Archive for March, 2009
Nike: Just Do Out-of-Home(Just DO-OH?)
Simply on the list of “I wish I was involved..,” here is Nike’s Out-of-Home campaign / installation / billboard promoting the effectiveness of their “Dri-Fit” technology. Very eye catching! Brought to you by Scholz & Friends: Stockholm. Just good old pure Out-of-Home! Do it! or keep spending $$$s on it~
Add comment March 13, 2009
Elvis(s) IS Alive! and Running a Muck on Segways
So, the agreement with the previous company was that “Rule 1 of OOH club is”: I’m not really supposed to talk about the stuff I did. Bit weird I know.. Can’t delete it out of my head or anything.. Anyway, the way I figure is, if it’s on YouTube; It’s open game! So here is something I had the pleasure of costing out. It was a street promotion campaign promoting the DVD release of Anchor Bay’s Elvis: The Series. We had guys dressed as Elvis, put them in Segways, and they rolled around all over the place handing out flip books of Elvis doing his move (the Shake; Not the sandwich eating..!), and obviously were photo ops for many pedestrians out there. Lime Media was hired to execute and it was a pretty well received one overall. Had a lot of those flip books in the office, so me and my co-workers chucked them at each other. What else would we do with them? Anyway, enjoy it! May be one of the only “Mr. Christian-Involved” campaign I’m going to post; allowed or not.
Add comment March 13, 2009
Flexible Digital Touch Displays = Foaming at the Mouth
Kidnapped from Wired.com
Busy boggy day. We are now going ahead a couple of years to the future. Speaking of the futurisfic ongoings (and before some Candians come down to smack me upside the head), here is something that is truly cool and will be revolutionary in the Digital Out-of-Home/Digital Signage industries; a digital display that is flexible and with touch capability. We just have to think the picture above and make it, oh, I don’t know.. 40″ or so larger? I think that sounds about right. The thought and potentials of Flexible Placement in combination with the Interactivity factor? Truly “foam” worthy. The U.S. Army invested about $44 Mil so far to research this technology, so you know it will be coming to the consumers’ way within a certain amount of time. Usually takes awhile for military tech to emerge into our daily lives though… But wait; if you call today, you can find out what companies like HP and Samsung are working on! HP is working on with the same group that is working on the Army project; obviously researching the consumer display applications and potentials. Samsung is working on applying Flex displays into their mobile phones. I’m scared to think how much this will cost at the beginning, and apparently it is at least 3 years away, but considering the “earth-shattering” effect Flex displays would have on the DOOH/DS And our daily lives; 3 to 5 years doesn’t seem like a long wait at all. Hey! Google Maps can actually look and feel like a map! Marker-sized Net PCs and mobile phones. Video chat/call simply by rolling the display and click. Navigation screens on the car windshields; not projected. Applications seem endless.
By 2020, I have a feeling we will see these Flex Touch Displays Everywhere. We’ll see, but I’m marking the date starting today.
Add comment March 12, 2009
Great Point of Purchase Displays / Horrible Website
I’m being a YouTube bandit these days, and ran into this fantastic in-window/see-through POP display; not sure what to call this really, and wish the content could be shown on both sides.. The displays below are brought to you by Modernistic Inc. (No; again, I’m not getting paid for this..no one’s paying me actually.. sad), and I believe they are also behind the Virtual Best Buy Standee (Mr. Flanigan??) that is getting a lot of press and discussions going in the recent days. Both are “Modernistic” in indeed, and I love everything simple, modern, and futuristic looking, so these two fall right in line with the type of things I like. What is Not so “Modernistic” is their website, which is “lame-nistic”… Hey Modernistic; hit me up! I would love to redesign your website to match the awesome technologies and warez you guy are pushing. Anyway, enjoy!
PLEASE: Stop watching at 1:42 Mark of the video. This is not to be served as an ad!
The guy’s arms’ pretty stiff, but pretty cool regardless.
1 comment March 12, 2009
Google Gone Out-of-Home
Dug this up from the “Tube” today. Here is Google’s Out-of-Home campaign in Germany promoting their online video service. Very “low-tech” and the creative is pretty simple as well considering it is for the king of web search, but it certainly seems to get the point accross, and would deem this a success in just looking at the people viewing and interacting with it. This is ever-changing content if I ever saw one. Keep sending us that Google cash!
