According to a Harris Poll roughly 150 million Americans currently use Facebook and Mashable reported 18.1 million people use Twitter (A2aMEDIA started using a Twitter handle this fall!) But what about other social media mediums? We started thinking, would digital signage qualify as a social media avenue? Several recent developments support the argument.
To begin with, 2009 saw many digital signage players focusing on increased interactivity and use of social media avenues within their displays. A few notable developments demonstrated potential to boost revenue sales and customer loyally within the retail market: Intel and Microsoft announced a partnership to bring a standardized platform to the digital signage space, and are working with Harrods’s to install an interactive digital signage solution to be used by Harrods’s ’s customers. Intel also designed its Intelligent Digital Signage Concept to show that retailers can engage and interact with consumers in a more personal and compelling manner through new usage models such as augmented reality and interactive product explorations. These displays will allow customers to submit feedback to the retailer and contact friends through their social media accounts.
Many digital displays like BarCast, seen in a growing number of restaurants and bars, are also integrating social media activity with digital signage by allowing users to send Twitter, Flickr and text messages to the displays.
It’s likely the use of digital signage as a social medium will continue to increase. For one thing, consumers are becoming increasingly mobile. Who wants to be tied down to a computer, to use social networks? Secondly, with the growing popularity of social media, the idea is bound to spread to other mediums. It’s only a matter of time until you’re talking to friends, discussing that latest blog post or even posting your Flickr pics…all on a digital sign.
Lately, there has been some very interesting digital installations popping up across the globe. As the digital out-of-home sector continues to expand we hope even more incredible displays will begin construction. The other day here at A2aMEDIA we were discussing which world location would make the best venue for a new digital display. Our discussion resulted in some great ideas like the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, the world’s tallest buildings until 2004, Niagara Falls, and even an out of this world site like the International Space Station. (Unfortunately the moon was already part of an advertising campaign for Rolling Rock back in 2008.) But we just couldn’t pass up on one location in particular—the Burj Hotel in Dubai, which opened this week on January 4th. Reaching a half mile into the sky, the Burj is the world’s tallest skyscraper with 160 stories. And while wrapping the Burj building in Mediamesh might take some time, it would mean some serious space for advertisers and a grand sight to see for the passerby. Despite the grandeur of this theoretical project, there would still be a lot to consider in terms of content and interactivity to ensure the project’s success. Still we’re excited to see what the future of digital display holds—it’s bound to be on a grand scale.
You might have heard rumors about Google moving into the mobile phone business. Why would Google want to manufacture a phone? Many are speculating the company is diving into this arena to ensure its piece of the mobile internet advertising sector—a new advertising frontier that is expected to grow in the coming years.
This got us thinking about advertising platforms. As we move into the next decade it’s interesting to think about the many new ways advertising will be delivered, from the small screens of mobile phones to digital displays that are larger than life. Industry experts are looking to the new frontiers of personalized advertising and the growth of more eco-friendly platforms like the out-of-home displays from A2aMEDIA that use one-fifth of the energy of traditional signs.
But digital signage is sure to be one of the future’s fastest growing advertising sectors. At A2aMEDIA we see increased interactivity and integration driving segment growth as integration with consumer mobile devices increases consumer engagement. Digital displays will also become more common, placed in a variety of unique venues like offices, sports arenas and public facilities, allowing advertisers to reach just about any target audience they choose.
Simply put, the coming decade will see lots of big changes in advertising mediums and digital display—many that we might not yet be able to even imagine.
You might have heard about the Yas Hotel recently—the building, located in Abu Dhabi, is now home to the largest LED display in the world. Designed to resemble a fisherman’s net, it features multi-colored lights and can even play video clips. Launched on November 3, 2009, the hotel’s display has around 5,000 LED items on 5,300 diamond-shaped steel panels. The Yas itself is made up of two 12 story buildings, which sit on top of a Formula-1 race track.
There’s no doubt that all of this is pretty spectacular. Still, the Yas installation will most likely be the world’s largest LED display only momentarily.
The digital display industry is moving forward at a break neck speed—many of the world’s past largest displays were installed fairly recently. The GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall was installed in 2008 for Beijing’s Summer Olympics when it boasted the title of ”The World’s Largest Color LED Display.” Now, less than two years later, the world has a bigger and brighter contender.
Simply put, more spectacular displays are inevitably on the way. Where? We’d love to see one on the Golden Gate Bridge, but that’s just our opinion.
Many different sources, including The New York Times, have reported that Americans are exposed to nearly 5,000 advertisements every day. Hearing figures like that, we can’t help but wonder how any advertiser can hope to break through the clutter to persuade customers to actually buy something.
Recent research from Capital Networks Limited provided one answer: digital signage. According to their research, the digital signage industry continues to forge ahead precisely because the medium is able to grab consumers’ attention. However, in this economy we believe its not just about using the right tools; it’s about how to use them efficiently.
There are lots of ways to improve your use of digital signage, such as message rotation and including a powerful call to action — always. Of course the best “tip” is to keep the message brief — around eight seconds is optimal.
It seems like everything you read says that the ad industry is underperforming. Advertisements in newspapers, on the Internet and on television just aren’t driving ROI like they used to and more importantly they are not driving sales. Even USA Today’s ad revenue is expected to fall 14% in 2010. But don’t be fooled! There is a bright spot in the advertising world– digital out of home (DOOH) is creating ROI, experiencing remarkable growth and helping drive sales.
Digital Signage Today recently posted an article that accurately demonstrates how DOOH is going against the industry-wide trend of declining ad ROI. According to Bill Yackey, the Wall Street Journal DOOH Network just released a case study about its 2008 DOOH/place-based media campaign with Blackberry. The campaign resulted in a 16 percent sales lift from those who engaged in the program.
Sixteen percent? In this economy? That’s pretty fantastic! The Blackberry promotion only occurred in offices and lobbies. Just imagine what a larger exhibit reaching far more consumers could do for your sales (think big like the AmericanAirlines Arena display.) The lesson for marketers is despite what you hear in the media there are still advertising mediums driving momentum— and lots of it.
Outdoor Advertising Industry Sees Continued Growth despite Sector Slide
If you read the headlines you might think the advertising industry is slowly disappearing—but what a lot of industry insiders have been overlooking is the growth of the outdoor advertising industry. A silver lining in the dismal advertising market, OOH has seen expansive growth; in the past five years the sector has grown more than 22 percent according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.
DOOH success is all over the news; A2aMEDIA and the Miami Heat recently finished installing a huge LED Mediamesh display on the face of their AmericanAirlines Arena. And BIA/Kelsey just announced their findings that digital out of home ad revenues will grow from $2.2 billion in 2009 to $3.7 billion in 2013.
Sure these successes are a little surprising—especially when compared to the state of the advertising industry as a whole—but it’s important that OOH not be lumped in with other sectors like print or even broadcast advertising, both of which are on the decline. We’d love to hear your thoughts around OOH’s success and why you think it’s been doing so well.
