I had a dream about six months ago wherein I was back in grade school and Martin Luther King Jr.'s grandson was in my class. He was seated in front of me, dressed in a grey suit. Can you see the irony here: I had a dream about the grandson of the guy who had a dream. Crazy coincidences abound. The reason I bring this up is simply because I personally have a dream. My dream has to do with digital menu boards (DMB). I have a dream!
I have a dream that one day all restaurant menu boards will be replaced by something digital!
I have a dream that digital menu boards with dynamic content will replace expensive, ineffective, and static menu boards!
I have a dream that even the average restaurant owner will see a return on both investment and customer satisfaction through use of DMBs!
Ok, enough with the MLK mockeries. In all seriousness though, digital signage will eventually play a huge role in restaurant menu boards. No doubt about it! Eventually nearly every menu board in this country will become digital and many will be touch screen enabled. Mark my words.
Obstacles
As always, content may pose one of the biggest issues here. Giving restaurants the turnkey solution necessary to be able to run their menus capably without interruption from their regular course of business will be key. No restaurant owner, especially the owner of a single restaurant or a small chain will wish to spend too much time managing a network of digital displays. "They had better work and be reliable!"
Another obstacle could include the instability of the restaurant business in general. I once heard a statistic that 90% of restaurants fail within the first year. While this statistic itself may be a bit skewed and contained heretofore unrecognized lurking variables, the message is clear: the restaurant business can be unstable.
In addition, championing restaurant owners can sometimes be difficult. Pilot(s) will most likely be necessary to reel in the fish. Said pilots will require created content, usually the support necessary to make it all "turnkey," and, of course, patience.
Making the signs turnkey and reeling in customers for the long-haul are some of the most difficult aspects of installing DMBs. But if your pilot is good, and it should be, then you stand to show them the true power of what digital has to offer over static signage.
Benefits
Despite the fact that there are those whose digital menus have been able to help garner regular sales-lift, dynamic digital menus spice up restaurant and fast food venues like none other. I was at a pizza buffet the other night and directly above those taking payment at the cash register were two, thinly bezeled digital displays rotating through the different prices. It really made a huge difference to the environment and the ambiance of the restaurant. It made a statement right when you walked in that said, "blam!" Not only were they running the menus on a loop with some nice rotating content (the crowd wasn't there for longer than 5 minutes at a time), but they also had some MRSS feeds displaying results for the latest college football scores--perfect for a pizza joint. If I had not left my cell phone in the car, I would have snapped a picture of it to show how nice of a install it was. Such a screen really makes a profound statement.
There are some food service companies who have used digital signage, not as a digital menu specifically, but as a salesperson. For instance, the particular company I am referring to was looking to increase per-customer margins by selling add-ons: bacon, onions, and cheese. While a regular DMB can perform this function, this particular entity did not wanted to make a distinction between the single screen that would grace their restaurants from the several large static signs which were mounted behind the counter. After running the pilot in 20 locations, they found a sales lift of over 10% (after 6 months of before/after measurement)--more than enough to justify the expenditure of installing the DMBs...er, upsell signs.
The following five content rules all reference food. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I was hungry when I wrote this post. Or maybe I was just in a weird mood in general. Or, maybe it goes along with this weeks theme here in the United States: Thanksgiving! Whatever the case, the following pieces will be very helpful for you when attempting to find ways to create digital signage content.
"Taco Time is fresh!"
Does anyone recall the old Taco Time commercials, advertising freshness. Nobody likes a stale taco, but certainly no one likes stale content either. Interestingly enough, stale content can cause a network to fail. Once regular passersby fail to notice due to lack of changing content, they are less likely to look again the next time. Keeping your content fresh and engaging is of the utmost importance. This is not only true in the retail sector, but also applies for those using digital signage for a corporate communications tool. Does the term "clerk burn" ring any bells to anyone? It takes a lot more work than you may know to keep your audience actively and regularly engaged. But it can be very effective if it's a goal your network seeks.
Do the chocolate/vanilla swirl!
Sometimes it's best to mix, rather than just go plain--especially when it comes to media. As a media outlet, digital signage holds great potential especially as the technology continues to marry itself with existing disciplines. So, when you're planning content, make sure that your online content and out-of-home content coincide. In addition, dynamic signage means just what it implicitly states. Remember that rotating static images is not as dynamic as some might claim. So, mix it up with video, Flash, RSS, and touch capabilities. Don't keep it so boring that your audience will want to fall asleep.
