Posts filed under ‘Digital Signage Software & Solutions’
Holograms That Will Make Hungry Models Go Even More Hungry (PG-13)
No, seriously (and Just Kidding Next agency gals; don’t kill me!); we’ll still need those beauties. But here is what a fashion store is doing to get attention to their window display. A Holographic model trying on their warez instead of the usual and perhaps boring mannequins. Observe all the “eyes-on” they are getting. Obviously, this type of technology/display has a lot of implecations in the DS/DOOH world in terms of delivery and content creation. I personally thought this tech was still far away, but it seems that is it more reality, rather than fiction. Very cool stuff, dig the song.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
We’re All at the Digital Signage Expo: Via Twitter that is! “Content Day” through @DailyDOOH’s Tweets
Twitter’s great for many things, and it is also great that many involved in Digital Signage / Out of Home are Tweeting about the 2009 Digital Signage Expo. If you are like me; you are not in Las Vegas this week. But why pay for the ticket, the hotel and the plane ride, while also risking a serious hang-over and some Blackjack money; especially when you can get a backstage pass to all the critical events and happenings from straight from Twitter! No, honestly, I might be a bit jealous that I can’t attend this year, but thanks to some good peeps, it sure feels like we are all there. Personally, I was very much interested in what would come out the one of the first events at DSE that was to be Content Day.. As I Twitttered today, it didn’t seem like much was accomplished for the most part, although two presentations / and some content sounded like they Really stood out from most and were Excellent. Did the message about the importance in content for DOOH get through? That remains to be seen, and I have my reservations… But here is “Content Day” brought to you by DailyDOOH.com. Thanks guys, and Great job so far!
- Le DailyDOOH arrivee Las Vegas
- Not surprisingly an early rise in Las vegas, looking fwd to today’s content day enorrmously (some gr8 speakers lined up)
- DailyDOOH is online, front row at Content day, sitting next to, on my left Bill Gerba and Manolo Almagro
- Richard Lebovitz has officially opened the content day with a brief iintroduction. It’sa full house w/folks standing at the back of the room
- Laura Davis Taylor is moderator for the day and is now on the podium
- I don’t understand this first presentation
- this is a good idea – several companies showing how they would have pitched if there was a brief for a Samsung NC10 notebook advert
- Julie’s advert was much better than the first one but could probably have been half as long – again scarily played out bit like a TV ad
- so far have not been that impressed with any of the 3 adverts – typical agencies who have not though this thru FULLY
- i’m sorry but some of the content we have seen has been truly awful
- Please let this be the last !!!! Thank god it is. Laura is back on stage, summarising the 4 creative briefs that we have seen
- Unless this day improves I am going to take the BLUE PILL and hide my head under the pillow
- PLEASE- if the audience listen to some of the advice being dished out here, content is gonna be set back another 5 years
- THIS IS NOT TELEVISION
- Manolo writing more detailed post covering the 1st session ‘DSE 2009 “Content Day” Session: Interpreting the Creative Brief ” we believe
- Bill Gerba is up next – looking fwd to this one ’7 Proven strategies for better digital signage results”
- put your important text at the beginning and at the end
- pre-order, repetition, alliteration, the rule of ’3′
- taglines = keep em short and memorable
- top 10 slogans of the 20th centry just been shown on screen!!
- craft a call to action – a call to action should be on the screen all the time (could NOT agree more with this|!!!!!!)
