Via Gesturetek.com

Recently, the closet artist and designer in me led to a growing interest in the art of Data Visualization. It turns the usual bland data and graphs that we all run into as business professionals day to day into artistic visuals that are far more pleasing to the eye as well as attention getting. They are all over our media these days, from TV to online, and now, in the digital out of home / out of home words.

When the first of the new Sprint Network advertisements came out this year, the ability to show many different data in a fun and exciting way; there was no doubt that Sprint understood the effectiveness of data visualization, and the capabilities of them. Sprint utilized motion graphics and data visualization as their basis for their campaign and used them incredibly well.   They started to roll them out and blasted all the media with its goodness. “Welcome to the Now Network.” Some examples:

Of course, the discussion is not complete (at least in this site…), if it does not related it to the experiential marketing, mobile, out of home, and / or digital out of home world. The initial thought when these commercials aired on TV was “”how well or great this would work in these four medias…”

Well, it seems that Sprint and the agency thought the same way, as Digital Signage Insights covers in its Inwindow Outdoor Launches Sprint Interactive Storescapes, as well as well as GestureTek’s work. Between these two: the overall campaign is a culmination of what is possible today in the D / OOH, Mobile, and interactive worlds, and an absolutely stunning use of media, content, integration strategies, and ad planning and buying to hit us in all senses.

Whether Sprint and their Palm Pre can beat out the duopolies that are At&T / Verizon, and the IPhone / BlackBerry is yet to be determined (and probably still not doable at the end of the day unfortunately..), but with such a great campaign; there is no doubt Spint has turned some heads and gained at least some market share from the two-headed monsters.

So far, in 2009: the award in the mobile advertising category no doubt goes to Sprint and their agency.

Anyway, @metaioUSwas kind enough to tweet an Excellent example of the message the previous post tried to convey (thanks you very much also!), which was Augmented Reality’s potential in the Digital Out of Home / Out of Home spaces in addition to the other media /  advertising spaces. Anyway, without further a due; watch how LEGO is utilizing AR in a retail store. Perfect example of Augmented Reality meets DOOH!

The point is; it is definitely possible to capture eyes or Impressions just with high quality motion graphics or video content without the use of audio. The top huncho of ArtisanLive sent a link to their YouTube page a while ago, and there are some good examples of this concept. Following are two strong example:

Concord “nCAPSULE” Attractor Loop

Heineken – Experiential Digital Signage Award Winner

Disclaimer: No speakers were injured in the making of this post.

Setting up the Basis:

We live in a world of Screens these days. Whether it’s our computer screens at the office, or the 42″+ HD flat screens at our homes; screens/displays have become a routine part of our daily lives.

Digital Out-of-Home is based on the premise that networks, or locations provide such screens outside of the home or office, and therefore can reach viewers/consumers when they are out of these elements. Simple enough… But was has been the problem with DOOH in the past? One may say that it is the lack of Interactivity, or the difficulty to  Engage. One may also say that DOOH at times has a difficult time being Relevant; after all, demographical data are great and certainly helpful, but let’s be honest, just because a certain demographic is dominant at a network or location, that does not necessarily mean you are hitting everyone you want to, supposed to, or even, claim to.  

Let’s think about it this way. What makes Google’s Search engine and Adwords/AdSense so efficient and hard to deny as a buy? You type in a term (Interaction with a screen and keyboard), and the results instantly shows up on the screen (Engagement thru providing results the viewer seeks), then you click on the links/ads that are most likely to lead to the information you are seeking (Relevancy).

In DOOH, you do not “type in,” but rather, “walk in.” When you walk into a store or a mall, you are, indeed searching for potential goods, information, and/or offers as you would when you are online. Even when you are at a life style venue/location, there are such opportunities as well, where your purpose might not have been to search for such factors, but may still be really glad that you are made aware of such products, information, and offer, which this in itself is the “Art of Targeting” in the DOOH, and in any other media/advertising/branding worlds. 

Mobile and DOOH Integration:

Completely jacked from digitalsignageexpo.net, and looks to be: Ad Space Networks

The integration of Mobile and DOOH is not anything new actually. Before DOOH “blew up” in the recent years, there has been countless campaigns that integrated Mobile with Out-of-Home/printed creatives. In this sense, as much of OOH continues to evolve into DOOH, this continued partnerships between the medias obviously makes sense. Ultimately, both medias may have actually needed each other to be effective all along.

Mobile, by it nature, is an entity that is “moving” and usually outside of the home or office. It is likely that you would use a computer over your mobile phone if both were available to you simply because of the speed of information access, but more relevant to this subject, because of the screen size. Mobile, also by its nature, have horribly small screens. It is definitely harder to read and navigate the information thru these screens.  

