Chapter 1: History of Digital Signage
Skykit Digital Signage Guide
1 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: A History of Digital Signage...... 4
Chapter 2: Digital Signage Benefits...... 14
Chapter 3: 10 Biggest Digital Signage Challenges...... 25
Chapter 4: What to Look For in Digital Signage Software (CMS) . . . 38
Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look For ...... 50
Chapter 6: Cloud-Based Digital Signage...... 65
Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage...... 78
Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays...... 93
Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage...... 105
Chapter 10: Keep Up with Digital Signage Trends ...... 115 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide
The History Sales sales@skykit .com
1 Phone of Digital Toll Free: 855 .383 .4518 Local: 612 .260 .7327
Address Signage 420 N 5th Street Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.skykit.com Chapter 1: History of Digital Signage
And Nordstrom’s digital denim kiosk is just one of thousands of potential digital signage campaigns, each targeted to a certain kind of user and designed to leverage unique strengths of different pieces of hardware . 1990’S TO TODAY: From holograms to jumbotrons, campus wayfinding, to tableside ordering kiosks, there’s a truly dizzying array of digital signage out there . A History of All these uses of the technology have a common root .
Digital signage had its beginnings in Digital Signage fashion houses in the 70’s… or perhaps banks and trade shows in the 90’s…
How it started is really affected by Digital signage is a powerful In late 2014, Nordstrom installed a how you define digital signage. technology, and you may have digital denim kiosk in one of their been involved with it for years, but stores so that customers could find It’s difficult to define digital signage do you know the origin story of this out which jeans would look best on because the term covers an technology? them without actually trying them on . ecosystem of uses .
How it’s evolved over the years? Can you imagine such a campaign?
If you’re looking at recent examples, Nordstrom did . Our definition of digital there are some pioneers who use signage is: software And their sales skyrocketed . digital signage in fascinating ways . content management By answering a few key questions on We’ll dive into the origin in just a system that drives a touchscreen, any customer could second, but first, I want to give you find out what style and size was ideal communications to a an example of what digital signage for her body type . The customer could has evolved to (there are a lot of variety of screens . then go fetch those jeans from the examples to pull from, and a lot of rack, try them on, and head to the technological innovation, but here’s a checkout happy . small taste) . But I need to really emphasize this
No more struggling to find the point that digital signage is a catch- “perfect” pair for entirely too long in all phrase, so that’s why the definition the confines of a small dressing room. might not shine a ton of light into Now the customer could discover what it would look like . The term what she needs quickly and spend ‘digital signage’ has been around for a more time on the store floor instead of long time . As the technology evolved in the back of a dressing room . and the market penetration grew, the naming conventions evolved with it . This kind of customer engagement is You might know it as ‘screen media’ a game changer . or ‘interactive customer experience’ or ‘visual display .’
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To understand the roots of digital signage, they were as lost as the early the movie “A Christmas Story” so signage, you have to look back— settlers were . admired? It was for the Red Rider way back!—to the beginnings of BB gun . He tucked it into the back of The chaos of unmanaged traffic sign-based communication itself, his mother’s “Look” Magazine so she preempted the need for traffic not necessary to the beginning of would be convinced it was the perfect engineers: Smart people willing to how we think about digital signage gift for a young boy . take the time to think of a process traditionally . that could show people the way . That ad hit his pain point for sure, I put together 5 examples of how some because without it, he couldn’t kill The engineers began to create sign of the biggest brands in the world use the imaginary bears lurking behind systems that consisted of road signs, digital signage in awesome ways . Pulaski’s candy store . arrows, and other wayfinding methods The PDF outlines exactly what that took the pain out of exploring Before long, photography overtook strategies and solutions these brands unchartered territory . hand drawn ads . Soon thereafter, are using in some of their flagship TV and radio showed up, with the As engineers were painting lines and stores internationally . You can first radio ad airing in 1922, bringing arrows, a car salesman was ordering bookmark it, print out, or keep it in a advertising into a completely different the first ever neon sign . It was 1929 . folder for reference . Get your PDF here . space and reaching millions more than Created with the newly invented neon magazines or newspapers ever could. tube that could be bent all sorts of ways, the neon sign was a roaring And not long after, the origins of the The Road to success—and an early indicator of Internet were quietly born . what was yet to come in the world of Dubbing it the Galactic Network, Digital Signage digital signage . computer scientist J .C .R . Licklider The Way, Way Back History The Next Phase wrote about a concept he Way back before technology was At the same time Ford was rolling out envisioned where computers were born, when signs were merely the first motorcar[1], other industries interconnected globally and data etchings in stone, people sought out [6] . were taking advantage of signs on the could be shared . The year was 1962 better means to find their way around. sides of buildings and in newspapers Digital Signage is Born The world is big, after all, and we can’t to share their products with the world . As television grew in popularity and possibly know where we’re going all Billed as sharing “goods on hand”[2] technology boomed, hardware like the the time . with consumers, they often appeared VCR was born. in the back of magazines or as a very People went wild . When stone walls weren’t available narrow sidebar in newspapers . along paths to etch on, settlers took Not only did the to bending young trees a certain way As the early 1900’s rolled into the clunky machines to point travelers in the direction of an mid-1900’s, ad agencies began to allow us important place . focus on the psychology of why to see a favorite people buy[3] as they created hand- movie over and It worked for a while, but like most drawn advertisements for the back over again, it things we create, the technique soon of magazines like Vogue or Harper’s was also the first begged an upgrade . Bazaar[4] . indication that video could be Some time after cavemen shed their Ad men learned quickly that hitting a produced, stored, animal skins and dusty roads were consumer’s “pain points”[5] was key, and played back marked out with boots and hooves, and advertising took off like a shot . for promotional the motorcar was built . People purposes . everywhere stood in awe of the Speaking of shooting, remember the electric vehicle . But without proper hand drawn ad that Ralphie from