Don't make it like Chuck-a-Rama
Yes, Chuck-a-Rama has its advantages, but in my mind it's a simple substitute of quantity with quality. Just about every all-you-can-eat buffet I've been to seems a bit sub-par. It is also interesting to note that a "chuck wagon" type restaurants generally only attract a very thin niche. In order to make your content workable it must be viewable. It's haphazard nature shouldn't induce vomiting.
The Cherry on Top
The devil, and the success for that matter, is always in the details. Details show that you are concerned with the reaction of the content that is being displayed. I recently saw a display that had a "radar swoop" around a dynamic weather feed that circled the weather when the weather would toggle between current and forecasted conditions. It was the icing on the cake, or the cherry on the top. It was that little detail that made all the difference. It was engaging to the eyes, but it made me think "woah, these guys actually care." Content needs that type of TLC.
As network operators struggle with regular updates, it may be wise to consider some of the aforementioned ideas to keep content fresh and lively. It reminds me of the saying, "you think you're a All-American hot dog, but you're really just a cold Polish sausage."
While many companies out there try and reinvent the wheel, it is almost imperative to remember the thought by Jonathan Gilbert:
"Reinventing the wheel is sometimes the right thing, when the result is the radial tire."
So, reinvention is the answer when technology leaps forward. However, there does reach a point when, allegorically speaking, we're all using a radial tire. While this may be the case, it is important to remember the areas of growth and expansions which are still available to this industry. Also, keep in mind that while I intend on enumerating many of the available niches and verticals, this list is not meant to be a veritable "catch-all."
Content
This segment is composed of a couple of players. First, there are your hands-on content creators: the right-brained, Adobe-lovin', Birkenstock-wearers who specialize in graphics like video, stills, and Flash animation. Some of these providers are intent on providing their services in a "one-off" fashion, while others provide content-as-a-service.
Second on the list are our dynamic media feed content providers. Companies like Screenfeed, Digichief, Accuweather, and Datacall provide various live and updating content via dynamic media RSS for weather, lottery, stocks, and news.
Finally, there is a potential "untapped" segment to the content creation sector of our industry. Specifically, the selling of stock content. Much like an iStockphoto or ThoughtEquity.
Audio Video Enthusiasts
A media player may be able to put out a signal to nearly any LCD, plasma, or projector, but what if you want to mirror the same signal across 10x displays throughout an entire complex? This is where your run-of-the-mill audio/video dudes come into play. With their VGA to Cat5 extenders, encoders, switches, and integration techniques AVI personnel represent a very important segment in digital signage.
In my younger days, I never did have "two fatty tens" in my trunk, but I had friends who did. I also helped a couple of friends install their "sweet system." This is where AV has the cool factor. We often fail to realize the power digital signage can have with a proper audio integration. Many deployments focus on video-only. Audio is often essential. Not every deployment will involve a deaf facility (funny side note: we received a request the other day for digital signage apps in a blind facility. Selling such a solution would seem more difficult to me than selling a ketchup popsicle to an 80 year-old woman in white gloves. Signage at a blind facility? Who knew!). In fact. most of your future installation will require videos and dynamic content which will require a equally impressive audio system to support the signage.
Information Technologists
The core engine which drives digital sign technology is the software. Signage software can be found in Linux, Windows, and Mac systems. There are a few who have developed software which is truly cross-platform. I prefer those systems based on Linux and Mac. Although most of my computers are Windows machines, I would prefer more safety and reliability when it comes to digital signage, which means scrapping Windows players. Seriously though, who wants the dreaded blue screen of death?
The particular vertical of IT is centrally focused on development and engineering. This sector will always be in development. Sometimes, I feel sorry for those software entrants who develop (or are still in development) their signage application, only to realize they don't have customers. Sadder still, are those whose products never make the leaps necessary to distinguish them. I still remember a trade show where the distinguishing feature of one software provider was the clarity of their crawler. It was clear, but not clear enough to justify exorbitant SaaS fees of $100/month per device.