DOOH, by its nature, is an entity that provides large, readable, and more attention-getting screens while the viewers are “moving” around. Hit them with the right content at the right time and place; it is far more likelier that it would grab the attention of the viewer. Also, by its nature, Digital screens/displays are just that, a screen or display. There are no keyboards around for viewers to interact with the digital signages for the most part.

At the end of the day, it’s all about placing viewers in their element and comfort zones. Simple advertising and retail psychologies would state that when viewers/customers are more comfortable in the element or environment; they are more likelier to be receptive to an advertisement or offer. Simply put, people like the ability to see what is going on, but they definitely also like their privacy and the ability to opt-in for more information as well; bascially, “choice is a good.” The problem with DOOH has been the lack of ability for viewers to opt-in, and the viewers are at times being force fed content and advertising. On the other hand, the problem with Mobile (and what has limited mobile media’s future so far) is the issue of privacy, as people do not like being tracked, and also being force fed content thru technologies such as Bluetooth or GPS. Even when they do opt-in, mobile creatives/content can be pretty bad and strategies/timing; simply annoying. 

But put the Mobile and DOOH medias together; these issues become far less so, and helps to promote creative, new, and cool ways to engage the viewers and consumers (such as gaming, and socia media), helps with measurement (keyword is: “helps” as mobile will never be able to tell the Full story in terms of results or measurement by itself in DOOH), increase relevancy of content, and interactivity overall becomes less of an issue as well. Think mobiles as the keyboards (w/small screens that can display actually relevant and useful things like coupons and simple updates AFTER the info is promoted through the DS screens and opted-in for), and Digital signage as the Computer screens. Put this all together and this ultimately places the viewers and consumers at a very similar comfort levels as when they are using their personal computers. 

It was never really a choice, but rather, a matter of time.

Web and DOOH Integration:

The web is intertwined with our daily lives so much so that, I personally can’t imagine a day or world without it; although this could be more of a personal problem compared to some. Issue related to the web is that you need a computer. Yes, there are Netbooks coming out these days that make the issue of “Mobility” less so, but honestly, they are still pretty big, and no where near compares to mobile’s sizes. Again, mobile web simply is not that good for couple of  reasons. 

There are a Lot of great things going online in terms of content and interaction and usually sets the blueprints in which Mobile and DOOH tries to emulate to make them their own. The key thing that attaches the Web with DOOH is content and factors such as social media, which helps in terms of interaction, engagement and perhaps most importantly, giving viewers a real/true voice and the sense that they are a part of the content; not the walking targets of content. Illustrated is an example of a Wiffiti screen that was created last week. The background of the screen may look familiar: It is from a previous post, where DS at the new Yankee Stadium was covered in this blog. Between the Tweets, web/text messages, and Flickr images that were automatically attached and rotated around the screen by the LocaModa program, this screen certainly elevates the quality and “interesting/fresh-ness” of the photo. This was not for a specific network or a screen, but you should be able to get the idea here in terms of the potential and what web content and capabilities can do for Digital Out-of-Home/signage content. Replace the photo with a product shot, a company logo, or what have you, and you get the idea; or at least, I would hope you do. Networks, such as Danoo, swear by web content/capabilities as well (also have tried their system), as Flickr and YouTube dominates the content of their network, and are posted by individuals from their own computers. At the end of the day, people like “realness,” helping with the “comfort” psychology factor, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to get their individual “2 seconds of fame.” 

From personal experiences, such utilization of the web (and social media) were not used as much they should be in many DOOH networks, but the power and potentials of the Web and DOOH is starting to gain true momentum, and should also be seen as an eventuality, rather than an option.

The Question is:

Were Mobile and Web medias really just options for DOOH?? or Were we simply just heading towards a world and future all along where the lines of these “different” medias blurred to the point where the “line” itself was ultimately destined to disappear?

YES – Chris Marjoram, managing director, IPM Any medium that increased its ad sales by as much as digital out-of-home in 2008 has to be considered a success. Digital will enable out-of-home to further increase its market share as it allows the advertiser to create a new relationship with the consumer. Digital can both inform and entertain, as well as deliver messages in real time, which wasn’t possible before. By enhancing standard outdoor plans with a digital element, we anticipate overall budgets will increase rather than shrink. Clearly, the economic downturn will slow the tremendous rate of investment in the medium, but digital will still offer advertisers more rounded solutions than before. Outdoor is now the most exciting medium to be in and digital is a key reason for this.

NO – Ivan Clark, director of digital and creative solutions, Kinetic Last year was undoubtedly the year of digital out-of-home and 2009 will again deliver big revenue increases to sales companies that invested wisely in the medium. However, it will only account for about 10% of out-of-home budgets. Although the capital’s commuter is well covered with digital on the transport network and roadside – with some notable exceptions – it’s too focused on London. You can’t reach a mass audience with digital out-of-home outside the M25. Research proving the increased impact of the medium has been scant. Sales directors have not delivered the required flexibility, while planners have been slow to exploit the potential. Additionally, creatives have not always fully understood the new mechanics.