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To clarify, a VCR connected to a concept of broadcasting screen for promotion is not digital on a larger footprint signage . As I said before, digital outside of a store or signage is, specifically, a display run business started to turn from some type of media player . But I in the minds of techno- mention this evolution because it was geeks and advertisers the precursor to what became digital everywhere . signage . From here, an even The retail industry[7] first took bigger idea was born: advantage of the “produce and play Use video, commercial information again and again” idea . displays, and players to spread advertising and By the 1970’s[8], retailers were using messaging everywhere the now-ancient machines[9] to play The video wall, a form of digital via the Internet . Those commercials or advertisements in- signage using multiple tiled and that utilized the technological house for customers to see as they coordinated displays, came into concept, they realized, shall reap meandered through the store looking use in the 1980’s . However, splitting great financial rewards. for good buys . the video signal to multiple displays Digital Signage Grows Up One of the very first industries[10] to required computer processors—which, The term ‘digital signage’ was born in recognize the potential for this sort in those early days of computing, [16] of video-based signage was the were prohibitively expensive . early 1992 in a UK shopping center . fashion industry . That makes sense, Apparently a security guard didn’t As a workaround, some businesses of course—fashion is all about looking know what the network of video walls used separate, synchronized forward to the next big thing . he was looking at was called, so he LaserDisc players and specially referred to them as digital signage . [12] Way back in the late 70’s, fashion prepared content for each screen . From there, it is alleged that Neil houses recorded their runway shows This technique produced good results Longuet-Higgins from SIS Digital was and printed them to VHS. The tapes but was never widely used . the first to use the term. were then delivered to the retailers Another step forward came with that sold the fashion label’s clothes I can’t help but think that security DVDs, the first commercially available and played on the TVs to tempt guard is kicking himself for not and fully digital video format . Co- customers with visions of refinement trademarking the name . developed by several prominent and swooshy fabric . electronics corporations, it made its But as it goes with any technological Video-based signage took another market debut in 1995[13], long after the development, there are many players, step forward with the advent of the death of the LaserDisc . some of whom participated in the LaserDisc[11] . This format arrived on the creation of the hardware, others It met rapid success, given superior market in 1978 . With an analog video who participated in the creation image quality to the VHS. They were a format, it offered quality advantages of the software, and a few security hit with retailers as well . over VHS tapes. guards here and there that were busy unintentionally coining phrases . Many abandoned their analog video The high cost of the players kept signs and switched over to DVD LaserDiscs from being being a hit players[14] . with American families—but they had niche use in certain commercial It was when the Internet really applications . exploded[15] in the 1990’s that the
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In the 90’s, the ◊ OLED (Organic light-emitting Modern Digital diode), containing thin Japanese company Signage flexible sheets of an organic Fujitsu brought the first electroluminescent material, Tracing the Components commercial plasma used for visual displays . An Digital signage relies on different OLED display works without a displays [18] to the pieces of hardware to deliver content . backlight; thus, it can display Typically they are the display screen market. By 1997, they deep black levels and can be and the media player (what the VCR were selling at $13,000 thinner and lighter than a liquid in the 70’s acted as) . crystal display (LCD) . for a 42” display. The content is created with software, ◊ Indoor, semi-outdoor, and often referred to as a Content outdoor screens are very different from one another, each Management System, or CMS . While tremendously expensive, the with special technology specific large sizes of these screens—much Screens to its intended environment . larger and lighter than any CRT could Of course, in the early days, retailers Indoor screens might have dust- be made—sent ripples through the had to hook up their VCR to a clunky repellent encasing, scratch- budding digital signage industry . CRT (cathode ray tube) screen . These proof, heavy duty, able to be were staticky, had reflective and Talk about eye-catching! on 24/7, cooling system, and glare-prone screens, and—as anyone more . A semi-outdoor screen Today, anyone using digital signage who’s had to haul one upstairs is indoors, but still exposed to to market their product or business to an apartment could tell you— direct/indirect sunlight . The LED typically uses one of these hardware tremendously heavy . semi outdoor screens usually screen displays: produce less light because CRT screens have their roots way there’s natural light in the room . back in 1869[17], when scientist ◊ LCD (liquid crystal display), Outdoor screens have special Johann Hittorf noticed that rays which, put simply[19], involves casing and specifications on how from a negative electrode seemed a layer of liquid crystals much light is omitted so you can to be travelling in a straight line sandwiched between two still read it in direct sunlight (and down a tube . Later, other scientists polarizing filters. An electric continues working in extreme realized that these rays—streams current aligns the crystals so heat, cold, wind, etc…) of electrons—could be bent using that light either can or can’t pass electrical or magnetic fields. through at each given point . In some cases, projectors, consumer TV’s, and even plasma screens are But it wasn’t until 1907, when Boris ◊ LED (light-emitting diode), used . Rosing used a CRT to create simple which involve an array of geometric shapes on a phosphor- semiconductors that emit We’ll talk much more about hardware coated screen, that the full light when a current passes in Chapter 5 . implications of the technology were through . They may be used realized. 1907 marked the invention as backlighting for a LCD Interestingly, the development of the of television, and by 1934 German display—but still, confusingly, LED and LCD happened in the same company Telefunken was selling the referred to as LED screens—or by year: 1962 . first commercially made TV sets. themselves . Think jumbotrons at Well, sort of . sporting events . But recently the trend has been to use LED in an indoor setting .