Hardware: Displays and Playaz
Hardware is a very broad vertical. It can be broken into several parts which could include: the display (LCD, plasma, projector), the media player, the peripheral connective wiring (cat5, coax, VGA/DVI/HDMI devices etc.), audio equipment, encoders. and in some cases cameras for live broadcasts and multicasting. While these niches can represent huge profits for companies wishing to target integrators, I will be focusing primarily on the components doing a majority of the "work," namely displays and media players...
LCD price fixing, a flooded market, and consumer-driven demand have all taken the relative margins out of the display industry--even for industrial models. However, there are still major players in this space who will continue make large headway. The unfair battle between plasmas and LCD as display devices will work its way out as technology improves and prices continue to fall. Also, as the industry morphs, so will the displays, including shapes and sizes. While rear projection film allows for customizable screen shapes, will we ever be the beneficiaries of custom-lcd shaping? I'm not simply speaking of aspect ratios here, I'm talking about actual shapes: stars, flowers, and any other pathetic sillouhette you can invision.
Another untapped opportunity in the signage space are 3D LCD displays. These bad boys have, of late, been talked about much more in consumer circles than I have seen previously. Apparently, they're the next big thing--especially when it comes to digital outdoor advertising. But, when will the shear novelty of such displays lose their luster and wear thin? It certainly will take some time, but it will most likely happen after the margins wear thin.
And then there is the player. Oh, the glories of an HD sign player. Digital signage media players are almost as diverse as the individuals on the planet. They can be thin or fat, sleek and sexy, or bulky and ugly. Often it may be detrimental to judge a sign player by its cover. For instance, some of the more ugly and bulky devices are those which have the best components, able to deliver smooth, rapid playback. While thin client options can be great for aesthetics in mounting the device, they often lack the power required to truly deliver "eye-popping" content. For more information on player providers, feel free to visit the digital signage directory.
Mobile Marketing
Where do we even begin with mobile integration? This is even more of a wild-west than digital out-of-home. There have been a great many discussions out there regarding publishing TO a digital display from a mobile phone. Still further, and perhaps more interesting are the efforts to publish from a digital screen down to that pocket billboard. SMS, MMS, QR codes, mobile Internet, bluetooth, and embedded RFID all stand as possible areas of growth within this arena. In the interactive sector of the industry, mobile phones will continue to play a central role, allowing users to interact with the screen and with each other. In fact, our digital signage news feed picked up a recent story regarding Xsights, an interactive application for dooh.
Interactive: Gestural, Touch Screen, and Multi-Touch
Forget your standard touch screen! Multi-touch is the new "in." Companies like Gesturetek and Microsoft have really been dominating here with their with their multi-touch technology. While they are not the only players, they are certainly getting a great deal of attention. Within one week there were three separate stories. One involving Microsoft Surface and a virtual autopsy, another involved a nice multi-touch install at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas. , and finally Gesturetek's multi-touch tables used at the Heart Rhythm Society's medical conference. This niche is certainly set to grow. Currently, it's a bit pricey for anything truly practical (not that the Hard Rock Cafe install wasn't practical--but it certainly was atypical). All in good time people.
Touch screen signage applications offer a number of benefits:
2. Multi-touch can integrate customer billing, file sharing, social media, and interactive gaming into a single device.
3. Multi-touch has an amazing "cool" factor that is sure to draw attention.
Besides the obvious "slam, bang, whiz" benefits of multi-touch and even video walls, there are heretofore unrecognized opportunities in this sector. In fact, Apple recently submitted a patent for a surface which will recognize all ten of your fingers simultaneously. Where would this be beneficial? Well, traditional keyboards could be replaced by something much more ergonomic that could shift and change to your particular hand size and dexterity. In addition, I can think of at least one other application: electric piano keyboards. While such a device has nothing to do with what we are speaking of here, it certainly opens our minds to the cross-over possibilities of the technology itself.
Finally, we would be afar amiss if we failed to recognize gestural products. Much like touch screen applications, gestural solutions give control in the hands of the consumer. In the case of many of the latest gestural apps, we can see how the application aids in getting the attention of passers-by, while simultaneously feeding them subtle advertisements.
