You and I both have read the articles boasting the impact of digital media. Much of it comes from internal sources. And, when it's reported externally, internal sources beat the horse long after its expiration.  I am very skeptical by nature, not because I'm a pessimist, but because I enjoy being confident in my offerings. We have read the case studies, seen the whitepapers and know many of the newer mediums are more impactful and measurable than tradition. But does that impact lessen as we reach information overload with mass dispersion? When the spillway is overflowing, doesn't the effect of all mediums decrease? Rightfully, the answer to this question is--like many others--dependent on perspective.

The key to understanding the possible impact from any source has to do with critical mass. Let's take Google as an example. People are a bit more reticent to engage in "click-throughs" via Google PPC than they were five years ago. I know I click on them less. And with the increases in click fraud, the resilience of that particular ad method has been questioned repeatedly. However, with the increase in Internet use in the last two years--including those who previously had shied away--we see newer mediums increasing in effect. Twitter is one example . Much like statistical inference, the greater your sample, the greater likelihood you have of "getting it right." The same goes with advertising, the greater your sample from the population, the more of an impact you'll be able to make.

But some might cry, "but the barrage blurs the bulletin." Or, "I'll have to practice malfeasance in managing to get my message above the melange." This is certainly true for those with limited ad budgets who know nothing of guerrilla marketing tactics. Those with unlimited resources see the digital advertising flood as a welcome breath-o'-freshness, a veritable way to bombard the senses of the public ad nauseum. Those with limited budgets see a different perspective. SMB advertisers on SMB budgets will find it daunting to go head to head against the likes of Coke, Wal-Mart, and Circuit City (oh wait...I meant BestBuy). While some might see the expanding landscape as a vision blurer, others will recognize that the opportunities expand simultaneously. Regardless of your perspective, there are still methodologies and industry champions who'll be making meaningful messages regardless of the increasing ad foray.

The increase in media methodologies will continue to necessitate industry adaptation. It is taking place already, but acceptance is slow. Increasing the landscape necessitates a simultaneous expansion of specific targeting capabilities. Hence, the need for facial recognition capabilities, audience measurement software, large databases of content, and high-powered media playback devices will continue to grow. Companies like TrueMedia and Cognovision may seem obscure and expensive currently, but as the market expands, so will the need for such company leaders.

To conclude, it might best be said succinctly in this manner: the deluge of information that will come as various digital mediums replace the traditional will only blur the message if we fail to adapt to the most useful methods for targeting. In other words, digital signage, SMS marketing, and Internet advertising will only create an advertising vacuum if we fail to "hone to the bone." And because digital allows for "trimming the fat" out of ad budgets by giving better ROI measurement, it means there'll be more money to spend on all sources for branding and advertising. We're not where we need to be and even farther from where we would like to be, but the gap is shrinking. As this ethereal chasm contracts, we must ask ourselves, "what am I doing to make sure I'll be current when the predicted phenomenon = reality?"

cavalcade ? \kav-ul-KAYD\  ? noun

1 a : a procession of riders or carriages* b : a procession of vehicles or ships 2 : a dramatic sequence or procession : series 

Facebook and a Live Streaming Box

This functionality is an extension of what Ustream and Facebook did with some Jonas Brothers concerts last month — events which drew huge numbers. How huge? This huge, according to Ustream:

• 1.5 million unique posts were made via Facebook Live Feed
• 23K average posts per minute
• More than 100K users joined the webcast after seeing their friend’s comment on Facebook
• 974K total unique viewers watched the one hour webcast
• Ustream reports the Jonas Brothers webcast on Facebook surpassed the largest live video event they have hosted for any music artist

So clearly, there’s a big demand for certain live events via Facebook, and Ustream is jumping on it, as Facebook’s preferred partner.

British Columbia ferries are installing a digital menu network powered by none other than Scala: 

The Coastal Cafe is a popular destination, especially during the first 20 minutes of the ferry ride. Inspired by successful digital menu boards on the mainland, BC Ferries realized a digital signage network would allow for passengers to preview food options while they were waiting to enter the cafe, and it could be easily updated to reflect menu changes. It would also allow for cross-promotion of other ship amenities.

Carl's Jr. Digital Signs 

Indoor Direct is at it again: 

With the addition of the Carl's Jr. locations, Indoor Direct's network will cover about 1,150 "quick-service" restaurants belonging to 15 national chains, including well-known brands like Denny's, Wendy's and Sizzler.

Earlier this year, Indoor Direct announced it had raised about $22.5 million that would be used to expand its digital network -- which it claims reaches 10 million viewers a month in top DMAs, not counting Carl's Jr.

