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| Sovereign Bank uses content as a means to establish a brand relationship with its customers. Photo courtesy of OpenEye Global. |
In today’s crowded media world, how to layer digital signage within an environment to provoke action and create a discernable relationship with the consumer or visitor has become both a necessity and a challenge.
By Bryan Meszaros
As with any form of digital media, we go through a progressive knowledge cycle, which takes us from the awe-inspiring discovery into the practical development stage and then ending with a solution that has been tested against time and experience.
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| Travelers are engaged with targeted messaging at Regency Duty Free in the Auckland International Airport in New Zealand. Photo courtesy of OpenEye Global. |
Early adopters of digital signage, for example, became satisfied with mounting a cutting-edge display on the wall and exhibiting video that was either controlled by a DVD or an early type of media player.
At that time, it was not a challenge to attract viewers. The novelty of a flat-panel display was enough to capture attention, and most forms of content didn’t require a particularly well-crafted creative strategy.
But fast-forward to today and we see a tech-savvy culture whose awareness of digital media has become entangled in the multitude of new media applications. Consciously, we view all media, and therein lies the challenge. To cut through the noise, we must develop creative tactics to layer digital signage within the environment so that we can provoke action and create a discernable relationship with the consumer or visitor.
Content Design
Content is designed to deliver a message that attempts to inform us about something we are not aware of. People tend to perceive most digital signage content as product advertisement. As they are constantly blitzed by advertising from multiple mediums, how do we change the perception of digital signage to recapture their attention?
It is important to comprehend that content can be drawn on to enhance the visual experience of an environment, strengthen and change the perception consumers have toward a brand, and become a source for product or location awareness.
A case in point is Reading, Pa.-based Sovereign Bank, a part of the Banco Santander banking group. Sovereign understood the value of using digital signage to create a relationship with its clients. The intention of its network is not to promote every product or service the bank offers, but to engage its customers through content designed to educate them and provide ideas on how they can benefit from their relationship with Sovereign.
By necessity, content design today has evolved from effortless 1,2,3 messaging into a format that requires a thought-provoking strategy. Listed below are several creative tactics designers should consider when approaching content development:
- Use content as a means to establish a brand relationship with consumers. Designing content that emphasizes values and culture can reinforce their impression of the brand.
- Transform the visual appearance of the environment with dynamic and relevant content. Designing content that incorporates additional imagery and brand elements not found in the physical space will enhance the overall design.
- Digital signage should not only be thought of as an advertising medium. Content can be used a means to educate and direct people.
Technology
Every day we are exposed to new forms of digital technology meant to simplify or enhance the way we conduct ourselves and view information. As great as such evolution is, it also creates new challenges for the digital signage industry. We are now competing for attention with other digital mediums such as the smartphone and the Internet, which continues to redefine itself. Is it fair to view these alternate digital-mediums as a threat, or are there ways to embrace them and create a holistic solution?
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| Careful attention to the creative strategy resulted in a solution that captured the look and feel of the Smithsonian and enabled the venerable institution to engage its visitors in a dynamic way. Photo courtesy of OpenEye Global. |
The answer is that we should look at digital signage as a complementary medium. The goal with any solution should be to attract attention, create new points of contact and enhance the experience.
A recent example of a successful approach to combining digital signage with mobile technology is the CBS Outdoor project developed by Clusta. This innovative approach connects the consumer’s iPhone to an LCD display via Wi-Fi or 3G. The consumer has full control over the content through interaction with his iPhone, which allows him to change various on-screen design elements.
Similarly, we need to creatively combine different forms of digital media to engage the tech-savvy consumer, who, in some cases, views digital signage as an everyday component. The reasons are clear:
- Fifteen percent of all mobile users have a smartphone, and that number continues to increase each year. New applications such as Symon Communications InView Mobile allow consumers to view location-dependent and interactive content on their iPhone. These types of applications create new ways to engage consumers and visitors.
- The Internet continues to redefine the perception of digital media. The online media experience should continue to follow the consumer from his home into the retail environment. Retailers can take advantage of different digital signage solutions, which aim to deliver the same dynamic media formats found online.
Environmental Design
Environmental design has evolved from creating a simple physical space where goods are sold or information is exhibited into an experience. As consumer and visitor expectations rise toward the functionality of an environment, designers must find ways to meet these challenges. Digital signage can play an important role in meeting these expectations.
Integrating digital signage into the environment, however, requires a more insightful approach than just mounting a display on the wall. In order for technology to succeed, it must be designed into the environment and not appear as an afterthought. It is important to understand the function and design of the physical space so the solution serves a purpose. Fortunately, advancements in display technology allow us to seamlessly blend screens into areas of importance without disturbing the design of the environment.
In the Digital Wayfinding project developed for the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, OpenEye worked with the multi-disciplinary design firm FITCH to tackle the challenge of blending digital displays into the historic and timeless design of the museum. The challenge was to find a balance between identifying crucial points of contact and creating a design that would not overwhelm the space. The result was a solution that captured the look and feel of the environment and enabled the Smithsonian to engage its visitors in a dynamic way.
As we continue to evolve our understanding of digital signage, we will find unique and creative ways to bring this medium into new environments and meet rising expectations. It’s important to view digital signage as an agnostic solution. Given that there is thought and purpose behind the solution, digital signage can serve a purpose in any environment.
Bryan Meszaros is the founder and director of business development for the retail media development agency OpenEye, located in S. Amboy, N.J. The company’s clients include Sovereign Bank, The Nuance Group, HESS and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Meszaros will be presenting his view on creative integration tactics in the seminar titled “Creative Tactics for Integrating Digital Signage in Different Environments” on Thursday, February 25, 2010, during the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas. To contact him, email bmeszaros@openeyeglobal.com.