched. In today’s hyper competitive environment, it should be expected to have a competitor and possibly multiple competitors just across the street from your branch. So the question must be; how do you differentiate your brand from the one across the street while at the same time defending margin and refraining from leading the relationship with an attractive but fickle product such as a CD? We believe the answer lies in customer retention and maximizing the sales opportunity the first 60 days of a customer relationship presents. With a solid branch retail campaign in place, Digital Signage can help augment these efforts.

Consider the following statistics for digital signage:

· Customers are 5-10 times more likely to notice dynamic signs over traditional static POP signage
· Customers are 2-5 times more likely to retain the information they see on the display(s)
· Financial customers have experienced a 10-15% increase in product inquiries after the installation of digital signage.

There are more statistics that populate digital signage reports as they relate to increasing sales but I believe these are the key indicators for the financial industry. They are of high importance because of the impact these figures suggest Digital Signage can have on cross sell success. Ultimately, if customers in the branch are more likely to notice, remember and inquire about the information on the display(s), the opportunity to penetrate a customer account with multiple products increases.

Digital Signage is certainly not the cure for all cross sell and retention challenges but if integrated with a well rounded plan, it can definitely contribute to the overall strategy and long term success of the branch campaign.

The facts about Contrast Ratio from the Pro's

2006-03-16T07:53:00.000-05:00

After making my post yesterday regarding LCD & Plasma technology, I came a cross an interesting article in the most recent copy of Sound and Video Contractor. The article talks about the industry race to continually increase contrast ratio without putting due attention to gray scale performance. For the true A/V enthusiast, you may want to view the article and read it directly from the professionals at SVC.

LCD vs Plasma- What works best for your institution?

2006-03-15T16:58:00.000-05:00

In the world of Digital Signage, the debate over Plasma or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) continues to rage among prospective and current customers. But to more knowledgeable professionals in the industry, there are clear lines on when and how to use each of these technologies.

A Burning Question

Plasma technology is plagued with a bad reputation that, frankly, is exaggerated. Yes, it is correct that plasma screens have traditionally been susceptible to what is now infamously referred to as “burn-in”. Burn in is essentially the possibility that images can become permanently visible on the screen after long periods of display This typically happens when static images are continuously shown over a long period of time. It also can occur when items such as a “news ticker” are extensively displayed at in a portion of the screen as is common with many digital signage applications.

The good news is that burn in can be limited and nearly eliminated if the panel is used judiciously. Some simple fine tuning can go a long way to prolong the life of any plasma screen. By lowering contrast levels and brightness, rotating static images and ensuring playlists have plenty of full motion graphics; the potential for burn can be greatly reduced.

LCD panels have a distinct advantage when it comes to burn. It simply does not exist with LCD technology.

Performance

Plasma displays outperform LCD’s in many areas which can be of high importance in digital signage. Most notable of these is what the industry refers to as “Contrast Ratio”. Contrast Ratio is the difference between the blackest black and the whitest white which can be produced on a screen. The greater the difference between the two, the clearer the images will be. LCD’s have traditionally fallen short in this area. To put things in perspective, I will recount a typical equipment specification for any Captive Indoor Media customer.

We like LG equipment and use it in most every customer installation. For Plasma screens, we commonly use a Commercial Grade HDTV with a 10,000:1 Contrast ratio and Brightness levels of 1500cd/m². For LCD’s, we also suggest HDTV enabled panels yet the contrast ratio is only 400:1 with maximum brightness of 450cd/m². To boil things down, contrast ratio and brightness effect viewing angle, clarity of images and ultimately the effectiveness of the media being displayed. And, as is clear from the manufacturer listed specifications, Plasma continues to out pace LCD in image clarity and brightness.

With the above said, I would be remiss if I did not mention that LCD technology is rapidly catching up to Plasma. In fact, 2005 was the first year that LCD shipments exceeded Plasma display sales.

Life Expectancy

As it stands today, Plasma and LCD displays can be expected to last approximately 50,000 hours. This was not the case just a few years ago when Plasma was expected to last closer to 30,000 hours.

In a branch scenario, where business hours typically do not extend beyond 45 hours, a 50,000 hour life expectancy equates to over 20 years. Reality would suggest that 20 years is a high expectation but more important is that both LCD and Plasma are mature technologies. Both can be expected to perform for many years.