The Carl's Jr. announcement comes a month after Indoor Direct inked a deal bringing "The Bite" to 324 Hardee's, which is owned by the same corporate parent.

Indoor Direct is just of the big DO networks making moves in 2009.

Multi-user Touchwall by Schematic

I really like the capabilities of this unique touchscreen: 

The experience begins when an attendee places his or her event badge against the Touchwall. Equipped with an RFID reader, the Touchwall recognizes delegates through RFID tags embedded in the conference badges. Once the badge is authenticated, the Touchwall provides a personalized workspace on the display, from which users can then navigate the event. Multiple people can work side by side, creating a productive and fun environment for sharing information and ideas.

“The key to delivering the kind of game-changing results that clients demand lies increasingly in finding better ways to connect with consumers and to provide real value,” said Trevor Kaufman, CEO of Schematic. “With the Touchwall, we’re introducing a new platform that enables brands to create engaging digital experiences for their customers. These types of interactive-out-of-home installations will give advertisers new opportunities to better connect with consumers by giving the user control over the quality and duration of the interaction, while also offering a more personalized experience. We are pleased to be able to unveil the Touchwall at the Cannes Lions Festival and are looking forward to a great event.”

As part of my determination to be more "open" I will not only be placing information on the week's interesting news, but you'll also be receiving our weekly lead tally. I will be doing this for a couple of reasons: 

1. To make it clear that we are not siphoning off leads for a single entity or organization. What the site currently says is and has been the truth. 

2. I wish to show industry leaders the opportunities they are missing out on by not working with us.  Anyone in the industry can get information on industry leads from us by simplycontacting us. 

3. I want us all to witness whether this industry is truly growing in the aggregate. What better way to do that than to measure leads and traffic data? 

Without further delay: 

Leads for the week of 6/22/2009: 34

Total Leads: 158 

In a former life, I aspired to the life of a dentist. I've even helped a few dentists and dental specialists install some of their own digital signage solutions. In fact, it was working for a prosthodontist for 8 months--after completing my undergrad in business management--that made me rethink my career goals. It's certainly an inviting profession with many perks. It also takes a particular type of mindset--one which I did not have. But dental offices are perfect venues where digital signage can be implemented and implemented beautifully. We have talked quite extensively here about taking digital signage to the mainstream. Medical professionals--especially those that represent the SMB will be some of the most profitable venues for digital signage software and hardware sales in the coming years. Why? Below I have outlined a few reasons why dental and medical professionals will be excellent sources to target in your digital signage sales offerings. 

Medical Professionals are NOT Salesmen

When a dentist or physician is speaking with a client, we often don't realize they are performing a sale. We would like to think all in life is altruistic, but it is not. In some cases they are trying to upsell us for our benefit when we are being too cheap at the expense of our health. Either way, we are receiving a product and/or service from these professionals. However, we hope they will tell us what is best in order to fix our particular ailment. In doing so, they are focused on our health--not on an upsale. At least, that is what we hope.

These professionals often make their greatest margins on products which are not "standard." Lumineers, Envisalign, and teeth whitening kits are a few of the high-margin, low cost items a dentists wish they could push more often. An in-house digital signage network, both in the lobby and the operatories, creates a way for these services to be marketed non-obtrusively and takes the burden of the "upsale" off the shoulders of the professional--giving them the freedom to perform their specialized tasks more effectively.

Specialty Offices Hold a Very Captive Audience

If you have to wait for very long in an optometrist's office or at the local renal specialist clinic Golf Digest doesn't do it for you after 20 minutes of waiting. A nice digital sign will not only aid in alleviating some of the boredom, but will also give the internal marketing of the clinic a nice boost. Compared to retail, specialty offices of physicians and dentists hold a measurable and captive audience. 

If your dwell time in the waiting room of a particular clinic is 5 minutes and you're time in the operatory is 20 (that's if they don't find anything wrong) you're looking at a dwell time that trumps nearly every single "captive audience network" currently on the planet. Those who disagree, can come find me after this post and receive a duty-free slap up-side the dome. 

It is Better to Prepare and Prevent than Repair and Repent

Healthcare professionals still would have opportunities even if we all flossed everyday and avoided trans fats. One of the truths of life is that we get old and we die. Unfortunately in the meantime, there are things that naturally go wrong with our bodies as a result of our "humanness." But as the saying goes "an ounce of prevention..." I'm sure you can fill in the blank. In the medical field this is a huge part of what professionals are attempting to accomplish: create better health by educating patients on proper preventative measures. 