Add comment March 11, 2009
To be a Vertical Digital Signage, or Not to be a Vertical Digital Signage, That is the Question; – Christian Shakespeare
Pic Source: Engadget
No. This post is not about some Elizabethan tragedy, but rather a simple question posed to me by Paul Flanigan of the blog, ”Experiate,” a.k.a “Master of Brand Comm” at Best Buy. Question posed was:
“wondering what the preferred orientation for DS is in a store. Horizontal/Landscape, or Vertical/Portait? And why?”
Then I replied:
“I’m going with Both:depending 1st on the space for the placement then the creative, although Horizontal is def. more common.” Paul replied back with the “catch” of the question;
“but if you had a choice, all things equal, which would you use? why?”
Oooh, he just made it a Lot tougher in 14 words… especially considering what I am used to is the Horizontal setup in terms of Digital Out-of-Home networks. Had to think about this one and go back to basics / make it relate-able to what I know / my likes and dislikes. First, I know this is a question that has been asked a lot before. Second, I also know that there are far more knowledgeable people on this subject whom have tackled / answered the question related to this issue. What seems to have resulted through all the discussions and thoughts seems to be the preference for the Horizontal layout/setup of Digital Signage; for the most part that is, and also realizing that not All signage and networks are setup in this manner. So, one must assume that the Horizontal setup is the agreed upon layout. Then I asked myself, “Why is this?” Like I said, out of the 27 or so networks I worked with, and more networks I know of are set up in the horizontal manner. Is it because the TVs in our homes are also horizontal and we don’t want to trick up the viewers’ eyes, or attention? Is it because the creatives / information looks or fits better? Or maybe, a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B. But ultimately, this can’t be, as we know the Vertical setup can communicate just as effectively as the horizontal.
Media such as posters, wall postings, handouts, or what have you all worked as mediums of communication and these all have a vertical layout (as do some digital signages). I can’t give Paul a definite or scientific reasoning behind why the more common horizontal setup is used, or why it is considered “better,” but I guess I can share my own perspective on this. From my point of view; if all things being equal and I had to chose one, I would go with the Vertical setup. I always liked the way computer screens are setup and looked in a vertical manner. They are also better when scrolling of the page is involved. The newspapers and book I read are also printed in the same manner. In this sense, I think readability and information flow can actually be better in a vertical layout, and it is actually the format we are more used to in this sense. Of course, this is taking away the TV factor, but I’m under the impression that DS and DOOH is try to separate as much as possible from “TV” in many senses.., is it not?
As I stated to Paul before (and taking the whoosy way out), at the end of the day, I think both layouts definitely have a place, but if I had to choose one; I would take the vertical because of one (or two) issue(s). We’re going back to the issues related to Content Development & Changing the Agency Metality/Perception of and on DOOH. It seems that within the “circle” of DS /DOOH (at least in the “circle” of Twitter), people know what makes good content and what does not regardless of vertical or horizontal screens. On the “outer rim” though, it seems that re-purposing of TV creatives (ads or otherwise) is still the preferred and “convenient” method of content creation. Simply put; going Vertical could force people to rethink the way content is budgeted and created, and somewhere in the middle of all this, not only may the industry finally get some real/serious brainstorms and production budgets to make the content more relevant and effective; but also change the way Digital Signage and Digtal Out-of-Home are perceived overall. I guess who can always go the the experts to create your content as well, but I believe these potentials are the best, and perhaps one of the only reason why I would choose the vertical layout compared to the commonly used horizontal setup; again, IF I had to pick one.
Particularly related to BestBuy’s case (and this I was not asked about), I would also choose the vertical layout because I think you can get the same, if not, similar capabilities as the horizontal setup, yet fit more information such as product shots, or specifications, and all this info may read easier/better. When Touch Digital Screens become more feasible (and they will eventually), and the interactivity factors such as scrolling and having the ability to comparison shop/have multiple results become more critical; I also think the vertical layout may work better at stores like BestBuys. Yes, we are trying to “get away” from the perception of being just TVs outside of the home, but I think what we are really trying to get to is being in the middle of having the perception of TV + the Interactivity/Instantaneous-ness of the Web actually. At least this is what I see as the ultimate goal / future of DS and DOOH industries.
If someone could give Paul and myself a better and more “scientific” reason(s) to why the Horizontal layout is utilized more; Great! If you disagree or find this blasphemous; Even better! I like being a “rebel without a clue.” It would serve as proof that the free world and thinking still exists somewhere out there somewhere anyway.
Add comment March 10, 2009
Going Social, Mobile, User Created Content, Digital Out-of-Home (any other “tag words”?)