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The LED screen[20] came about thanks ◊ A Locally Hosted Content to the invention of the LED light bulb The early media Management System, commonly by scientist Nick Holonyak, Jr . in 1962 . players were very referred to as “on-prem” or “on- These screens emit images using premise” several small diodes . When you look bulky. The first kiosks Here’s the difference: at a digital clock, you’re looking at LED looked like telephone lights . booths or caskets, 1. A Cloud Based Content is software The LCD screen has origins dating because the processor Management System that delivers your content to back as far as 1888, but the was a full-scale remote players (like kiosks or development of the actual screen interactive displays) via the started with an RCA researcher computer hidden under Internet from an off-site server . named Richard Williams[21] . Williams the screen. The information is stored on these discovered that liquid crystals off-site servers, and streams your exhibited some interesting electro- content to each remote player, no optic characteristics . Unfortunately, Later on, these “brains” shrank down to matter how many you have . Williams doesn’t often get credited for media players, about 5 by 7 inches— his scientific work with LCD, thanks to devices such as the Chromebox— 2. A Hosted Content Management a man named George H . Heilmeier . which could sit next to or hide behind System also delivers content to remote players (like kiosks or George H . Heilmeier[21], PhD, ended up the screens . touchscreens) via the Internet, in the National Inventors Hall of Fame These are still a very popular option . only it’s delivered from an on- and was credited with inventing the site server that is hosted and LCD screen . While Williams originally There are other digital signage maintained by your company . discovered what the liquid crystals options for an “all-in-one” screen, This delivery isn’t able to stream could do, Heilmeier claimed he which was a big trend a few years your content to several remote “stumbled” upon the same discovery ago . With an all-in-one digital players, unless they are fairly in 1964 . At any rate, it was Heilmeier signage solution, the compact media close to your on-site server, and who developed the first working LCD player is mounted behind the screen scalability is typically more costly . screen in 1968 . or often within the casing .
As far as digital signage software, it’s Media Players However, this sometimes makes the hard to say when the first piece was Media players were born when screen thick and bulky, which isn’t [22] created . But once the phenomenon of computers were born, essentially . aesthetically pleasing, and in recent networking media players to screens in Media players were originally full- years chip technology has entered various locations began to take off in sized computers, and usually were the marketplace . . hidden under an entire station casing the 70’s, the software wasn’t far behind . so you’d only see the screen . Software While we’ll be going into more depth Today there are many digital signage Today media players are much on CMS in Chapter 6, a brief rundown software choices, all of them catering smaller and more compact . would probably help you here . specifically to the niche requirements of the company and the needs of the The job of the media player is to You can categorize content end user . power the content displayed on your management systems in two buckets, screen. So again, think VCR. These if you will: At the very beginning, digital signage media players talk to servers, which software was developed individually, ◊ A Cloud-Based Content direct your content via the Internet . for each installation, and hosted on- Management System premise .
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Software companies verticalized began to offer lightweight/simplified Early Uses quickly, driven by industry changes . digital signage software alongside During its early days, digital signage their screens and other hardware . and pre-digital video signage served For example, schools want digital many of the same purposes that that signage that can double as an This was an attempt to drive adoption already-existing technologies did . emergency alert system, and quick by making the process as simple as serve restaurant chains (QSR) want possible for customers, because many One of the first verticals to take digital menu boards that will let them of them had confusion over what advantage of digital signage was the update content quickly and comply software to use with their signage . retail industry, which to this day holds with FDA requirements . the largest market share[23] despite Early efforts by hardware companies growth in many other verticals . Early on, digital signage software at making software resulted in companies also positioned “watered-down” but still functional Among the early adopters was themselves as resellers for hardware . products, while recent efforts have Loblaws, a Canadian grocery chain[10] . With digital signage, software isn’t been much more refined. Their video-based signage system the whole picture of the solution: you made its first appearance in 1984 Especially in recent years, there’s been need the commercial display, wall They set up Sony TVs in their retail a widespread migration to cloud- mount or stand, media player, cables, locations to play ads for the shoppers, based digital signage CMS, which and any other specific items. but they also used the screens in back appeals to customers by offering of house applications . infinite scalability, servers maintained In 2015, for the by someone else, easy rollout, simple They were able to play training videos provisioning, increased security, fewer and display regulations to encourage first time in digital worries about hardware compatibility, compliance . signage history, more and immediate software updates . Of course this wasn’t digital signage money was being There has also been an onset of as we would define it today, but a spent on software Freeware, which puts the CMS hobbled-together solution to engage out there quickly with fee-based their customers . than on hardware. services on the backend, however Another early use was within the these solutions are not designed to transportation industry . Some of you meet the needs of most enterprise Over time, though, many realized that reading like this might