In a previous post I spoke on how digital signage is not always about advertising. This applies splendidly here. As an educational tool, digital signage can help medical professionals educate and inform patients of the risks of irregular check-ups and poor health habits--once again aiding the professional in performing his/her job more better (a grammar test to see if you are still awake). 

More Legit Than Urinals

Last week I wrote a post that I think grossed a few of our readers out a bit: "Urinal Digital Signage." Digital signage in a medical facility is not only more legit, it's a seemingly more professional installation. Similar successful deployments have taken place at vet clinics across the United States and Europe. Emebavet is our country's "posterchild" for such a deployment. PDN and Strandvision have also done some great work in this sector as well. A great case study on the Emebavet deployment can be found in Jimmy Schaeffler's book: Digital Signage. 

My question is what is the best marketing strategy for targeting such a niche? Who will be the dominating players here? What will be the best biz model for targeting the SMB of healthcare professionals?

Since I've personally lived in just about all the states where tradeshows regularly take place, sometimes I feel like I'm "coming home" so to speak when I visit these shows. Orlando and Vegas are two places I have lived, it was a bit more nostalgic for me this time because it's been several years since I've been back to Florida--what a beautiful state.

Attendance

Overall, attendance seemed down from last year's exhibition. That's been the case with all the shows I've attended in the last 15 months. I'm sure it could probably be blamed on the economy. That seems to be standard lately: blame lack of success on the "economic conditions" of the country. Hence, it would seem the lead gen ability of the show was down, except for those who were there for a reason. I heard rumored that 50% of tradeshow attendees already have an agenda when they visit any show and the other 50% are there primarily for the SWAG. And, if you have to spend $250k on a booth just to have meetings with people, it might be worth it to rethink your marketing platform. There was still a grip load of people in attendance, but even the first day lacked the regular crowd attendance usually attending such a large show.

Exhibitors

Like last year, Crestron was gaudy. Scala had a small, but nice booth. I really like some of the display booths. Samsung, LG, NEC, and Sony all had some "pretty" booths. I was also impressed by a few of the telepresence companies. One had developed their own copy of Microsoft Surface "in-house." It was sweet. You could pass docs between offices by sliding the files across the table. It was also integrated with touchscreen lcd displays.

Attendees

I ran into Dave Haynes, in passing, as he received a demo from the CoolSign gents. It was the first time I've had that opportunity. He detailed his 26-day stint and unfortunate layoff of his last job. Sad story. I really don't think he'll have any issues finding anything. He mused about breaking into Lyle's space as another one of the industry's Lone Rangers. But he was not hedging his bets; he had 4 or 5 interviews for positions while at the show. In fact, our discussion had to be cut short as he bustled off to a quick interview.

Lyle Bunn could be seen, but only if you didn't blink. He was running around like the Energizer bunny from booth to booth. Catching him is generally like cornering the sasquatch. I'm actually crafting this at the Orlando airport. While we were checking in a moment ago, I saw Kayye's "Rave" crew as we went through the checkpoint strip-down. They were fully identifiable with their garb. I meant to get to the POPAI standards with Gerba and the POPAI crew, but was too busy to attend.

Like Marty Lash of LG, I agree that InfoComm is a great show for "gear heads" and geeks. Hence the success and huge displays put on by Crestron and Extron. I'm in love with technology, but not solely for technology's sake, so I don't place myself in the "gear head" category. However, I always love speaking with a few nerds. They've the most interesting things to tell you.

Technology

Geeks can also show you cool, but sometimes useless, devices. Such was the case at this year's InfoComm. Besides your typical holographic displays etc., we ran into one fellow controlling the screen's content via a "laser" (you have to say that with a voice like Austin Powers). He even had a glove with multiple "laser beams" wherein he was able to control a stick man on the screen. The application of such a technology is beyond me. I discussed it with others and all we could do was laugh. "Gear heads"? Certainly. There were some one-off tweaks of former technologies I've seen previously, but nothing so new as to catch the eye and warrant an "awe!" from me. It was fairly standard. I still love the large format, 100" displays. I can't wait till the prices drop to the consumer level. A boy isn't a boy without his toys.

Closing Thoughts

Bluntly put: digital signage is not there yet. Although, in many instances proven, it's lack of wide acceptance by external sources (i.e. those who have the money to spend) was very evident in the amount spent by those exhibiting in the digital signage section of the show. Either they're not spending because they don't have or they're not spending because this is not the place to gain viable sales leads. Shows are often about the pomp, to prove that you'll still be around with a tanking market. It's at least about the "puffer fish" show of a future viability. My take.

My real thoughts are that there are many more industry specific tradeshows where digital signage vendors could make much more of an impact on their bottom line. I would ask for some comments regarding this below, but I'm sure you'll have a hard time spouting them off for the competition to see. I should do a post on the possible tradeshows you could attend apart from InfoComm. What do you think?