- use google Adwords to help you craft calls to action
- fontogtaphy 101 – don’t mix font types, don’t use ALL CAPS, don’t stack lines
- now Bill is talking about color – of course he means C.O.L.O.U.R
- getting the hang of timing – don’t let motion interfere with readability of comprehension u only have a few seconds for glance media
- fade and blast are better than motion based displays like ticker for rapid identitifcation of items (we SO AGREE = spot on)
- layout – composing a shot (in the western world eyes move from left to right top to bottom)
- ooh contentious = multi-zone screen
- even a 15 second clip can be broken down into two x 7 sec and 4four x 3.5 seconds
- lots of good ARTISAN content being demo’ed here
- this is a masterclass of how one should go about content
- Our first full story of the day is up from Manolo ‘Interpreting The Creative Brief (Or Not)’ see http://www.dailydooh.com/ar…
- Phil Lenger is up after these guys – he’s co-founder, boss man at Show and Tell productions. Last we heard him was in Paris and he was good
- Phil is talking about theory and philosophy of great content
- network owner needs to take responsibility for hw / sw and content – let the advertiser do the ads of course
- elements of content = advertising, branding, information / PSA, entertainment, ambience / environmental
- we disagfree with phil’s vview on tickers )they just lazy)
- teh goal of your network is to be compelling SOMEof the time NOTall of the time (laughter from the audience)
- the meat should not repeat
- the experience curve is an interesting way to look at how to create loops of content
- Bill Gerba’s 7 Proven Strategies for Better Digital Signage Results and Phil’s How to Develop a Great Creative Strategy were best of the day
- How to rate the day? well thoise two PPTs alone were worth the entrance fee we suspect. The day was moderated well BUT ..
- … there were far to many mediocre presentations.
Digital Out-of-Home Vs. TV: Brought to you by Catalyst Media Group
This is great! The DOOH vs. TV version of the “PC vs. Mac” commercial by Catalyst Media Group. Bit “adverblogpost”-ish, but these smart Canadians deserve some airplay!
If you are in the Digital Signage / Out-of-home Industries; YOU NEED TO GO TO THESE SITES
I wanted to write a bit about Just Out-of-home’s Blogroll. Currently; there are 10 sites on this site’s Blogroll and here’s why:
Digital Signage Today (http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com/): I consider this site to be one of the premier site to go for all the breaking news in the industry. Yeah, the articles can use some pictures (I like visuals), but relevancy and conciseness puts the site really up there.
Digital Signage Universe (http://www.digitalsignageuniverse.com/): Similar points as above, but with more visuals (love ‘em), and bit less advertising clutter; besides Lionel Tepper of DS Universe is a cool dude, and was the first comment on Just Out-of-home, so I’ll always have a soft spot for him and the site. Sup Lion!
DailyDOOH (http://www.dailydooh.com/): Ditto with the first two. Their LinkedIn group is quite good as well.
Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/): I love tech! This is probably the most famous site I have on the roll, and just love everything about this site. How is it relevant to us? Their news on the upcoming Digital Signage /Interactive technology, which I deem Highly relevant in my own mess of a world.
Mediaweek (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/index.jsp): Simply put; if you are in market, advertising, anything of the sort- this site is just basic if you want to raise your industry IQ. I suppose Adage.com should be here as well…
Natural Interaction (http://www.naturalinteraction.org/): “I’ve seen the light!” Somewhat highlighted The Convergence of the Digital Signage and Kiosk Industries post, Alessandro Valli has an eye for how we are interacting with media all over the world. It’s a quite focused site in this subject and I do believe is the “looking glass” of our industry.
Screens.tv (http://www.screens.tv/): First of all, the name is absolutely BRILLIANT! Site design is clean, and the content and news are as relevant and similar to DST and DSU.
Sixteen:Nine (http://www.sixteen-nine.net/index.php): Perhaps I can personify myself with this blog the most. Its language and style is relevant, yet casual; a mix I like and the impression I’m also trying to make with Just Out-Of-Home. From “OVAB Guidelines for Dummies” to today’s post “SO many leaders…,” Sixteen:Nine has its own unique voice and take on the DS industry.
WireSpring / Digital Signage News Blogs (http://www.wirespring.com/) (http://digitalsignagenews.blogspot.com/) Two words: “Bill Gerba”… I follow the blogs, I follow his tweets; I guess I basically follow him. Perhaps no one is more in touch with the pulse of our industry than Bill. (No offense to all the rest on the list; I respect you all!) His posts are funny at times, but mostly, very intelligent and also provides a personal, yet Very relevant view on the industry. Anything from marketing intelligence, Venture Capital involvement in the DS industry, to IT technology; WireSpring & Digital Signage News provides us with chalk-full of issues and insight related to the DS industry. The conversations on Twitter are definitely worth following as well.