recall, with businesses . the profit margin for selling software nostalgic familiarity, the click-clack (80 to 100 percent) was much higher Where We Are Today: Old vs. of split-flap arrival and departure than the margin for hardware . In 2015, New Uses boards at train stations or airports . for the first time in digital signage Today it seems that if a business history, more money was being spent or organization isn’t using digital on software than on hardware, which signage, they are behind the times . once again had many companies re-looking at service models including While this isn’t necessarily true, what is content for the recurring revenue true is that more and more industries aspect of the model . are using the technology to share their message with the world . And see Around 2009, there was a shift in the the consumerization of technology other direction: Original Equipment and its integration into their everyday Manufacturers (OEMs) such as business as just a cost of doing NEC and later Samsung, and others business to retain customers . 9 Chapter 1: History of Digital Signage
First introduced in 1950’s[24], some of Overall, the theme of early digital began making their own CMS to ignite those displays are still in use today . signage was providing information . further growth within the industry . Ads, departure times, jackpot However, split-flap signs are prone Other contributing factors were price values… The information was simply to jamming and breakage . Digital and internet access there, on display, but without much signage proved a welcome innovation . customization or targeting. With the prices of LCD and plasma First, split-flap boards were replaced technology coming down, it’s safe to with CRT displays, and later, these At the time, that was revolutionary say that yet another chapter in the burnout-prone screens were swapped enough, but as time passed, history of digital signage is being again with efficient LED arrays. consumers began to expect more . written . Historically, the barrier to entry As for true digital signage, with Modern Uses was pretty big for a lot of industries . multiple networked screens, one of Though, as we’ve seen, digital signage The digital signage technology the early large installations occurred has deep roots, the industry didn’t advanced beyond market penetration in 1999 . Over 100 plasma screens went really take off until much more in the early to mid 2000’s, so the up in a casino at Mandalay Bay in recently . Perhaps only in the last six majority of companies using it were [14] Las Vegas[10] . years . considered early adopters .
By “take off” we mean market But now, prices for hardware and penetration . Of course the technology software have lowered drastically, has been around longer than six making it an option for many years, but the market penetration companies . wasn’t keeping up with the digital signage industry’s appetite to Since its early days, there’s been a innovate . huge expansion in the types of places you might discover Innovation was faster than customer digital signage . adoption . Outdoor signage is bigger than ever . The digital signage industry reached Now with outdoor-grade screens for a tipping point in 2010 or 2011 . better viewing, vandal-proof glass, DisplaySearch is a company that and waterproof options for large tracks various sectors of the display screens, we’re seeing more and more These screens were shockingly or screen market . Since ‘screens’ digital pop up outside in LED and modern in their use . Not only did is such a broad term that includes OLED . Sometimes with billboards, other they advertise, they engaged cell phones, TV’s, computer screens: times at stadiums, amusement parks, gamblers (their target audience) desktop, laptop, etc . . the digital and public places . with constantly updating messaging signage screen opportunity always designed to encourage more looked like such a small opportunity gambling . when compared to other displays .
The screens specified which machines And it wasn’t until the commercial had large jackpots on the line, among digital signage adoption was around other things . 5 percent in the display market that the OEMs took notice . Again, early digital signage still wasn’t widespread . There were relatively few Then major hardware manufacturers providers, and relatively few verticals sensed that digital signage could be interested in investing . a valuable source of revenue and 10 Chapter 1: History of Digital Signage
Nonetheless, it’s there . at the beginning of the article about the digital denim kiosk . The possibilities are endless . Small businesses[25] use digital signage in It’s all about empowering the customer their brick and mortar establishments with the information they want to to share promotions and sales . see . It’s about building a relationship Some go above and beyond and between the customer and the take advantage of the Internet to brand—because digital signage is a broadcast their sales in various stores . truly powerful branding tool .
Remember that Canadian supermarket we mentioned earlier? Today, Loblaws is still experimenting in None of these options would have forward-thinking digital signage with come to fruition without the movers the Concierge smart cart system[27] . and the shakers we talked about . All It’s both a service and an experience, of it adds to the rich history of one and it’s enabled by digital signage . of the most profound technological advancements we’ve seen to date . Here’s how it works . So what’s next? Shoppers can prep shopping lists and make deli orders in advance on the With the onset of born-in-the-cloud Quick serve restaurants use digital retailer’s website . When the shopper software development and increasing signage to upsell products and make arrives at the store, he grabs a cart IoT integration with digital signage ordering easier . By using digital and swipes his card next to the built- means limitless possibilities . menus that show video of a refreshing in screen . Up pops his shopping list— drink or sizzling burger, restaurateurs along with GPS-style directions to find can sway a thirsty or hungry customer each item . to buy more . It’ll notify him when he reaches each They also make ordering easier with item, and when he walks past a sale . self-service kiosks[26] at tables or that stand alone . Because the system has access to his loyalty card data, it can automatically As that last example indicates, digital offer him deals based on items he signage has spread beyond simply frequently purchases . There are also offering information . Today, the kiosks in various areas of the store focus is increasingly on interactivity that offer detailed product information [7] and engagement . Since about and suggest recipes, which you can 2013, there has also been a focus send to your phone or save to your on interoperability of devices and account . integration of content platforms; that is, what’s been termed as the The system is fully integrated with Omnichannel: having multiple types existing programs, interactive, of screens, from tablets to video walls comprehensive (including multiple to cell phones, work together to tell a screens: on the cart, on the kiosks, and unified “story.” on the customer’s phone), and highly personalized . And that’s the direction Think about the example we offered digital signage is moving today . 11 Chapter 1: History of Digital Signage