We've been working on our site now for a year. In fact, it was a week prior to last year's InfoComm when we purchased digitalsignage.com. It was a random happenstance event--I certainly did not expect it. Since then, we have been slowly shaping what we intend to do with the site. I want to dispel some rumors and make a few things clear. 

1. We have not favored one company over another. 

2. We have not personally sold TO any leads we have gleaned directly from our site. We have, however, sold leads themselves. Give me a lie-detector test. Any sales we or our affiliate companies have made in the digital signage space (apart from the other products/services I and my partners have sold over the years) have come strictly from our own efforts. "Advertising" and "marketing" are, in my mind, the weak replacement for salesmanship cowardice! This website is meant to be an industry portal which drives traffic and gleans leads. That's what we are doing. 

3. Our partners purchase leads from us. Thus far, more companies are content with paying $1,200 a month for leads from other sources than they would from a company who gets 8,000 monthly visitors and is on page one for many industry and industry-related keywords and phrases. I target the long-tail keywords as well as the industry related words for search engine optimization. SEO is not rocket science. It's work, but work of a different kind. 

So, to keep the record straight and to keep things open and more clear, I wanted to write this post. In fact, clarity was my original intent in starting this "industry portal"--so called. Our site will continue to evolve and change. That's business: adapt or die. 

Here is what I intend on doing from here on out. Me, or one of our team members, will report weekly on the leads we gain from the site. Those who are interested can contact us about purchasing them. Those who wish to shy away, can let those who've already contacted us about purchasing, have all the fun. Without further delay, here are our lead stats: 

Total Leads: 124

Leads for the last 7 days: 18

My next few blog posts will include seemingly random, but effective locations for the placement of digital signs. This week's post: urinals! It may sound a bit weird, but do not be so short-sighted as to discount this very unique deployment niche.

Let me begin with a story about my first "run-in" with urinal digital signage. I attended a fancy wedding dinner while I still lived in Las Vegas back in 2007. The venue was immaculate, the food was incredible, and the view out the huge bay windows was a site to behold. The reception was held at one of the most ritzy golf courses in the entire valley. The windows of the clubhouse looked out over the only greenery for miles: the country club's 18-hole course. It was truly an immaculate venue for a wedding. 

I was not only impressed by the overall atmosphere of the venue but I also was particularly interested in the restrooms (don't worry that doesn't happen often). Taking some time to relieve myself, I walked into the nearest clubhouse men's room. Upon my arrival, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to notice advertising screens atop each of the 10 urinals in the restroom. They were all displaying mirrored, but dynamic content from--what I assumed--was a single media player. 

Since then, I have been more cognizant of such deployments, but still have seen no more than three total. This is a very untapped niche for digital out-of-home. Here are some of the reasons urinal topper digital signage will one day be a powerful method for message delivery. 

Many Restrooms Already Showcase Static Signage

The gentlemen in our readership can attest to this. Static signage can be found above the urinals in a large percentage of American restrooms. In fact, just last week I was at the local Red Robin and they had magazine clippings and promotions plastered atop the urinals in a nice glass case. The restroom, interestingly, already had a CRT displaying the baseball game, but no digital signage was in sight. What a shame! What a waste of valuable space! Replacing this static signage with digital displays would have been a great form of internal advertising. 

Urinals Draw an Extremely Captive Audience

Those who run digital signage networks know that keeping an audience's attention can be extremely difficult. Accordingly, anytime you have the chance to get someone to look at screens on your network for more than 30 seconds you're "in the money" so to speak. How long does it take the average male to relieve himself? I tried to Google it to find out, but was unable to find the answer. Based on my own personal experience, I would say a minimum of 30 seconds with a maximum of a minute and a half. That's not only semi-captive but it also makes for an short and easy content loop. 

Media Creates a Relaxed Atmosphere

I knew an older gentleman who loved staying on "The John" so long he eventually had a television installed and mounted in his bathroom. Incidentally, he was also extremely addicted to television and particularly to sports. This instance just illustrates that, for some, the restroom is a place to relax. And media in the restroom is another way to facilitate the relaxation. Those like my friend would certainly find comfort. And certainly, if the signage were not too intrusive, others will as well. 

Urinal Audience Demographics are More Easily Known and Targeted

There still remains some great hurdles to target marketing in digital signage. Without a knowledge of who is viewing the screen, it remains difficult to place advertisements on the screen that are specific to the viewer. That is, unless you want to shell out for a metrics device. This is where digital signage for urinals is super effective. In a restroom, you already have narrowed your possible audience by about 50%. Once you're aware you only have to target men, you can even more specifically hone by looking at your venue traffic in detail. And, if you want to get more ridiculous, you could even put different ads on the screens above the urinals mounted lower on the wall. You might target younger children with such a screen. Ridiculous yes, but stranger things have been done in the name of advertising. 