So, that’s it! Follow them, RSS them, Tweet them, LinkedIn them; whatever you’re into. Just make sure you are reading these sites if you want insight into the Digital Signage world.
On a side note: I just realized I need to get more OOH sites on here… Anyone know of any good ones?
Uh Oh… The Monster under our Digital Signages: Google
It has not even been a week since the Sina.com + Focus Media: Paving the way for Google to run over Out of home Media post, and now it seems that Google’s entry into the Digital Signage space is definitely possible, which is probably a welcomed prospect for some; Scary for many. Those Googlers do work fast! Here is a video that illustrates the New Digital Information Signages at the New York City Information Center:
Yeah, it’s for information, but we can obviously see the potential applications of this type of system; between the Touch-Screens, and content delivery capabilities, and an Adwords-type system, this could potentially be a historical event in our industry when we look back a few years from now. You know Google excels in building a business process very rapidly, and most definitely has the funds to buy out networks / programs in our industry; which is probably what some companies / stakeholders are wishing for, but for the potential competitors; this is ABSOLUTELY SCARY! as Google can come in and wipe out companies with the snap of their figures…
Just Out-Of-Home will be keeping a close eye on this development, as many of you out there will as well. Not sure how this will all unfold, but it’s certainly possible that there will be mergers, acquisition, and bankruptcies a comin in our space..
Sina.com + Focus Media: Paving the way for Google to run over Out of home Media
For some time, it has been the general sentiment here at Just Out-Of-Home that sooner or later, online media and out of home media would some how eventually converge. This is not some Nostradamus-esque prediction either; we know a lot of the creatives, especially designed for digital signage, are similar (if not the same) formats as those used in the online advertising biz. Another is the fact that most digital signage & networks are indeed connected by the Web (at least in the simple sense), and there are also web-based content management programs popping up like crazy these days. The connection between online and out of home may be a destiny as with this combination, advertisers will be able to hit consumers EVERYWHERE!!; at and out of their homes. Indeed, a potentially lethal and undeniable media mix in the near future. Lastly, no media has shown the ability to collect, record, and report accurate data more than online media, and out of home is still in its infancy in terms of research / data standardization, and perhaps online companies can bring in a fresh perspective and speed up the process.
Well, this concept is actually coming to fruition as Focus Media (a GIANT in the Chinese out of home company) released the following statement:
Focus Media Holding Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN), China’s leading multi-platform digital media company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with SINA Corporation (Nasdaq GS: SINA), a leading online media company and value-added information service provider for China and for global Chinese communities, that SINA will acquire substantially all of the assets of Focus Media’s digital out-of-home advertising networks, including LCD display network, poster frame network and in-store network.
And here is the “small snow ball”… So, do we think the Web demi-god, Google, will stand idly by while their Chinese counter-part makes such “Checkmate in 3″ moves? Well, here’s the answer
If you clicked on the link, you will see a one of Google’s Patent Application. Yeah, it’s long and perhaps boring; but in sum, Google seems to be looking into making the same moves as Sina did recently. AdWords-like system + Digital Sigange? If this is the case, this may have huge implications and effects on the out of home industry; implications and effects that will have to be thought about very deeply. What we do know is, where ever Google has gone, they have had a good market share (maybe not the Gphone…), and most of the times; Just simply Dominated! With the Google’s “think tank” and their bankroll; one has to wonder what the out of home media landscape will look like post-Google; mergers, buys, and a graveyard of companies unable to compete are all certainly possibilities. Great for the companies / stakeholders getting bought out, Scary for the others. We may not have to wonder for too much longer… Google still beat analyst earnings expectations recently, while the current reality of the out of home space is that it has also gotten hammered along with everything else. We saw 2009 as out of home’s year of consolidation, in companies and methodologies; But add Google into the mix?
The “small snowball” that turned into an Avalanche…
