Archive for March 25, 2009
Bring on the Noise! Delving into the Issue of Audio Content in DOOH
I read an article about today about the “Voice for Signage” today in conjunction with a little discussion with @TexanAtHeart, which totally reminded me that a critical component of DOOH has not been discussed here yet. This is the controversial subject of “Audio.” I’ll related this to the Digital Out-of-Home / Advertising worlds as it seems to be the space(s) where this topic is the most “sensitive,” and is also what I know. There are actually 3 perspectives to think about, which I believe kind of ties in together:
1. The Agency Perspective: It is well known in the OOH/DOOH circle that agencies; even those specializing in these fields, still view DOOH similarly to broadcast television. In this sense, having audio capabilities becomes a natural expectation for the brand they represent, as well as the strategists/planners, and buyers.
2. The Media Holders/Networks: In the DOOH, or the Digital Out Of Home Advertising world, the obvious and ultimate objective is to generate revenue from advertising, so they must cater to the desires of the brands and agencies, and not having audio could make a Digital Signage Network highly unattractive. At the same time, I’ve also seen resistance from the networks and/or franchises themselves due to the belief that having audio is a disruptive force in their business environment. So there is a fine line even between the Media Holders and networks themselves.
3. And this is the kicker; The Employees at the locations where the signage and audio are placed & played: No matter what the location or business is, there are always employees working in them for hours at a time. Simply put; when Audio, including product/service announcements or music is on a loop for a long time (I’ve seen as long as a 1 month and as short as a 2 hour loop), this can simply bore them, or even drive them Crazy. I’ve heard the complaints from store managers and associates themselves several times over. What do they do? They simply just turn the audio off, which is a constant compliance issue in ad delivery terms. Employees also know that they won’t get cut for turning the audio off; nor should they. That’s just harsh, and an over-reaction on the management part.
So what do we have here? Brands and agencies want audio, and that makes sense. Media holders and networks need to have audio most of the time to make the network desirable, so that also makes sense. But then again, employee don’t want the same audio content to be bashed into their heads over and over again; Definitely understandable, and could be perceived as some form of sick Chinese water torture.
In a serious sense, bad Audio content could probably have a detrimental effect on employee performance, and in fact, the sales revenues themselves; there’s got to be a study on this some where… I think there are few things that need to be questioned in relation to the topic of “Audio content in DOOH” and all the parties involved:
1. Is audio really necessary to get the brand’s message out there? There are tons of great and powerful visual content that can even have a better effect / outcome.
2. Is audio be fitting to your network’s environment? If the thought is that audio is disruptive, you must have the guts to say “no thanks,” and that is in the best interest of the overall business. There are prices to pay either way, so this is sometimes a choice between the lesser of two “evils,” I suppose.
3. If audio is to be a part of the content offering in a network; and this is Ideal, Has the Audio Content Strategy been well thought out and planned as much as factors like network deployment, ad sales, and visual content strategies? The keywords here are probably “Refreshing Audio Content.” If the audio content is fresh and new as frequently as possible, then it is less likely that employees will be dissatisfied and the issue of compliance becomes less so. Maybe employee and consumers will even actually enjoy it!
Ultimately, Audio Content strategy is some thing that has not been discussed much, but if strategized and executed right; yes, it is critical component in offering up a more fuller message /communication, and more importantly; Everyone is happy! If it is considered as a “side note,” it could be as intensely bad for a network, as it could be intensely good when produced in the correct manner.