Digital signage for restrooms is not limited to restaurants alone. The possibilities are simply endless. Since everyone frequents the restroom, it would seem foolish not to pursue this very unique niche. Am I right or do I just have the stench of a "potty" mouth?

higgledy-piggledy ? \hig-ul-dee-PIG-ul-dee\  ? adverb : in a confused, disordered, or random manner 

Digital Signage Whitepapers

In case you missed the press release, we just launched a whitepaper initiative. You can take advantage of it in terms of education as well as advertising your company's offerings. If you would like to showcase your company's whitepapers or have questions regarding lead sharing, please contact us. 

Arbitron says 95% of Teen Shoppers Notice Ads

According to recent research performed by Arbitron, teens notice advertisements in mall venues. 

“The findings show that teens do in fact notice advertising in the mall, and our study shows that they generally rate it positively,” said Jane Traub, SVP of research for Scarborough. “Hollywood has long portrayed the mall as a key center of teen culture. Our data shows that it still serves a very prominent role in teen society. It seems some preferences are established early in the consumer life cycle and continue as the person moves into older demographic groups.”

New RFID and Mobile Marketing Platform Being Tested

There has been much talk about integrating location-based advertising with mobile marketing. Tetherball--a company that hopes to "tether" the technologies together--is testing such an app: 

Tetherball’s approach aims at helping clients “tether” their brand to target audiences by identifying what their customers want and delivering mobile campaigns that interact with permission-based mobile coupons, mobile rewards, mobile sweepstakes and mobile notifications.  The new RFID platform works by integrating traditional marketing methods, such as in-store advertising, in hopes that customers are engaged to sign up for mobile loyalty rewards programs offering promotional discounts.  Upon joining, customers are given a “Tetherball Tag,” a tiny RFID chip that is affixed to their mobile phones, which uniquely identifies them through Tetherball’s platform.

The $40 Million HD LED 

Mitsubishi Electric recently supplied the Dallas Cowboys football stadium with what has been touted as the largest HD screen in history: 

The four-sided, centre-hung structure - a first  for an NFL stadium - consists of four Diamond Vision video displays, with the two main sideline displays measuring 22m high by 49m wide, and the two end-zone displays measuring 9x15.5m wide.  Weighing 544 tonnes, the screens are suspended 27.5m directly over  the centre of the playing surface and stretch from nearly one 20-yard line to the other.

Completing the selection of Diamond Vision displays are four, 26m²screens on the lower concourse; an upper  level fascia (ribbon) display measuring 1.2m high by approximately 610m; and two Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor displays totalling more than 269m².

LocaModa's iPhone Applications 

LocaModa made some not-to-surprising announcements this week regarding some of their mobile marketing and digital signage integration applications. I have been watching their products for sometime and I think they are relevant for metrics, but they also have the cool street appeal. From the release:

Steve King, LocaModa’s VP of Sales, commented on LocaModa’s cross-channel branding and user engagement: “LocaModa is focused on extending the engagement of brands to users who would otherwise be beyond their reach. Our platform is unique in its ability to reach audiences across social networks and into social locations via web, mobile and place-based networks. The data speaks for itself – we’re keeping audiences challenged and engaged, and that’s keeping brands very happy.”

Jumbli’s high audience recall has resulted in an average mobile engagement time of 4.2 minutes per player, and an average web engagement of 76 minutes per player. The game now attracts a play approximately every 4 seconds, with many players accumulating more than 100,000 points (the equivalent of several weeks of play).

Jumbli was one of the first Verified Facebook Applications, a screening program that highlights applications that prove their “commitment to providing a trustworthy user experience that is secure, respectful and transparent.”

Thanks to those who submitted this week. We look forward to your additional inputs to the news feed!

Even if your product is not too stellar, having someone introduce it who has an accent makes it that much more interesting--although that may not be the case here. Microsoft's "Natal" has been flying all over the blogosphere of late. This video was the favorite among those I found on good ole' YouTube. After watching the video, if you DO NOT realize how Natal can be implemented into a digital signage network, then you might be a redneck.