The Price

Until recently, there were clear price advantages for both LCD and Plasma as it related to the size of the screen. LCD screens have traditionally been the dominant technology in the smaller sizes while Plasma has been most successful in the 37”+ market. For the most part, this remains true today although LCD’s are competing heavily for a share of the larger screen marketplace.

The Decision

When everything gets boiled down, we typically turn to the size of the area available for the screen, the size of the location and the budget of the customer to help us create the best equipment solution. Frankly we use both technologies with regularity although Plasma remains the most popular, mainly for the performance in the larger screen models.

Today, financial institutions are building bigger branches with more space for customers to gather. Common sense dictates that the larger the screen is, the more visible it will be to the audience and the better the impact it will have.

Digital Signage - An Untapped Opportunity for Ad Agencies

2006-03-04T09:08:00.000-05:00

Media buying pros are a great value to community banks wanting to make efficient use of their advertising budget. In a recent ABA Marketing Journal article entitled “Say ‘Buy-Buy’ to Media Buying Woes!” Deborah Cover-Lewis, owner of Media Vision details the value of hiring a media buying professional. After reading this and drawing on my own experiences working with ad agencies I wrote the following article.

This article is intended to

· Recognize that most media buying companies in the market today are not actively recommending digital signage as part of their customer’s marketing strategy.
· Outline how incorporating digital signage would benefit both their agency and their customers.
· Suggest tips on getting started.

Advertising agencies have not caught on yet.Digital signage is obviously a point of decision merchandising technique and would be best compared to print/ship/hang static “in lobby” advertising. Media buying companies traditionally focus on getting customers into the bank through newspaper, TV, Radio and direct mail but are often times responsible for the entire merchandising campaign for the bank. Most agencies are in position and have the expertise to guide the bank to a successful digital signage campaign but usually default to static signage. Why is that?

Digital signage is relatively new as compared to printed in store merchandising. Ad agencies have developed relationships over time with printing companies and have a comfort zone with the process. They know the order and fulfillment process, their margin and it is what they have always done. Considering that there are only a handful of digital signage companies specializing in digital signage it is understandable why this hasn’t caught on yet.

Digital signage is complex. It involves expertise in a unique combination of audio visual, software, networking and graphic design. Confusion says no. How can an advertising agency or other media buying company get through a learning curve like that and succeed?

How can digital signage benefit my agency? What’s in it for me?
Digital signage is simply another medium to display the expertise and work of an ad agency. In most cases, there is a software component that allows the marketing department to upload content to a hosted library. Once uploaded, the media can be scheduled/distributed to desired screens at the desired times remotely. It is at this point that ad agencies can provide the most value to their client and be compensated for it.

In the aforementioned article there is a paragraph entitled “Use a rifle not a shotgun” which describes the expertise of a media buyer to determine the target audience. So, who better than an ad agency to guide the bank as to which media plays on the screens and at which times? If an ad agency creates content and/or brokers the content creation, determines the target market for specific branch locations, and helps determine brand strategy; doesn’t it make sense to leverage that work into a dynamic eye catching medium that is displayed daily to a captive audience of decision makers at the branch level where 96% of all core banking products are purchased? (ABA Marketing Journal/August 2005)

Another enormous benefit to the ad agency is having the right tool to run a promotion instantly and affordably. In another article written by this author entitled Digital Signage: A Dynamic Strategy for Credit Unions and Community Banks the advantages of running instant campaigns through digital signage are outlined.

How can I get started?
The first step is finding a vendor you can partner with. The good news is that you do not have to be an expert at digital signage. The key is finding the right partner that you can trust to demonstrate their product directly to your client, make the appropriate needs assessment and deliver a quality service without violating the protocol set forth by your agreement with the bank. The following questions will help you get started.

Can my client monitor and schedule media to multiple locations remotely?
Can the vendor buy and install the equipment?
Can my client upload media our ad agency created without an additional charge?
Does the vendor create media at an affordable price and is there a revenue opportunity for our agency?
Can I keep my client’s logo/brand prominent in the media displayed?
How much time will my staff have to invest in a digital signage campaign?
How much will training cost?
Will the system eat up my client’s available bandwidth?
Can my client buy the PC?
Can my client use existing display screens?
Will my client be charged annual maintenance fees on the equipment?
Can my client get access to local news, weather etc?
Do you have a revenue sharing plan? Does it include recurring revenues?

Another great resource for getting started is an article written by Brian Nutt, President of Captive Indoor Media entitled Tips for a Successful Digital Signage Deployment .

