Great news for the GameStop TV network.  4,100 stores have been installed and are actively running the in-store digital media network.  The Reflect team worked closely with CBS and GameStop on what has been a smooth deployment for one of the largest in-store media networks in the world.

From the CBS press release:

Intercept studies conducted on behalf CBS and GameStop show that 91 percent of shoppers find GameStop TV “entertaining” and 88 percent also find it “informative.” Furthermore, 85 percent of GameStop shoppers say they are more likely to purchase consumer products or services promoted on GameStop TV.  In addition, intercept studies confirm that advertisers experience significant increases in awareness and brand recall during advertising campaigns on GameStop TV.

Read the full press release here.

While there has been much written about “Augmented Reality” as it relates to use in mobile phone technologies (see some examples here), it’s clear that there will be some significant applications in digital signage as well, with many possibilities at retail.

In the video below, we can see an augmented reality at retail application implemented by Lego Stores. In a word – Wow!

We met a great guy named Mike Cearley at the Digital Signage Expo last week and wanted to pass along info on his blog, called the eleventh screen.  Enjoyed reading his insights and perceptions that he took away from the show.  He made some great posts, including one about cutting through the clutter of solutions and focusing on telling the story about how to connect with the audience and drive results.

Great to meet you Mike.  We look forward to seeing more.

 

DDC worked with Labatt Breweries of Canada to deploy merchandising PODs into over 200 independent liquor and beer stores across Western Canada. Each POD is updated each month in concert with the Labatt promotional calendar. System design, project management, ongoing content management and creative services provided by DDC.

2010 Prediction #5 – A fragmented industry will begin to resolve identity confusion

Digital Signage…In-Store Digital Media…Digital-out-of-Home (DooH)…

Confused yet?  The identity crisis among vendors, industry associations, and (most importantly) end-user customers, has caused a great deal of hand wringing and continues to be a nuisance.

In 2009, many of the proverbial wagons circled around the term Digital-out-of-Home as a catch-all term for much of the market usage of digital display applications in “public venues”.  This still leads to much confusion, especially when we look at the differences between advertising and merchandising applications.

So, is “Digital Signage” the underlying technology used for DooH applications?  And should in-store digital media, increasingly used for retailer and brand merchandising (and less so for traditional advertising models) belong in the DooH category, or a subset – “Digital Retailing”?

2010 will, by necessity, see more focus by all stakeholders to minimize the confusion and define the terms more appropriately.  There are great things to talk about, but breaking down the language barriers will help us all.

The identity confusion of the industry will show some improvement, but will still remain.  As long as there are companies trying to serve “all digital signage needs” there will be confusion.  Once we see more focus by companies on solutions for out-of-home advertising, in-store digital merchandising, and informational digital signage, respectively, then we’ll see some improvement in perception and understanding of the market.

 

There has been plenty of commentary on the blurring of the lines between digital signage and kiosks.

When does a digital sign become a kiosk – when it has a touch screen?

• How does an adding an interactive element help to achieve desired business results?
• What is the right device for interacting with out-of-home digital displays? Touch screens? Mobile phones?

These are not easy questions to answer because it depends on the environment.

Take, for example, retail environments, where merchandising and customer experience are vital and digital is a proven way to drive results. Here, there’s a clear role for interactivity. But, to what extent is interactivity required and how will the results be measured?

Retailers have been shown some really slick proof-of-concept ideas for immersive digital media “experiences”.  The problem is – how can these concepts be applied profitably to a retailer’s unique needs, and how are these systems scaled beyond a single demo to thousands of locations?

Many strategists responsible for digital signage networks (whether ad-based venues or in-store digital networks) are taking a very cautious approach to employing interactivity.  One very big reason is because there is uncertainty about the extent mobile smartphones may (or may not) be used as an interactive touch point.

There are a lot of questions being asked, with answers still being formulated.  While I have my own opinions on how things will develop over time (I’ll reserve these for future entries), I’ll just say for now that for 2010 most large-scale deployments of digital signage will either be non-interactive, or they will include simple and inexpensive implementation. More ambitious investments and powerful interactive applications will be left on the back burner to simmer a bit longer.

Matt Schmitt

When it comes to visual displays, the general rule is that bigger is better. The overall trend for HDTV’s and digital displays has been increase in size. 42-inch displays have been the norm, but the 50-70-inch displays are popular too.  And the innovations in projection systems have tempted many to opt for supersizing their digital signage projects.

Not so fast.

Retail projects have different objectives from other out-of-home media networks.  When it comes to merchandising product categories, or even individual products, it’s been proven that in order to influence sales lift, the message should be close to the product.

As such, at the dawn of 2010, smaller digital displays for end caps, shelves, and other fixtures are in demand.  Small to mid-size displays (12″-27″) can utilize embedded media player components, in addition to the readily available small form factor media appliances that can be placed behind the displays or inside fixture enclosures.

We’ll be seeing more ultra-small displays (under 10″) near product groups, or even dedicated for promoting individual products.

Embedded, low power computers will drive these displays, allowing for lightweight media storage and dynamic content support.  These devices will be relatively low on power consumption and can benefit from Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) –easing deployment challenges by providing both networking and power over standard Cat5 cables.

This is not to say that large-format displays will go in the way of the dinosaur.  But expect to see new innovations and more demand for smaller displays, and lots of them. It’s evolution at its finest.

Not all platforms are created equal.

Take social media platforms, for example. At Reflect, we have a blog, a Twitter account a Facebook fan page…you get the picture. All of these platforms help us communicate with you-the audience, but we can’t post a blog entry on Twitter and a tweet definitely wouldn’t make sense posted in a blog—it’s a textbook “square peg in a round hole” situation.

In 2009, we continued to see our fair share of this in the digital out-of-home space — standard television commercials or repurposed long-form video.  The result: a great commercial or video relegated to a medium that demands a different approach to obtain results.  Just because something worked well for TV doesn’t mean it’ll translate well to out-of-home venues.  In 2009 we saw proof that content designed for the medium produced positive results.

In 2010, stakeholders will further understand (and accept) that content must be developed with the medium and the in-store shopper in mind.

To this end, expect to see shorter segments, more direct and specific messages spelled out for the consumer, immediate calls to action, and smarter use of audio (or lack thereof).  We’ll post more about this topic soon.

It’s that time again! I present to you Reflect’s Top 10 Digital Signage predictions for 2010. We’ll release a new prediction every day for the next two weeks. Be sure to comment on the blog posts with your opinions.

 

Prediction 1 – In-Store Digital Media’s “Elephant In The Room” Gets Attention

In the industry, there’s plenty of talk about enhancing the customer experience at retail and how digital applications can help. But there’s a huge elephant in the room that rarely gets its due: sales results.

While customer experience is a competitive tool and a big part of retail strategy, sales lift and results at the register must be taken into account.

What are the results?  Can they be directly tied to the digital media?  How do we measure and improve on our efforts?

I predict that this “elephant” will take center stage for retailers, brands and agencies alike in 2010.

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