Much like Microsoft Surface, Natal's practical side may not reach affordability and practicality for a number of years. It is certainly a "forward thinking" device that will be implemented into the out-of-home sector, but this will of course will not be feasible for several years

"There is nothing more vulnerable than entrenched success." --George Romney, President of American Motors 1948-1962

Words of wisdom 60 years ago, prophetic now. Automakers--like those in Romney's industry--are feeling the resulting consequence of their "entrenched success." Most of us are overwhelmingly familiar with these more current happenings--it's all we hear in the headlines. Our industry is no exception. While the pompously inflated press releases continue to engage in "pufferfish" practices, there is still individual "fall-out" and "shake-out." We saw it this last week with the unfortunate liquidation of Electrograph. Even more disheartening are those who continue to paint the facade, whilst the building lights have been turned off. I am sincere when I express my feelings of pity for those that so struggle. Such is business, such is life. 

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. [The fact is] most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise...Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride"

Those of us performing a "shake-up" during the industry "shake-out" are seeing firsthand the effects of obsequious adherence to sometimes inefficient and wasteful tradition. It is difficult for some to learn that those who go against the grain are often swimming in deep water. However, leaders of innovation and change must expect (and sometimes welcome) brow-beating resistance to congealed and institutionalized methodologies. In other words, they swim in deep water because they are wont to do so. I read a great book a couple years back entitled, The Miracle at Philadelphia. The book is excellent! It illustrates how, at our country's birth, individual agendas were necessarily compromised for the greater good. The following quote illustrates some of the emotions of the time: 

It was like Madison to declare that the situation was too serious for despair.  It was like Washington, too, of whom the British historian Trevelyan was to write that he "had learned the inmost secret of the brave, who train themselves to contemplate in mind the worst that can happen and in thought resign themselves -- but in action resign themselves never!" 

1. I'm not as cool as I think I am. 

2. No one is going to care as much as I do. 

3. When my boss is angry at me, I've done something wrong.

4. When my competition is angry at me, I've done something right.

tenebrous ? \TEN-uh-brus\  ? adjective *1 : shut off from the light : dark, murky 2 : hard to understand : obscure 3 : causing gloom 

Digital Signage News is never really gloomy, especially when business is booming despite economic turmoil elsewhere. I just like the word tenebrous.

Inwindow Outdoor Hooks up the United States Navy

Inwindow Outdoor has done some very nice installations for storefront-based outdoor advertising. Their latest deployment involves hooking up the United States Navy with some sweet touch screen technology: 

“This campaign created for the U.S. Navy represents a significant milestone for our business,” said Steve Birnhak, founder and CEO of Inwindow Outdoor. “We have enjoyed great success creating deeply interactive displays at street-level retail locations in major cities and this is our first significant installation in our mall locations. As is our custom, we have also incorporated technology not before used in a storefront display, allowing mall-goers to interact and truly engage the display.”

Curved LCD by NEC

From Slashgear we find that NEC has developed a curved LCD screen. Super cool! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite, "I love technology!" From the release:

“The NEC CRV43 curved display provides an excitingly immersive viewing experience for any type of user,” said Keith Yanke, Director of Product Marketing for NEC Display Solutions. “Its lightning-fast response time coupled with its seamless curved screen provides enhanced comfort, decreased frustration and increased productivity. The monitor eliminates the bezel and screen gap issues that have complicated users’ work environment for years.”

Manless Booth at Infocomm

InfoComm is in two weeks. And .advancedMethod is ready. In fact, they are so confident, they have decided to have a booth devoid of people. Crazy, but good for marketing hype. Here I am blogging about it! 

As Robert Grawet, General Manager of .advancedMethod, says, “Our digital signage system, express, is perfectly capable of doing the talking for us. Not only does digital signage greatly reduce on the printing and shipping costs of traditional signage material; express provides the perfect platform for us to have our voice heard loud and clear!” Through express, the Seattle team is able to create and schedule content ahead of time that explains the company’s various offerings. In addition, .advancedMethod will even offer guests a very special interactive kiosk/video conferencing experience that will put them directly in touch with the team back in Seattle.

Visix Launches New Web Site

Gotta love new site releases. People in the industry just keep morphing, adapting, and creating a better and better product. Some of the sales inquiries we have received lately have included those looking to replace old systems. Luckily, most of the software out there has already been replaced by the company who initially developed it. Websites are no different. From the release: 

“Visitors to our web site will experience a much better presentation of the Visix story,” says Sean Matthews, Visix President. “The new design presents our products and services more dynamically, and incorporates subject matter outside of typical marketing copy – information we think our customers can use to make better decisions. Subjects like alert communications, green considerations, return on investment and system planning are included to give visitors more to think about than just technical specifications. We’re really focused on communications solutions, versus just technology sales.”