Deployment Venues
Moving away from the whiz bang technology side of things, we are confronted head-on with the "where" question. Where and who is going to want all this junk? Who is going to see and pay for the value? There are so many untapped niches for implementation, my mind is going to explode! Let's list a few, even unique venues for digital signage:
Dentists, physicians, and other medical professionals
Office lobbies and waiting rooms
Educational facilities: high schools, colleges, and universities
Churches
Government offices
Police and fire departments
Movie theaters and theme parks
Retail and grocery stores
Point-of-sale
Libraries
Call centers
Clubs and bars
Salons and barber shops
Restaurants
Elevators
Gyms, physical therapy, and exercise facilities
Manufacturing facilities
You will most likely realize none of these venues are entirely "new." However, it is also readily apparent that none of these niches have been dominated completely either. There are specific companies who are doing an excellent job of targeting specific niches within this vast array of venue deployment possibilities. This list is not meant to be complete; it was a simple brain-dump. My personal thoughts are that the technology will eventually reach into just about every market segment.
Audience Measurement
Let's not forget our friends in the audience measurement camp. These folks are working hard to ensure credit is given where credit is due. A semi-recent report outlined how NEC has delved into facial recognition software. Those at TruMedia, Quividi, and Cognovision are also known players in this extremely specific niche. And, the costs of such devices are falling. When you can get an audience measurement device for a price point of around $100, who's going to balk?
The real power of audience measurement will not be recognized fully for some time. For instance, when such devices can tell gender and age with a very small degree of error, it is highly beneficial to have digital signage software on your player that can act accordingly. To be more specific, a 10 year old girl walks by the display, the audience measurement device recognizes her as an adolescent female and displays an advertisement for Barbies or something targeted to her gender and age. Is this starting to sound like Minority Report or what?
The most tell-tale question is, what do I chase? Which direction do I run? How do I arrive at my destination? Whatever becomes your chosen niche, you must differentiate. Here is a closing thought, brought to you by Geoffrey Moore,
“Make a total commitment to the niche, and then do your best to meet everyone else’s committment to the niche, and then do your best to meet everyone else’s needs with whatever resources you have left over.”
While this may seem counterintuitive, it is best to become a niche provider until you have become a dominant player within the niche. Once that takes place, then you can spread the wings and move into other segments. Until then, focusing on your competency should stand as "priority one."
Our digital signage news feed picked up an article this week about how Google Chrome has released a "kiosk" mode in its newest build. While allowing for a web browser to go into a full screen mode is not new, calling it "kiosk" mode should raise eyebrows. Similarly, using a web browser as a method for displaying digital signage content is also not a new idea. Just off the top of my head, I can think of several digital signage software applications who currently utilize kiosk or full screen mode as their method for displaying content. But, when differentiation between capabilities in a browser and a kiosk blur, you will have one of two reactions: either excitement for expansion or fear of competition.
But before we make wild assumptions, which we as an industry are wont to do, let's give GOOG the benefit of the doubt. For instance, Google has been utterly notorious in their "preparation" for the future. They are in constant development in efforts to keep ahead of the technology rat race. Think about it, how long was Gmail in beta? I don't recall when the beta was dropped, but it was several years coming. With a forward thinking company like Google, you can't help but wonder where they are looking long-term they start using words like kiosk when describing software function and forms.
Content, Delivery, Connectivity
What does this mean for hardware and software companies? It will mean a continual erosion of margins. A computer, just about any computer (especially as they improve) could be used as a signage player. In addition, the software could be a simple scheduling tool implemented into a website played in full screen. Further still there is the ability of the player to house the content locally with a simple playback/scheduling device included.
If you let your imagination run a bit, there are a myriad of methods which would enable simple content playback through a web browser. Of course, such a simple application will most likely never take the place of enterprise software solutions, but it does cut in on margins for those seeking the specific sign niche. So where are the revenues to come from in the future? Simple. Content, content delivery, and connectivity.
Utilizing Content-as-a-Service and providing connectivity and content delivery options for digital media may be where the industry heads in ten years. The hardware and software powering your digital display may come from existing consumer sources (especially for the mainstream customers) and open source content creation/scheduling tools for display on the web may replace the enterprise version(s) of current builds. As I have said previously:
We could easily apply marketing to the mainSTREAM to a river. It works only when we look at what are customers want and how they are reacting to our offerings. In any event, we must be like a flowing body of water to our customers and follow the path of least resistance. Where are we receiving resistance from our customers? Is it usability? Is it the high price, brought on by our excessive start-up costs? When it comes to the customer, follow the mainstream. This does not necessarily mean the path of least resistance for your company, but it will mean making the purchase and acceptance process by a customer as easy as falling off a log. Make it easy for them and revenues will most assuredly increase.