(Provided by DailyDOOH.com : I was told to "jack away" this photo)
So with DSE finished and those whom attended finally starting to get over their hangovers (from the Expo, and otherwise), a lot has been covered by various sources, and with great success. One thing that struck me last week was a screenshot I saw from the Expo. It was the perfect inspirational shot in terms of thinking about how to illustrate the use and integration of social media, mobile media, and Digital Out-of-Home. A little “Tweety” bird chirped, and the photo on the left pop into my attention. Surprise, surprice.. Look who integrated Social, Mobile, and DOOH; LocaModa; You know? The company that “seamlessly extends brands to large consumer audiences by connecting them to additional screens, mobile phones, and social networks…” (per their website), and the recent winner of the DOOH award? Displaying at DSE was a perfect place to show the potentials of integrating these medias into the DOOH / Out of Home worlds. Here is the case in point where user created content can really be used to engage the viewers. As I write this, something else was made aware to me, as apparently, LocaModa and Danoo already started to test a partnership between the mobile and DOOH world in a serious way, and many of screens couple of months ago. The details are on this PRelease LocaModa Campaign Reveals Most Interactive US Cities. I also stated to the person who forward this to me to “keep exploring the mobile options: as I said, this (mobile and DOOH) is a natural marriage between the medias I think. Touchscreens are still way too expensive and due to the screen placement factor (which will always exist in DOOH), mobile will have to be used as the channel of Immediate Interaction for the foreseeable future. ” That’s some sort of fancy talk, especially considering it’s coming from me under the spell of cold medicine. This is certainly not anything fancy or new for the “insiders,” as even I worked on campaigns that incorporated mobile and DOOH / OOH for years. But the point is, social and mobile media certainly has a place in the Digtal Out-of-Home / OOH world, and is not some sort of gimick as some may think. Social, mobile, and DOOH /OOH medias can truly work together to create some interesting content, and really engage the viewers to feel like they are Part of the message, not just the Targets of the messages. I see this not as a option, but an eventuality in the sectors, where gaming (“notorious” for its ability to engage the user / viewer; one of my favorite pasttime) will also be an important factor as the industry continues to evolve. As the integration and content strategies continue to evolve on these fronts, it will only help to capture more eyes; and fingers as well I guess.
Disclaimer: Justoutofhome.com does not represent, nor is paid by DailyDOOH, LocaModa, or Danoo; Although they probably Should be now. 
Add comment March 4, 2009
“What We Have Here is a Failure to Create Good Content and Placement” – Christian “F. Kennedy”
So by today (3/2/09) most “industry insiders” know that Tesco TV, considered one of the ”OGs” of Digital Out of Home, is indeed and officially shutting down. This is actually not “new” news, as this was foreseen by a few folks with the insight and knowledge on the matter. Not going into the journalistic detail here, as there are far better articles on this subject. What I will state is that there were couple of different reasons / theories on why the demise of Tesco TV occurred, but I read something that aligns with what I also and truly believe to be the reason for the destruction of this European DOOH monster: quality of content and placement. Yes, I’m back here to do my part to shed light on the importance of these two IMPORTANT factors; especially with content quality… AGAIN! Did I mention that the blog sixteen-nine.net is one of the blogs I personify with the most? Well, I did, and I do. Mr. Dave Haynes’ “Tesco shuts down retail TV, confirms crappy concepts don’t work” pretty much states what I would have and saved me some typing strength, so you should read it, amongst the other more “formal” articles on this subject. It’s really BIG news.. What really hit home was the following:
Bagging these big. mass footprint stores for ad or promotion networks would seem like a really great opportunity, but if the screen placement and content plan is flawed, and the capital costs to roll the thing out very large, it’s a very risky venture.
Indeed… It seems that many are still having a difficult time “multi-tasking” on these two issues, but realize that BOTH are just as important as IT stability / flexibility, dwell time, and measurability. In fact, I’ll go further in saying all 5 factors need to be strategized, planned, and executed in sync with each other; otherwise, you simply don’t have an appealing Digital Out-of-Home Network (Ad ones, or otherwise). Media holders: stop pitching your networks and “wares” for a sec; time to go through massive reviews of your networks! If it doesn’t seem up to par; go to the people / companies who will get your networks up to par. There are tons of ‘em on Twitter to start with. If not, you will simply be the next ones on the firing line. Ultimately, if your network is not thought out fully, what you will have is a “failure to communicate..;” to your audience that is…
Add comment March 2, 2009