ConnectedSign Goes in at DeVry

The online university at DeVry has chosen ConnectedSign for their digital signage network:

The ConnectedSign solution allows each DeVry campus to manage their own content while global content is available from the top level of the organization. The Enterprise solution has a Grand Poo-bah administrator that can control all things while allowing the local managers to contribute content and changes as needed says Loren Bucklin, ConnectedSign President.

DeVry has over 70K students in 93 locations.

Upon reading the title of this post, some of you are probably thinking, "live streaming? Who needs that bandwidth-hogging, poor-quality content on a digital sign?" While this in many cases is true, we also are putting the blinders on if we ignore live-streaming capabilities as a content tool for digital signage. Additionally, streaming content also allows for features not available with standard playback. A recent article on TechCrunch, tipped me off some of the necessities live-streaming will have with digital displays. And with the increasing number of resources available for live streaming video, it stands to reason that those not thinking long-term with IPTV, will be left in the dust.

Passersby Video

Coinciding nicely with an earlier post wherein I spoke about the benefit of using mirrors in digital signage, I believe tv tuners and digital signage and streaming video are important because of the "mirror factor." My previous post about the benefits of mirrors quoted Paco Underhill of Envirosell wherein he stated:

“It’s no surprise that the number-one thing people look at is other people. That’s why some of the most effective signs in fast food restaurants are the ones sitting atop the cash registers–more or less at the level of the cashier’s face. Smart sign placement simply tries to interrupt the shopper’s line of vision and intercept her gaze.”

Security and Web Cams

Digital signage used as a security device is often overlooked. When evil lurks digital displays powered by signage software can aid in not only providing safety to an organization but also provide a way to catch criminals even before a crime is carried out.

Additionally, web cams have been used in the past in entertainment on digital signage. Consider the restaurant with live performances taking place. Displays installed at the location could be scheduled to link to videos of the performance  Although many times these performances may not need actual IPTV, and standard video inputs would render a better quality, it can certainly be implemented as an option. And the future of IPTV for video broadcast is still very open.

Ski Slope Weather Updates

How many of you like the snow? For those who regularly hit the slopes digital signage can not only be a great wayfinding tool utilizing live maps but it can also act as a excellent way to measure and judge whether the weather is worth the risk on the mountain top. Many snow skiers already utilize the Internet for regular updates on conditions for their favorite mountain destinations during the winter. Digital signage performs the same function, updating ski enthusiasts on the current mountain conditions.

There are certainly other applications wherein live-streaming video can be used in digital signage. Where do you see digital signage working itself in with IPTV and live-streaming applications?

Digital signage! That's all we ever talk about here! Maybe we should change it up and talk about something super random like South African dung beetles. I am sure, however that visiting the digital signage blog means you are interested in digital signage solutions and not random quirkiness.

This post is going to have information on diversification for media and marketing tactics for the 21st century. I will be discussing the who? what? when? where? why? and how? of marketing and media diversification. Through each of these we will delve into different types of media, including emerging media outlets such as digital signage, and how these different types of media can help alleviate marketing stress in the current economic downturn. 

Why Diversify? 

Does the adage "don't put all your eggs in one basket" ring any bells? If not, perhaps you should not be in business at all. Diversification is another way of spreading risk by investing in more than one. In the case of business and stocks, it could mean investment in more than one company, more than one widget, and more than one ideas. Remember as our friend Napoleon Hill stated, "All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea." So, diversification also means being open to new ideas. However you decide to diversify your assets, both real and intellectual, you must realize the benefit and necessity diversification holds.

Diversifying in media and marketing is a somewhat different beast than diversifying an asset, although similar principles apply. When diversifying a marketing budget, companies often look at traditional forms of marketing: television, radio, newspaper, direct mail, direct marketing and sales, and most recently, the Internet. The huge media buys have been the crutch advertising agencies have leaned on for years. Providentially, measurable marketing tactics become demographically specific with the rise of Internet marketing. The largest beneficiary of this technology leap has been the small business owner who can now geographically target customers looking for his/her products or service via Google PPC and local web queries. Most recently, online search has been a game changer in that it allows for targeted marketing. It has also stolen ad dollars from traditional mediums and brought brought the total available market of SMBs to one place. This is what has made Google so successful. 

My argument is this: traditional media will slowly die off. It is happening even more quickly as marketers are begging for more media metrics during the bear market. The Internet has spoiled us with measurable results. Traditional media is dying under our noses. The Seattle PI, a competitor to the newspaper company I used to be a paperboy for as a kid, the Seattle Times, is going under--along with many other larger newspapers across the country. It is a natural step in the media evolution. In fact, my personal thought is that those media channels, including those digital media channels that do not adapt deserve to die. Even some digital forms of media will die off. It's a natural process: only the strong survive. Why hedge your bets on a form of media marketing that does not offer trackable results, is not engaging, and will inevitably bite the dust? I'm failing to find the logical thought processes of some marketing managers. 