As the industry moves away from separation from other software providing companies, differentiation for products and services will be key. And, once most--if not all--sign software apps can boast the same functionality, the only other regularly changing aspect of the display will be refreshing content.
I'm sure you have been privy to the statement, "it costs $XXX to acquire a new customer and only $XX to retain a customer lost." Often a client lost is lost forever. No where did I see this more blatantly than when I was in the satellite/cable industry. What a fiasco! Cable had their "dish 'buy-back'" program and satellite television would give out free junk just to incite people to purchase. At one trade show we handed out over 180 car survival kits. I know several people purchased specifically for the survival kit alone. Cost of acquisition was high, but retention of those customers still continues.
In digital signage we're beginning to see similar occurrences. Signage software prices will continue to drop while usability and content creation tools continue to advance. Retention will most certainly need to be implemented into your game plan as the industry moves forward. Accordingly, such costs will need to be weighed against the many other costs of performing and managing any business.
Data Determinations Vary
Not only do costs of retention and acquisition vary from from industry to industry but they also vary within. Specifically, retention/acquisition costs vary by product, by company, and by strategy. I have heard it often stated that,
It takes 8 or 10 times more to acquire customers than it does to retain them.
Of course these numbers are going to range substantially across differing industries. For instance, the cost of retaining a Comcast cable customer probably has a much different retention ratio than say that of a financial services customer.
I feel it safe to interchange some vernacular here. "Easy" can also be synonymous with "cheap" when referring to customer retention programs. If customer retention in a specific industry is "easy," it most likely means cost of retention is somewhat low in comparison to trying to acquire a newbie.
The Numbers are Impossibly Calculated
If you had any idea how much it was costing you to develop, sell to and manage many of your accounts, you may become a bit nauseous. It's a costly proposition, but one in which is impossible to enumerate--especially as industries and products change and you become an industry-leader, hitting the masses. Often it may be impossible to see granularly who is leaving and who is coming on, especially as things are shaping up and happening so quickly. Forbes informs us:
Every company knows that it costs far less to hold on to a customer than to acquire a new one. That's why customer retention has become the Holy Grail in industries ranging from airlines to wireless.
Yet defecting customers are far less of a problem than customers who change their buying patterns. Today's typical metrics of customer satisfaction and defection don't tell a company how susceptible its customers are to changing their spending patterns.
Further still is the issue of customer loyalty. In recent years customer loyalty has declined substantial across many industries. This, coupled with increased competition, price wars, and acquisition tactics, make it more difficult than ever to keep a customer once you have them.
Because both acquisition costs as well as retention costs are so difficult to calculate, it raises the question, "is it really worth it to work on customer retention if I don't even know what the ratio is between it and acquisition?" Other rhetoric might include, "if retention is so important, how can I better implement a customer-retention program?" While these questions seem ethereal and subjective, they can often be the source of discussion which may lead to necessary asset redistribution. With that said, let's talk about some methodologies for customer retention, shall we?
Five Methods of Customer Retention
1. Addict them. How does a crack dealer ensure he keeps getting them to return, he addicts them. Give them a software package that fulfills all their needs, and then some. But, at the same time, make sure
2. Keep it coming. Make sure you keep impressing them. Give them a new feature now and again so they can say to themselves, "that is why I went with these guys." Give them a reason to believe.
3. Keep in contact. Let them know you really do care and that you are there to make their experience efficient and seamless.
4. Give them upgrade opportunities. This could include upgrades for both their sign software and their sign hardware.
5. Support, support, support. Need I say more here. The adage, "you get what you pay for" may apply very well in this instance.
As the market expands, entrants come and go, and the general discussion revolves around maturation rather than expansion, vendors will need to use tactical measures to recapture their piece of the pie.
Five Ways to Acquire New Customers
1. Let them hear "the sizzle, not the steak." Involve them in the "coolness" factor of your digital signage offering, not just the form and function.
2. Develop something remarkable, stand out, differentiate.
3. Lower your prices. While I am a big proponent of "value-added" selling, sometimes it is okay to lower your prices.
4. Pitch when they're vulnerable. I have spoken to several people who've been ready to switch to a new system because what they were using was "clunky and difficult."