YES – Tim Sapsford, managing director, Meridian Outdoor Exploring new digital developments in the out-of-home sector – and getting them right – was always going to involve some trial and error. In the past two years, we have seen rapid progress. Building on early successes like Transvision, clients can now access a significant portion of London Underground digitally with CBS’s Alive plant; central London’s busiest roads with JCDecaux and Clear Channel’s LED 48 sheets, as well as the major rail termini and shopping malls. Every study I’ve seen shows that screens improve consumers’ experience and brand perception, while driving impressive recall figures. My only disappointment with digital out-of-home is seeing it used in traditional two-week posting cycles. The medium offers ultimate flexibility and it’s crying out to be exploited.

NO – Arum Nixon, associate director outdoor, radio and press, MediaVest A few years on from the coming of the digital revolution in outdoor and the initial novelty is finally wearing off for consumers and advertisers alike. This is all part of a positive process as the market matures, but what does it leave us with? There have been success stories, predominantly in higher dwell-time environments – CBS’s ongoing £35m investment on the Underground being an example. But even here, we are still just scratching the surface of understanding the true value of the media and how best to maximise its potential. It is in roadside where digital outdoor is still finding its feet. There are still just a handful of digital sites, with the usual London myopia. There are some great examples of digital outdoor being used to its full potential. But we are still a long way off the level of understanding or critical mass to be able to plan and buy an effective national digital outdoor campaign. 

Ok, so there are usually two sides of every story and that just makes for good conversation. But, if you are in the industry, or know anything about advertising, you may have really noticed who said “Yes,” and who said “No.” If you are still not aware, or new to advertising; here’s the breakdown. The two “NO”s both come from 2 of the Top Ad Agencies in OOH/DOOH space,  while the two “Yes”s come from OOH/DOOH Media Asset Holders. And clearly, there is work to be done as the Agencies’ perspectives are not the most positive, this is not old news to most of us.

In plain English, here’s how this all works. Media Asset Holders (I have mentioned this term before here, so might as well explain now) are the ones who represent the networks/media assets, or owns these outright. These “Holders” present the media and assets to the Ad Agencies, whom represent the Brands, and also as the Buyers in this space. There are times where the Holders will go directly to the Brands themselves, but ultimately, the Ad Agencies bring in the “Big business” most of the time. A bit of “how this all works 101″ for those of you that are not familiar with this process/differences.  Anyway, it is interesting to see the clear differences / contrasts between the  opinions here. Is this because the Media Holders obviously have to have a bias point of view? Obviously positive perception helps. Or, is it that the Agencies still don’t get the medium or “protecting” the budgets? Maybe, some are still “traditionalist,” but they should Always “protect” the budgets with only the best intentions for the brands they represent. I think somewhere in the middle of the “Yes”s and “No”s is the real actual answer to the question: ”Is digital out-of-home meeting expectations?”

YES and NO – Christian, Chief Blabber Mouth, Justoutofhome.com

Yes: in the sense that 2008 was indeed a boon for the Digital Out-of-Home industry. Much of the technologies evolved at a rapid pace last year. Many networks were born, and existing ones continued on with their development and maturity. More importantly, the previous issues related to metrics and measurements; ROI, are finally starting to get figured out and certainly on the forefront at the present time. Interactivity has increased as well. The DOOH media overall is still at its infancy, but has excellent Potentials in the long-term.

No: In the sense that, the key word in the first answer is “potentials.” Critical aspects such as “metrics and measurements; ROI” has not been standardized yet, and potentially, never will be. In general though, these critical factors will get to a point where they are as solid as they can be, as they are in the “competing” mediums as well, thus making the buy process increasingly more logical, accurate, and sensible. It is also agreeable that the issues of “creatives” or content strategies have not reach their optimal levels. There are only a few “experts” in the industry whom understands how to create effective content for the Digitial Out-of-Home medium, and safe to say, these few individuals / companies will lead the charge on this front and experience a sudden increase in growth when the issue of content really comes to the forefront. Lastly, I believe the Apex of the industry will be reach when Measurement, Content (as well as issues like placement, layout, etc.), and Interactivity are all combined together effectively. Mobile, and even, some online mediums are helping to set the basis in terms of providing Integration and Interactivity as we speak, but there remains much more experiments to do, and social, direct response, and touch/kiosk technologies will also help on this front as well.

In order to have “Expectations” on a media, one must have a solid idea on what the media actually is, in conjunction with the media having been matured almost fully itself. This question is like asking, “Is your 5 year old child meeting your Expectations in terms of what you are hoping for his or her life?” It is just too early to tell. But as stated before, DOOH has excellent potentials to become an undeniable media; especially if all involved parties do their parts and well. If not, yes, it certainly could become a “flavor of the month” media. But overall, there is enough of a basis that exists today for buyers to consider spending their budgets on DOOH if the audience opportunities and rates are right.