What and How to Diversify? 

While we know diversification means spreading our our media mix, what should we be spreading it between. We may not want to have the eggs in the same basket, but we should pick baskets sturdy enough to withstand a little jostle. You should be placing your precious media spending into measurable, result oriented 

New things to "pilot" in 2009 when it comes to marketing your product. 

1. The Internet. If you do not have an Internet presence, get one. Once you have one, talk to someone about optimizing the site for local search and keyword selection. Make sure you are tracking the analytics of your website to ensure you are getting the traffic from the regions you desire. You can also contribute to a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign. Such a campaign could be even more effective at geotargeting your desired customer base. 

2. Mobile Marketing. Those unfamiliar with the power of SMS and mobile marketing for targeting customers have certainly not been doing their homework. Mobile marketing can include Bluetooth technology integration, RFID tag integration, SMS, and Smartphone applications. Whatever your desired outcome, mobile marketing offers a poweful solution to any marketing campaign because of its ability to reach customers right in their pockets. It has even been referred to as the "pocket billboard."

3. Digital signage. Of course, I have to put a plug in for our baby: digital signage. As a medium digital signage is growing in reliability--even as a measurable medium. This is due in part to the development of audience measurement devices like those developed by Cognovision. If you would like more information regarding how this particular medium can help, just read a few more of our ramblings here. 

Who Should Diversify? 

Those that don't have money to blow. That's who. And, the last time I checked, the only group or organization included in the "I can blow as much money as I want" sector is the U.S. government. Unfortunately if a business runs out of money, they can't go into their basement and just print more (unless your GM, then you can get Uncle Sam to go into his basement and do it for you). Since marketing strategies are essential for increasing revenues (just ask King Gillette), those not looking to diversify should be slapped with a wet noodle.

I recently read an article by Joe Burton entitled, The Economics of Digital Compared with Traditional Advertising. In the piece, which is a must read, Burton speaks of the fragmentation of media ownership which he outlines in the graph to the right. Burton wisely comments on the current state of media and advertising fragmentation: 

"Within each of these fragments is a growing number of marketing possibilities. A typical large agency can deal with a few hundred vendors across Print (consumer and trades), TV (network, cable and local broadcast), Out-of-home and Cinema in a given year. Despite the smaller piece of the Digital pie, the traditional vendor options and activity isn't comparable to the literally thousands of Digital plaform and media vendor options. 

"Multiple Digital properties owned by a larger parent company still tend to operate as autonomous entities. Although the mix will vary with individual campaigns, Digital placements and variety tend to far outnumber traditional vendors in a balanced media plan...The ability to deal with so many niche market players may deliver the promise of Web 2.0 (personalized communication), but it comes at a cost." 

When to Diversifty? 

The quick and easy answer is NOW. Do not wait to start making your marketing more effective. Taking advantage of new forms of measurable media can aid any marketer in increasing revenues. Of course, switching from whitey tighties to boxers just because they're "cooler" doesn't have to happen overnight. The transition is best done slowly, over time. There are several reasons slow transition into media diversification is a must: 

1. Costs are controlled. An immediate transition from handful of marketing formats to a smorgasbord overnight can be a costly proposition. A healthy gradual transition can eliminate the sometimes overwhelming initial cost of media shift implementation. 

2. Leads are controlled. Sometimes you may feel there are not enough sales leads to go around. Diversifying a marketing strategy may bring in more leads than your organization is fit to handle. If, up until this point, you have been satisfied with the status quo, any increase in lead generation may give you more than you can handle. This is a good problem, but a problem nonetheless. 

Although the transition is best done slowly and you know you would rather run before you walk, it is imperative you do not bite off more than we can chew. At the same time it is vital you bite off something, else you'll be eating the dust of your competition. I think the Goethe quote from Faust applies here, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” So get started, get educated, and begin to diversify. 

I have not begun to enumerate all the possible media outlets that are currently available for driving traffic, gaining leads, and getting your company noticed above the digital noise. That 20% mentioned in the graph above represents such a discombobulated digital melting pot, it would nearly be impossible to take inventory of it all. As we see the shifting media landscape mature, diversification and integration will occur simultaneously. And, while "keeping up" is impossible, "giving up" is extraneously foolish. As such, keep your eyes on the media outlets that will "make the grade" in the 21st century. 

Digital signage aside, what digital media forms will help in the growing diversification of a message propagation? Have you noticed anything new?