5. Blog, get known and get your face in front of people.
Interestingly, we are not nearly close to the point of full maturation as an industry. We're simply sitting on the precipice of expansion--in a veritable state of prepubescence. But our growth spurt is happening under our noses. The focus now is acquisition and initial planning for retention down the road. It reminds me of what Geoffrey Moore once said, “You must get into a mainstream market segment soon, establishing long-term relationships with pragmatist buyers, for only through these can you control your own destiny.”
Acquisition Cost Issues
Why does so much venture capital need poured into nascent technologies? Simple. Acquisition, acquisition, acquisition (oh, and perhaps some development). Unfortunately the world does not always pay for knowledge or quality. Most often, it pays for recognition, action, and "perceived" quality. Why do so many organizations purchase partial products, only to find smaller companies can do it better and cheaper. They purchased the name, thinking the product was a real "winner." To reach an audience en-masse is sometimes exorbitantly expensive, unless you've been able to master social networking to the utmost. That's it, Tweet all day, message your Facebook friends, and talk to your peeps on Linkedin. The only problem there is that most of those you're connected with through those vehicles occupy the same niche you occupy. They are business partners, the competition, and those you need to sell to. They are not specific customers. How many niches will digital signage consume? It is very hard to tell, but its potential impact will be more far reaching when we focus on customer acquisition, through direct sales.
As many of you may have already noticed, I am an avid fan of Malcolm Gladwell's works. I have read all three of his books more than once. They are just so interesting. And, just when I think I've heard it all, he drops another bomb that blows my freaking mind! I have previously engrossed myself in The Tipping Point and Blink, two of his previous novels, but his most recent piece, Outliers was a shear winner--regardless of what interests you have. I had been meaning to read it for sometime. And, since finishing it, I have been meaning to write a post about it for even longer. Without further delay, here are some of my thoughts on the book...
The 10,000 Hour Rule
The piece of this book that caught my interest perhaps the most was the idea that full expertise is had at 10,000 hours. He uses both Bill Gates and the Beatles as examples of the 10,000 hour rule. It proves the previously stated truism that "that which we persist in doing becomes easier, not because the nature of the thing itself is changed, but because our ability to do is increased." This is true of any worthwhile endeavor we undertake. It just so happens that those who are most successful in their fields all had approximately 10,000 hours of hard-core exposure to their niche before they "broke out" so to speak.
Incidentally, after being illuminated by 10,000 hours, thus becoming a true expert, I wondered to myself, "if I could pick one thing to be an expert at, what would it be? What would I devote 10,000 hours of my life to? What would be my passion that I could pursue for 3 hours a day for 10 years?" I suppose I could use "digital signage," but does that mean we cannot become a 10,000 hour expert in more than one endeavor? Absolutely not.
Opportunity and the "Luck" of the Draw
Gladwell also argues that those who become true "outliers" have enormous, rare, and almost ridiculous opportunity given them in their family, schooling, and occupations that take them to the "next level" of success. He also talks about how time of birth has had more sway on some of the world's richest individuals than any other factor. He not only cites stories of the robber barons of the 19th century, but also refers to Bill Gates and other chief executives of the software explosion as lucky benefactors of their particular generation. And, not just their generation, but a birth-span of within 3 or 4 years. It is really amazing when you start looking at it.
Bill Gates in particular was an especially rare anomaly. His opportunity to learn and progress himself in the computer field well prior to Microsoft was amazing. And, as a result he had his 10,000 hours by the time he was at Harvard. Moreover, his timing with Microsoft couldn't have been better. Gladwell comments that success "is not exceptional or mysterious. It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."
Feeling Entitled?
As part of his argument, Gladwell writes that much of who we are is dependent on where we came from. It's not so much the tree, but the forest that influences the tree's progression. The author goes into immense detail about the different attitudes for raising children and how these attitudes cause children to grow into assertive adults, able to assume positions of authority and class not had by those who lack the assertive and entitlement attitude. Most of this type of assertive focus is had by those whose parents took active roles in implementing such attitudes into their behavior.
Mr. Gladwell himself, acknowledges the luck and opportunity in his own life as a descendant of West Indies' slaves. At the close of the novel Gladwell states that "Outliers wasn't intended as autobiography. But you could read it as an extended apology for my success."