Media buying professionals are in position to add an enormous amount of value to their bank clients through digital signage. The expertise and work already accomplished by an agency can be leveraged into one of the fastest growing marketing strategies today.

About the Author: Greg Barrett, Director of Business Development, Captive Indoor Media.

Tips for a Successful Digital Signage Deployment

2006-03-03T09:21:00.000-05:00

Over the past several weeks I’ve put some serious thought into how to make the most efficient use of our sales efforts. Many times when we call potential customers, they do not recognize what we mean when we say “Digital Signage”. With that in mind, I’ve boiled things down to one major area that would help not only Captive Indoor Media but our industry. That area is education.

The reality of Digital Signage is it can be confusing. To the unknowing, implementing a network can appear so large, it is hard to know where to begin. Personally, I like to keep things simple. And, for those who know me well, they will recognize an expression that I often use. That expression is “Confusion says No.” Part of what we are trying to do with this Blog is limit the confusion which persists in our space by post interesting and educational articles as they relate to our technology and both it’s proven success and potential success. The best way to get started seems to be a list of the items we feel are paramount to a successful deployment of any Digital Signage Project.

For the purpose of this posting I am going to list each point with a brief description and follow up to each one in detail with future postings. I am also going to assume our readers have an understanding of what Digital Signage is. Keep checking back for more information as it relates to evaluating both product and process for Digital Signage.

1 - A Plan- This sounds elementary but it continues to surprise me how many of our customers come to us looking for digital signage because of the “me too” factor. In other words XYZ Bank or Credit Union has it so “I want it too.” The unfortunate reality of a Digital Signage project is it typically involves many departments within an organization and requires careful planning and therefore role allocation within the company before installations can begin. Some key components of the plan as we see it are:

· Marketing Project Manager- Manages the media plan for the system.

· Technical Project Manager- Manages the security and technical system design.

· Facilities- Ensures proper wiring and validates construction elements for each location.

· ROI Team- ROI for a Digital Signage project within a Financial Institution can cover several departments from HR to Marketing. It is important to define the objectives of your deployment before moving forward with a system.

2 - Player Equipment- The equipment used to store and play media in a Digital Signage Network is the biggest contributor to system downtime. It is critical to consult with your software vendor to confirm what hardware will optimize media performance and system uptime. I recently read an article on tech builder which did a great job describing hardware as well as some of the other facets involved in Digital Signage.

3 - Content- We preach heavily about content at Captive Indoor Media and we have the team in place here to help our customers design and implement the best media for their retail situation. The success of a Digital Signage project is ultimately determined by the content presented to customers so it is paramount to take great care to craft the right message for the medium. Repurposing existing content does not work in most situations. Our medium is visual and often lacks sound which makes experience in creating content specifically for a screen critical.

Beyond the quality of the content being displayed, the mix of entertainment to product promotion must be addressed as well. We like to suggest a 60/40 ratio of entertainment to product with a constant News ticker in the bottom or top portion of the screen. With that said, there is no sure fire solution and each institution should experiment with what grabs and holds the attention of their customer base best.

4 - Software- As the Digital Signage Industry continues to boom, more and more products are populating the marketplace. Products such as Scala, and Clarity combine both content creation and scheduling into one system while others like our platform Codigo stick to producing a software scheduling component and rely on existing design programs such as Macromedia Flash and Swish to create content.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like to keep things simple and our product reflects this. Our system is not a one to one comparison to Scala or Clarity which both have some really neat features but also require a steep learning curve to master. My point is there are some great programs in the marketplace and it is critical to define your objectives which will help you set the roles within your organization and ultimately define your abilities and requirements when it comes time to review systems.

5 - Budget- The expense of a solid Digital Signage network spans beyond the capital requirement for PC’s, Software, Displays, initial content design and Installation. For long term success, constant review is required by internal resources and continual revisions to content creation and scheduling are requirements.

6 - Benchmark for Success- This refers back to point #1 and should be part of the objective definition period. The key is to know why you are installing the network in the first place. Is it purely sales uplift? If so, do you have the internal process in place to track sales as it relates to the media on the screen? Are you interested in lowering perceived wait time too? Do you have a large number of branches in extended parts of the region or country which could benefit from training integration via Digital Signage? Do you need interactivity?