15 . Internet Explosion, The Free Sources Dictionary 1 . Automotive Industry in the United 16 . Digital Signage, Wikipedia States, Wikipedia 17 . Cathode Ray Tube, Wikipedia 2 . A Brief History of American Advertising, History Matters 18 . Plasma Displays, Wikipedia
3 . Why We Buy, Psychology Today 19 . LCD vs LED TVs by Drew Prindle, Digital Trends 4 . Fashion Magazine Covers Were So Much More Glamorous In The 20 . Inventing the LED Lightbulb by 1950s by Rebecca Adams, The Sarah Laskow, The Atlantic Huffington Post 21 . Invention History of Liquid 5 . Understanding Pain Points by Crystal Display, Circuits Today Karen Emanuelson, Reciprocate 22 . When Was the First Computer 6 . Brief History of the Internet, Invented?, Computer Hope Internet Society 23 . Digital Signage Market Analysis 7 . Evolution of Digital Signage in By Technology (LED, LCD, Front Retail: Turning Customers Into Projection), By Application Fans by Mike Tippets, Wired (Transportation, Retail, Corporate, Banking, Healthcare, Education) 8 . A Brief History of Digital Signage And Segment Forecasts To 2020, by Natalie Aranda, Ezine Articles Grand View Research
9 . Videocasette Recorder Wikipedia , 24 . At Penn Station, the Sign No Longer Goes Clackety-Clack by 10 . Digital Signage: Software, Michael Dresser, Networks, Advertising, The Baltimore Sun and Displays: A Primer for Understanding the Business by 25 . Location, Location, Location: Jimmy Schaeffler Where to Put Digital Signage in Retail, Digital Signage 11 . LaserDisc, Wikipedia Connection 12 . The Evolution of Video Walls in 26 . How Self-Service Kiosks Are Digital Signage, Digital Signage Changing Customer Behavior Federation by Gretchen Gavett, Harvard 13 . DVD, Wikipedia Business Reviews
14 . The History and Evolution of 27 . Retail Goes Digital by James Retail Digital Signage by David Fraser, Canadian Grocer Bawarsky, Digital Signage Connection
12 5 EXAMPLES OF HOW The Biggest Brands Use Digital Signage in Awesome Ways
Rebecca Minkoff How tech in Rebecca Minkoff’s fitting rooms tripled expected clothing sales. 1 Read the full story here .
Burberry For their London-based Regent street store, Burberry created their most 2 technologically advanced store yet with 100 digital displays, 500 speakers, and the world’s tallest retail indoor screen . Read the full story here .
Nike Nike created a unique experience for their London shoppers with what they call Fuel 3 Station . The completely interactive store is like nothing else, and engages shopper in creative ways . Read the full story here .
Audi Although Audi isn’t in the retail industry as most of these examples are, one of their stores is very similar to a retailer . They only have one car at the dealership . You read that right . One car . The rest of the experience is an entirely digital experience . 4 Read the full story here .
Tesco The retailer tapped into the multi-channel buying habits of their target demographics by installing “magic mirrors” to try on clothing with interactive kiosks . 5 Read the full story here . 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide
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www.skykit.com Chapter 2: Digital Signage Benefits & ROI
In this chapter, we’ll show you how to measure the benefits of digital vs. traditional print signage and the ROI of digital signage .
I put together a framework for how to track your digital signage ROI . The PDF Digital outlines — step-by-step — exactly what key performance indicators matter to track your ROI… you can Signage bookmark, print out, or keep it in a folder for reference . Get your PDF here . Benefits Print Signage Vs. Digital Signage It’s the digital age .
When I was a kid, I always hoped I And that’s not the only place paper Some companies realize that and would see one of those billboard guys advertising is being replaced by are on the frontline of technological rolling a new sign onto a billboard as digital signage . innovation . Other companies don’t we whizzed down the highway. want to transition until it’s a proven Thousands of brick and mortar stores method that brings them more It fascinated me, the way two or are ditching their posters and POS business . three men rolled a brightly colored banners for the new technology . advertisement into place for all the I’m going to use retail as an example It sounds cool, but does it actually world to see . here. Many of the benefits are also make sense for your business? applicable to other industries, so keep As I drive down the highway today, Before you decide, you want to an open mind . I still see those billboards, only they see exactly how digital signage don’t require those men with the tools Here are five reasons why retailers can benefit your business, and if to unroll and glue them . should switch from print to digital . it’s actually better than traditional One by one, digital billboards are signage . 1. Increase Customer replacing static boards . Engagement You want to be sure there’s a way to quantify digital signage’s results, so Human psychology says that we have you can measure whether or not it’s a six human needs we must fulfill in good investment . order to feel whole .
Those concerns are valid . One of those needs is variety: the need for the unknown . We’re going to answer those questions, and then some . We want We crave change and unique you to have the scoop so you can experiences . We need new stimuli, make the right decisions and invest in and we need it regularly . products that work best for you and your company .
