Advertising – Is that what it’s all about?

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 12:04 am by Danny Hsueh, 0 Comments »

Almost 8 out of 10 people I talk to have the perception that “digital signage” is about digital advertising of some sort (promotional, educational, informational, etc) on large screens. The other 2 either have not heard about it, don’t know what it is, or are part of the minority that have come across it in one way or another and understand its application.

Earlier on I read an article about the future of media – broadcast transmitted and content delivered by the Internet. It’s becoming a trend amongst the online community now, that the TV show aired last night is readily available the next day on some video sharing network. Take YouTube for example, it’s all about the experience that online audiences get when they watch a video, comment on it, share it, embed it, or even blog about it.

In digital signage terms, this translates to customer experience. Whether it be in-store advertising or renting your space to media agencies, let’s get our head around the idea of digital signage being a profit making network, and look at it from an audience point of view. Is your focus on delivering your products visually to your customers, or perhaps it could be trying to make money out of your ad space? Or is your focus on ways to keep your customers coming back again and again for an experience they wish to re-live? Over time, which strategy (or strategies) will last the longest?

Whether or not the results of my personal survey (above) are a good thing (or bad), the initial impression that customers (and businesses) have formed in their heads about digital signage will determine its application. Without doubt digital signage is a growing industry with many influences, it will be interesting to see if the same frame of mind about digital signage would exist over the course of its growth.

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