7 - Remote Management- Codigo is a purely web based product and we like it that way. I’d suggest you read my previous posting on February 15^th which talks about purchasing software as a service rather than buying outright and tasking your IT department to manage a complex system. With Codigo and others which take a similar approach, all you need to get up and running is an internet connection at the branch and an outlet for power supply. From there, the user can access all of their media files on the web as well as execute full scheduling capability.

8 - Scheduling control- In retail environments, different customers shop at different times of the day. Banking in particular has unique traffic patterns which typically can be defined based on location. With this in mind, it is important to discern the scheduling capabilities within different software programs. Our system allows for full day part differentiation with recurring settings so users can have specific media playing on certain days/times and not on others. On the other hand, some systems do not allow this flexibility at all but may suit the requirements of the customer better than Codigo.

The above are but a few of the components to both the initial and long term success of any digital signage project. Check back soon for more on each of them.

“Digital Signage - A Dynamic Strategy for credit unions and community banks”

2006-02-21T09:05:00.000-05:00

A suggested reading for marketing executives or CEO’s of community financial institutions is the BAI’s whitepaper - Competition, Innovation, and Strategy in the Financial Services Industry. As a digital signage provider reading the article I felt incumbent to post the article along with commentary to demonstrate how digital signage applies. In my experience, when a financial institution chooses digital signage as a marketing strategy, speed to market is consistently one of the top reasons.

The whitepaper delivers a clear message that today’s financial institution must develop strategies that allow for rapid changes in the environment. A distinct line was drawn between traditional strategies and suggested dynamic strategies.

Digital signage gives the financial institution the ability to instantly run a promotion on a product or service. As banks continue to function in a hyper competitive marketplace, (especially in a small community environment) the ability to introduce new niche products or services is critical. The article underscores the ongoing 20 year product innovation boom and indicates that a bank should always assume there will be new niche products popping up. The key is to acquire resources that can deploy those initiatives before the competition. Digital Signage positions a bank to do just that in a quick and affordable way.

Traditional banking strategies present special challenges in terms of personnel and culture as well. Financial institutions do not attract innovative individuals seeking change. Couple this fact with the heavy training burden and a dynamic strategy begins to become an impossible directive.

Front line employees are expected to handle transactions accurately, prevent fraud and comply with a large number of regulations. In addition, Financial Institutions ask them to consistently learn new products and seek a larger share of wallet which becomes a daunting task. The BAI whitepaper Front-line Challenges indicates that the top 3 challenges are sales skills, sales training and activity tracking. Other challenges include balancing sales, service and transaction duties.

Digital signage becomes an incredible assistant to the front line employee by prompting customers to ask questions about products making the cross sell exponentially easier and less time consuming. In fact, the Strategy Institute indicates that digital signage receives 10 times the eye contact of static signage and boosts sales of profiled products by 30%!

Now consider the ability to leverage the digital signage system into an employee facing training display. If there is a new regulation, process or product offering that requires training it is now possible to instantly distribute that information companywide. This ability paves the way for a quicker deployment which translates to a competitive advantage with a clear ROI calculation.

The ability of financial institutions to quickly distribute a new product or service to market and train front line employees can be facilitated by the right digital signage partner. Captive Indoor Media creates custom content and supplies its customers with a web based scheduling tool that allows for instant updates. Banks have the flexibility to schedule media long in advance or update their displays instantly and remotely at no cost.

If employing a dynamic strategy is important in today’s financial services industry, digital signage has to be a tool used in the equation.

Author: Greg Barrett - Director of Business Development - Captive Indoor Media
502-896-0947 or greg@captiveindoormedia.com

A suggested reading for CEO's and Marketing Executives

2006-02-20T10:27:00.000-05:00

"Competition, Innovation, and Strategy
in the Financial Services Industry"

www.bai.org/competition

Should your bank employ Digital Signage in the Drive-thru?

2006-02-19T16:37:00.000-05:00

In today’s fast paced business environment, financial institutions are finding that many of their banking centers service a growing number of their customers in the drive-thru lane. In fact, a July 2005 article in the ABA Marketing Journal states that over 40% of customer branch visits now take place in the drive thru.

Consider the following:

· On average, the transaction time of a drive thru visit is 2-4 minutes.
· Drive-thru traffic is at it’s highest during lunch hours and shortly before closing when teller availability is often thinnest.
· Drive-thru customers are typically short on time and at a distance from the teller.
· Tellers often manage multiple transactions simultaneously.