15 Chapter 2: Digital Signage Benefits & ROI
For many, digital signage is new receiving almost as many every Centuries later, his words are stimuli . If you can engage and day[28] as the static sign received the infamous on the lips of business stimulate your audience with first day. coaches and fiduciaries[30] . Without something powerful, you’re on to financial risk, there is no reward. something . This suggests that while it’s easy to look past a sign that just sits there This philosophy, coupled with the Digital signage makes an after the first time you’ve seen it. testaments of financial gain by impression[28] . Of the 70 percent of businesses and organizations Americans who recall seeing a digital everywhere, proves that the leap to video display in the past month, 47 It’s hard to ignore even digital signage is only a danger to percent specifically recall the ad that a familiar digital sign. those who fear genuine growth in the they saw . digital age .
That’s really high, especially since it’s Let’s take an example from the food over the last 30 days! No surprise there: Digital signs service industry: Taco John’s . In 2014, allows for constant change in the they made the decision to deploy People are more likely to pay attention environment with audio, video, live digital menu boards . to colorful, moving images rather than news and social media streams, and static images . more . Seven months into the deployment, they saw a 12 percent increase in While pretty posters are nice, moving There’s no reason to leave the same sales . images that elicit emotion are content up for too long . even better . When you can elicit an Based on these results, they decided emotional response that connects Users can update content remotely to add menu boards to 100 more with your customer, you engage with and their store, even 1,000 miles away, locations . They were such a hit that them . (Keep in mind that your digital will see the updates within seconds . Taco John’s made the decision to signage goals might be various upgrade the rest of their restaurants Retailers consider this a huge benefit things like: educate, inform, entertain, through 2016 . that saves time, hours, and employee engage, convert, or sell) . manpower . What’s behind that success? Here are 2. Make Good—and Numerous— several real, relevant stats . By updating pricing, promotions, Impressions and adding specials to create an One study used anonymous video upsell feature, fast casual chains can analytics to log the number of people adjust to customer demand without who noticed both static and digital deploying employees or having signs at multiple locations . new signs printed . It also makes dayparting menus super simple . The number of impressions (people who walked by / looked at it) logged 3. Digital Signage Can Grow by the static sign peaked when it Sales by 12 percent was first put up on its first day. After “You must spend money to make that, the impressions dropped off and money .”[28] remained low for the remaining weeks of the study . Roman playwright Plautus[29] said that
But the digital signs received during his writing career before he consistently high numbers of died in 184 B .C . impressions throughout the study—
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a) Digital signage drives impulse During the entire experiment, only 5. Gain Long-Term Savings buys. 6 people took up the offer in the The reason so many of us resist Have you ever caught sight of an location with the static sign . buying a big ticket item is, well, advertisement and suddenly realized because it’s a big ticket item . We fear But a combined total of 610 people that you had, for example, been it costs more than we’re prepared to grabbed totes in the locations with craving a KitKat bar all day? spend . digital signs . Then you’ve joined the 19 percent of Many of us don’t realize that the 4. Leverage Targeted consumers who claim to have made upfront cost of digital signage is often Advertisement unplanned purchases[28] of products the same as what we spend on paper Your signs don’t all have to display the they’ve seen advertised digitally . and poster marketing all year long! same content . And that’s only consumers who admit For example, consider what it costs You can change the ad depending they’ve been swayed . We all know the annually to: on the time of day or location of the real numbers are much, much higher screen . -- probably closer to 5 in 6 Americans – have campaigns printed and distributed . make impulse purchases[42] . For example, let’s say that a library has recently installed digital signage . b) It’s a great way to promote – employ staff to design, create, There are five different screens: at the specific items. and distribute those signs . entrance, the children’s section, the One study advertised certain food main check-out desk, the computer – employ the same staff to items at different locations where area, and the coffee shop in the redesign, recreate, and those items were sold, some of which basement . redistribute those new, had static signage and some digital . updated signs . Some ads might go on all the screens, The items advertised with digital like if there’s a holiday coming up and signs experienced, on average, a 49 the library will be closed . percent increase in sales versus a control period where there was no But some ads will only go on a few advertising . screens . The screen in the children’s department might advertise kids’ Those advertised with static signs only programs while the screen in the had a 15 percent increase in sales . coffee shop might share about an In other words, in this case, digital upcoming music night . signs were 34 percent more effective[28] in promoting specific items than traditional signs were! With digital signage, What’s more, digital signage c) Digital signage motivates your information customers to action. can go directly to its campaigns have a higher Return on In the study mentioned above, static Investment (ROI) than traditional signs and digital ads were posted that intended audience for campaigns . prompted customers to go to the help maximum impact. We’ve seen time and time again that desk and receive a free tote bag . One sales increase when digital signage location received static signs; two had is at the forefront of a sales funnel, digital . Each location received similar especially when creative video plays numbers foot traffic to advertise to. a role .