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.

Making great digital signage content: A quick reference guide:

• Making great digital signage content: The serial position effectPlace your most important messages at the beginning and the end of your list. Introduce the first item on the list at a slower speed, and leave enough time at the end for people to remember the last item. If possible, choose your two best messages and get rid of the rest.
• Making great digital signage content: Get better recall with chunking and codingGroup key phrases or concepts together — batches of three usually work nicely. Repeat important words and phrases 2-3 times in a row for reinforcement. Consider using alliteration and rhyme, since people are trained to respond well to these patterns.
• Making great digital signage content: Optimize for context and eliminate distractionsUse imagery and symbols that are relevant to the viewer. These should make sense based on the tasks viewers will be looking to complete when they see your screens. Be careful when including images that are very attention-grabbing, like people’s faces and pictures of babies. These can easily divert attention from your core message.
• Making great digital signage content: Crafting your copy and call-to-actionKeep your text simple and clear. When writing your call-to-action, start it with a verb, keep the verb and subject close together, and either leave the call-to-action on screen the whole time, or show it several times per spot.
• Making great digital signage content: Sorting out font faces, sizes and stylesUse sans-serif fonts and large font sizes so that viewers can read your message at-a-glance. Don’t use too many fonts in a single piece of content, and don’t go overboard with colored text. Avoid writing in all caps.
• Making great digital signage content: Does color matter?Choosing one color over another rarely has any impact on the success of your content. So, pick colors that meet your business and stylistic goals, e.g. those that match the color schemes of your venues or advertisers.
• Making great digital signage content: Use contrast to your advantageMore contrast between foreground and background is a good thing. A minor change like increasing the contrast by 10% can make the content easier to read, and recognizable to a much larger audience.
• Making great digital signage content: Motion, silhouettes and animationUse motion selectively: you don’t want to interfere with readability or comprehension. Give people enough time to read the text, and don’t move your text around abruptly. When you’re animating an element, try to pick something that has a strong and easily-identifiable silhouette. Consider keeping your logo and other important features on the screen at all times, without excess motion.
• Making great digital signage content: Composing shots and scenesRemember that digital signs have more in common with posters than with TV. Match up your text and visuals, and treat each slide like it’s a stand-alone poster. Use visual transitions to link related slides within a larger piece of content.

Making great digital signage content: Motion, silhouettes and animation

1. Just because you can make it move doesn’t mean that you should. Chances are, the out-of-home environment where your digital screens are located already has a lot of visual clutter. This is true for retail stores, health clubs, airports and practically everywhere else. Adding motion to multiple screen elements may not make them any more noticeable or visible from a distance. So far we’ve only found this to be true in very cluttered environments, but you’ll have to try it in your own venues to be sure.
2. Don’t let motion interfere with readability or comprehension. This one’s easy: if you’re relying on text to get your message across, and the motion you’ve added makes the text harder to read, your content’s performance is going to suffer.
3. You get only 1.5 – 3 seconds of full attention for glance media. Thus, any period when important text or other critical message components are off the screen is potentially a missed opportunity to connect.
4. Leave enough time to read the text. Don’t trust your own judgment — if you’re the designer, find somebody who hasn’t seen the content before and make them read it. If they can’t read your message at least three times in the alloted amount of time, either take out some text or leave it on screen longer.
5. Treat moving text like it’s not there at all. I’m not talking about a slight jiggle or flash here and there, but if you have content whirring across the screen from left to right, nobody’s going to be able to read it — or at least, not all of it. So if you really want to make sure there’s enough time to read your text, don’t count your transition times towards the amount of time you’re leaving it on screen.
6. Motion on the periphery is more subtle than motion in the middle of the field of view. A small animation on the border of your screen will exaggerate the eye’s natural left-to-right sweeping motions as it reads along. Putting animation in the middle of the screen next to text will pull the eye away from the text during these natural eye motions, which are known as saccades.
7. The most important features of your spot should be static. If you have an easily-recognized or well known logo, a common catch phrase or slogan, or some trademark imagery, keep it on screen for the full length of the clip. That way, even people who don’t get the chance to see the clip in its entirety will still be able to associate what they’ve seen with your brand or core message.

Content for Digital Signage: Motion and the Infamous Ticker (Those of you who know me, know my stance on them Tickers… Anyway, some key finding from the CNN’s use of Tickers; I like case studies. BUT read this entire post as well)

So “that’s about it.” ~ You’ll have a lot of reading to do, and will need even more time to take it all in and actually execute these principles, but whether you are on the DS side, or the Ad side, the basis of content creation starts right here.