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Digital Signage |
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Digital signage is rapidly evolving into a Convergence of information technology, electronic displays and media is enabling new forms of communication – that is both targeted and timely – for use within public and private areas. Locations conducive to digital signage are places where audiences congregate for short or long periods, as well as corridors or spaces where temporary viewing of content informs or can be beneficial in some way. Large display LCD and plasma screens have become affordable and are no longer cost prohibitive. As prices continue to decline and screen sizes increase, image quality is improving further. Next-generation screen technologies such as organic-luminescent and others offer promising display capabilities that are 'thin as paper', and may allow displays to wrap around objects. Digital signage display screens can be divided into separate panes of varying size, allowing simultaneous display of different and/or complimentary content on the same screen. One section might display video clips, while others contain photographs, graphics, logos or text. Customized information or data can be updated though network feeds for instantaneous display. Touch-screen capabilities can provide menu selections, allowing viewers to access and display specific content. Multiple displays can be integrated into addressable networks – within departments, rooms, separate buildings, or store locations – and can be geographically dispersed across a corporate campus, town, state, region or around the globe. Network management software allows centralized control of a few to hundreds of displays. Information targeted for specific displays can be routed to those selected. Remotely monitoring networked displays is important. Some software can interrogate displays and alert personnell to quickly rectify a problem.
Applications for digital signage are numerous. The obvious include retail venues such as: store and restaurant chains, shopping malls, movie theatres and banks. Most airports have long deployed digital signage at boarding gates. Hotels and convention centers use displays for announcements, branding, promotions and directional signage. Commercial applications include:
Fragmentation of traditional advertising. A driving force influencing the use of digital signage is the necessity to deliver communication more efficiently and with greater accuracy than many forms of traditional media. There are over 500 television channels and 2000 radio stations in the U.S., along with over 9000 daily and weekly newspapers. Mass media advertising in broadcast and print forms are eroding. People desire news, meaningful information and entertainment – but most don’t want intrusive ads. Increasingly, people are spending more time on-line, while audio listening is occurring through PC speakers, portable digital players and disc playback in vehicles. Digital video recorders can capture television programming 24/7 – and allow viewers to skip commercials entirely during playback. If you’ve ever measured the actual 'talk-dialogue' occurring during one-hour of talk-radio vs. the minutes allocated to ads, you’re not alone changing stations every few minutes. News and information can be obtained in near-time from Internet sites offering differing perspectives – without waiting for tomorrow’s news delivery. Effectiveness of Web banner ads (468 X 60 pixels) is debatable. A 2001 study found click-through rates of 0.3 to 0.5 percent at major consumer sites – three to five people per thousand viewers actually clicked the banner ad. Another study showed that around 45% of site visitors look at banners for at least a second. Google’s concept of pay-for-click advertising has been an overwhelming success. It established a new and efficient ad model that satisfies both advertisers and prospects. Companies that advertise pay only for “click-thoroughs” – while users select ads directly relevant to their interests. Most importantly, pay-for-click advertising is measurable. The results of these trends are fragmenting traditional forms of media advertising. Mass audiences are vanishing as attempts to capture the eyes and ears of consumers become increasingly difficult or elusive. And, it’s fostering low predictability and dropping returns on ad dollars spent. In retail environments, digital sign viewers can be offered information at the exact time it’s desired – at the moment when they are receptive to watch. Providing informative content at the customer’s point-of-decision – can accelerate the final point-of-purchase.
If you’re considering deployment of digital signage networks or a few displays at key locations, call Lighthouse Digital Media. For networked display systems, we can evaluate requirements and recommend components, software and integration steps to launch a pilot program for test and shakeout in preparation for scaled-up deployment. And, working with in-house staff or external sources, Lighthouse can help define a content production and network management process to maintain fresh, appropriate and timely information to specific display locations. For single display and less intensive roll-outs, Lighthouse can recommend components and software for direct deployment. If intranet access is required, we’ll work with your IT staff to minimize complications. And, our in-house video and graphics production capabilities can provide looped content in combination with external feeds from other sources. 919.552.5525
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