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When we can stare at a statistic By using Return on Investment (ROI) The QSR industry is rich with examples that tells us anywhere from 65-85 or Return on Objective (ROO) . of successful digital signage percent of consumers are more likely implementation—and it shows how to buy after watching a product What’s the Difference? different corporations can have video, investing in a digital signage ROI is common. But I’ll define it anyways. different definitions of “success.” campaign sounds pretty tempting . It’s what’s Digital Menu Boards known as a The digital marketing format yields If you’ve grabbed a bite at Wendy’s, “profitability long-term savings, brings interest to McDonald’s, Taco John’s, or a number [31] your retail store, and gives you an ROI ratio,” or of others recently, you may have that makes moving into the Digital a way of noticed a digital menu board (DMB) Age a really comfortable ride . calculating behind the counter . how profitable an investment you’ve made is . Seeing footage of shredded cheese It measures the results (usually showering a taco or a toasted bun What’s Digital monetary, like increased sales) of an falling into place always makes me a Signage Worth to investment (such as installing digital little hungrier . signage) as a percentage of the What could ROO and ROI look like in You: ROI and ROO original investment . the context of DMBs? You just finished reading some of ROO is, essentially, a broader version the stats on how digital signage ROO of ROI . can benefit your business. They sure Readability: Often, ROO focuses on sound tempting! Let’s throw in one This term has gained popularity with customer satisfaction . more for good measure . digital signage professionals, because as we’ll discuss later, it can be difficult Seventy-four percent of customers One study found that 83 percent to directly measure the ROI of digital say that an easy-to-read menu is a of small business owners who had signage . top priority [33]. A bright, colorful, well- invested in LED signs believed that designed menu is highly readable, their sales increased afterwards, and [32] ROO involves setting a goal for what and by cycling through multiple 86 percent said they thought the you want to get from an investment screens it can display its information signs brought in new customers . and then measuring how well those at a larger font size. goals are met . The goals could be However, that same study cautions anything from increasing brand You could evaluate your objective that dollars spent in advertising may visibility to enhancing order accuracy of increasing readability by orally take weeks or months to pay off (or at your restaurant . surveying customers about how easy not), and that many factors may be to read your menu was before and at play . Before we get into the nitty-gritty of after installing DMBs . how ROO and ROI work, perhaps you’d How, then, do you measure whether or like a couple of examples . Regulation conformity: Sometimes, not the digital signage you’ve installed your objective is to meet federal is actually benefiting you and your For illustrative purposes, we’re going requirements . business? to focus on Quick Serve Restaurants (QSRs) . We’ll look at a form of digital Can you get hard numbers instead of signage popularly used at QSRs, and just a gut feeling? how a restaurateur could measure Yes, you can . ROI and ROO .
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Recent laws[33] require restaurants Foot traffic: DMBs also drive foot Maybe you’re planning on integrating with more than 20 locations to display traffic, particularly at locations like digital signage with beacon calorie information next to each item . malls and airports where they can technology, so that the approach Many restaurants also choose to list catch eyes of passers-by: 15 percent of a customer with the right app potential allergens such as gluten of restaurants report an increase in installed on their phone would trigger or nuts, and whether the items are number of customers after installing a targeted message on-screen, vegan and/or vegetarian friendly . a digital menu . And this, in turn, increasing customer engagement . increases sales . Traditional menu boards just don’t Whatever the case, your goals will have room to list all that information This is something you could track determine what aspect of ROO you’ll at readable size—but a digital menu yourself, if you compared the average want to focus on . does . Digital menu boards can cycle number of customers you received in After all, through multiple screens and switch an hour or day before and after your ROO doesn’t have to be . It can be more abstract information out easily . DMB’s installation . monetary (though still quantifiable) as well. If that’s your objective, your return If happier customers are your goal, would simply be seeing that A Simple Method then you wouldn’t look for an increase your DMBs could fit the required for Finding ROO in sales—you’d, perhaps measure information more easily than your old how long customers wait in line, and traditional menus . Measuring ROO has become the industry standard in digital signage, lessen decision fatigue by using a ROI because often the goals people have digital promotion board . ROI usually focuses on sales . when they install digital signage aren’t Sales: When everyone makes up their mind purely or primarily monetary . It can be difficult to assess whether faster, no one has to wait as long . installing a digital sign has a direct Is it possible to do without effect on your sales . However, it’s still commissioning a study? possible to evaluate, as we’ll explain In fact, yes! Below, you’ll find a three- below . step process for designing a method Studies show that installing a digital of tracking ROO, along with a handful menu board can boost overall sales by of specific strategies to get you 3 to 5 percent[33] and much higher on started . specific promoted items. Step 1: Decide what constitutes Digital signage is great for prompting ROO for you unplanned purchases, and that holds Before you invest in a digital signage true for DMBs . system, you should have a clear picture of your goals . Thirty percent of customers report that digital signage menus influence which Do you want to increase customer product they purchase . satisfaction by introducing queue This would actually kill two birds . If you management techniques via digital Also, digital menus give restaurants the cut down on wait time, there would be signs, in hopes of shortening their ability to create promotions and offer less people leaving for a place across perceived wait time[34]? upsells that rotate regularly, giving the the street . establishment opportunity to generate Are you hoping to promote specific more[33] money at specific times. sales or special offers?