All of these attributes contribute to a less effective teller/customer transaction and therefore diminished opportunity for the teller to address the cross sell. With this in mind, we have found great success when our customers integrate our digital signage system in the drive-thru. As with many digital signage products in the marketplace, Codigo can be easily plugged directly into most any drive thru system without great expense. As a company we have the most experience with Diebold but these systems can typically accommodate another composite connection without much trouble.

Once installed, the financial institution can now start to communicate effectively with their customer base about products and services which otherwise would not be presented. If done well, digital signage can drive customers into the branch where more profitable core product purchasing decisions are made. It is therefore critical that financial institutions address the drive thru marketing opportunity. Those which choose not to will surely lose business to more savvy competitors.

If you would like to learn more about how to implement a digital signage solution in the drive-thru, please contact us directly at sales@captiveindoormedia.com or by phone at 1-502-896-0947 to set up a no obligation consultation.

Digital Signage as a Service. What works best for your company?

2006-02-15T19:58:00.000-05:00

Today when most people think of buying software, they visualize a product delivered on a CD-ROM in a colorful yet oversized box. Along with the box comes the confusion of installing software to a desk top themselves and the realization that what they are buying will be outdated in 2 years. It is an accepted fact of using software, no matter how inconvenient it might be for the consumer.

Application Service Providers or ASP’s as they are commonly known in the software world, are pushing rapidly towards changing this mentality. These providers use the internet to deliver their software as a service to their customers. By utilizing this approach, these providers can offer customers their product without the expense or complication of traditional software applications. No longer is it necessary to purchase an application outright.

To the unsophisticated user, the ASP model may seem complex and strange but the reality is people have been using forms of the ASP for centuries. A Utility is a classic example of an Internet ASP. In this instance, it would be possible for individuals to produce power but the high cost of doing so makes doing so a poor option. And, even if a business or individual did choose to produce power, they certainly could not do it for 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to purchase power from the regional utility which can spread the high capital cost of the power plant across all of its customers. By doing this, the customer gets a high quality product at a reasonable cost and with the comfort that all future improvements will be passed on to them as part of their monthly fee.

The same basic structure applies to the software ASP. Customers can hold down their costs by utilizing the intellectual power and expertise of a software company without tying themselves down to an inflexible contract. In addition to this simple truth, there are several other advantages to an ASP product. Although this article is not suited for an in-depth overview of all of the benefits of an ASP application, below are some many agree are the most far reaching.

1- Pay as you go. The majority of Application Service Providers charge for their service on a monthly basis rather than incorporating a high upfront fee. This low cost of entry is a huge benefit to small business. It can often mean the difference between affording a necessary application or falling behind a competitor.
2- No ownership. The ASP owns and operates the software and essentially “leases” it to customers. This is fundamental difference between the ASP model and traditional software. Through this approach, the customer need not be concerned with future upgrades and the equipment costs associated with them. There is no expensive server equipment for customers to purchase so most ASP vendors can upgrade their product without customers knowing until they log in for their next use.
3- More Features Faster and Cleaner- Because ASP vendors control both the application and the equipment the application rides on, they can do updates to their application much quicker. This means more product upgrades over the course of the contract as well as cleaner software delivery. In other words, the code behind the application has fewer bugs because work is released in smaller chunks. And, when bugs are identified, they can be fixed quickly because the developers know which smaller projects the problems are related to. This negates the necessity of sifting through huge libraries of code as is customary with the larger releases associated with traditional software products.
4- Quick Implementation- The majority of ASP providers only need an internet browser to function. Because of this, implementation of software often involves no more than a client machine and some manipulation of internet configuration settings. In addition, the upkeep of the system is usually managed by the software vendor. This frees up internal customer resources to do tasks more focused on their core business objectives.
5- Try before you Buy- ASP Customers can often install a trial copy of a software product easily and without any upfront cost associated. This gives customers a confidence otherwise not available with purchasing traditional software. Not only can the end user become comfortable with the program, but company management can get a true feel for what the application will do for their company without the expense of a full installation.

The future of the ASP model is bright and continues to grow among companies both large and small. The benefits cover important issues each business should consider as they embark on a software purchase which will affect their company procedures. By doing so, the ASP model may be the solution you are seeking. With its low cost of entry, ease of management and unrivaled quality improvements, the ASP is certain to be around for many years to come.

About the Author: Brian Nutt has 15 years of experience in technology and entrepreneurship. He the Founder and President of Captive Indoor Media, and the architect of Codigo, their proprietary Digital Signage Software application.