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Or you could be focusing on You could program the screens Track the number of coupons taken increasing your visibility . If that was to display a message prompting to determine how many meaningful the case, perhaps you’d be more customers to Tweet about a impressions you’re making . interested in looking at whether your certain topic, showing some of their 3. Feedback (from customers and social media presence increased responses on the screens in-store . employees) after installing the system . You can have a drawing to send a Feedback falls into the more coupon or a prize to someone if they Here’s what comes next . abstract category of ROO, but it’s use your hashtag . still valuable—especially when the Whatever metric you decide on, set numbers are proving difficult to Customers love the chance to a numerical goal: for example, a 30 interpret . interact and be heard, and you get percent decrease in perceived wait a publicity boost in the process. time within the first month of installing Do your customers find the signs your screens at the checkout line . 2. Track customer impressions flashy and distracting, rather than through prompted actions eye-catching and appealing? If you’re hoping to measure ROO in Do they remember what they read on terms of customer impressions, you’ll You want a concrete the signs? need a way to track that . way of determining Do they habitually check the displays While you could simply look at if the digital signage for today’s promotions and deals? foot traffic through your store, system is worth it. that doesn’t reveal whether or not And what do your employees think? customers noticed the signs, and Have they noticed customers looking more importantly whether the signs at the signs? Do they feel they Step 2: Get tracking! prompted them to action . enhance the store’s ambiance? After you determine your goals, The above-mentioned social media You won’t know until you ask . you can develop a strategy for prompts could be one way to determining ROO. Here’s five measure that, but not everyone is While conducting surveys can be strategies to give you some ideas . willing to use their personal feed to time-consuming, the data yielded 1. Social media promote a business . is invaluable . It can be a chance to As mentioned above, if your goal is collect demographics information as Instead, consider promoting a increased visibility and generating well . giveaway and measuring impressions conversations, one great way to track based on the number of customers Perhaps you’ll find millennials like that is by using social media[35] . There taking advantage . the signs most, or that middle-aged are many, many tools for pulling women remember to check for deals statistics from platforms such as You don’t need to break the bank . most often . This information will help Twitter and Facebook . you tweak the signs’ content . An example is using a digital sign to Likewise, there’s many ways you instruct users how to digital could use a digital signage system to download a coupon or enter enhance your visibility on social media . a drawing, making them more likely to spend while in your Perhaps your store has its own store . hashtag, which your customers can use on Twitter . After installing your digital signage system, you can watch for an increase in use of that hashtag .
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Step 3: Tweak content to maximize Yes, it is . ROO Once you’re armed with the Here’s a few commonly used key demographic information and metrics for finding ROI (and you can feedback you’ve collected in the download this matrix as a PDF to process of determining ROO, you can reference later) . use that information to maximize your Key Performance Indicators for ROI ROO .
Key Performance If you’re finding that millennials are How to Find It Why It’s Used paying the most attention to your signs, Indicator you can target content towards them . Can indicate new customers, or Transactions Per Day # of Transactions/Day more repeat customers . If your older shoppers think the Simple, high level view of store words are too small to read, you can Gross Sales/ performance . Useful when you increase font size. Average Ticket # of Transactions don’t know the gross margin It turns into a feedback loop: per product . determining ROO enhances your A benchmark measure against ability to increase ROO . Units Sold by Product/ other locations under normal Product Mix Total Units Sold circumstances . Can also show Can You Calculate Your ROI? changes in customer behavior .
That sums up ROO . Those of you who Determines media impact prefer to measure success in terms Units Sold by Product/# of on specific products. Also Units per Transaction of hard dollars may be wondering, Transactions indicates an increase in what about ROI? Like I’ve said, it can add-on purchases . be hard to calculate the ROI of digital (Margin per Unit x Good standard measure signage . Margin per Transaction Units Sold by Product)/ of overall store media Here’s why: Total Transactions performance . Total Service Time/ A way to measure customer - Businesses rarely track the ROI of Speed of Service # of Transactions satisfaction . traditional paper signage . That Measures order accuracy, means you won’t have any way Total transactions x % of Order Accuracy which is a factor in customer to compare your data to after Accurate Orders satisfaction . installing your digital signage . Studies have shown that much of traditional paper-based signage never gets installed or isn’t installed during the proposed promotional period .
- Many factors may be at play besides the introduction of your menu board . How will you control for changes in the economy and seasonal highs and lows?
Is it possible to do? 21 Chapter 2: Digital Signage Benefits & ROI
However, to get the best possible To measure these three elements, Schools or other institutions often picture, you’ll need to do a side-by- you’ve got to ask yourself some key use digital signage for wayfinding side test, using historical sales data . questions . purposes . Interactive maps can How it works: minimize costs related to the printing Here’s why . They’ll not only help you of traditional maps and signs . Choose three to five of your chain’s determine your ROI in the first months stores . If they’re similar in terms of as a digital signage owner, but will This alone can reduce employee annual profit and foot traffic, that will also continue to lead you in the right time[38] dedicated to creating those be one less thing to control for . You direction as things change in your products, as well as the time spent should have sales data from former industry . providing direction assistance . years on hand . Let’s dig into those key questions so In remote conference rooms, they After installing digital signage in some that by the time you’re done reading, replace workers who would otherwise (but not all) of those stores, continue you feel more confident with your spend hours training new employees tracking sales data . direction . on basic policies or new concepts .
For each store, compare year over 3 Questions to Ask About ROI Consider how you would use digital [36] year sales (to mitigate the data- 1. What Do You Need? signage to enhance revenue, engage skewing effect of seasonality) . For the After deciding what purpose you want customers, and overall improve the stores that installed digital signage, your digital signage to serve (which movement of your business . compare before-and-after data . should be your first step, before you By determining what you need, you even think about investing), your Then compare the stores to each can then determine the best digital next step in finding your ROI should other, taking into account as many signage campaign for your business . be determining what software and outside factors as you can: the hardware you need for your digital 2. Does Total Cost of Ownership economy, the stores’ locations, other signage campaign . Play a Role? changes at the store like remodelling… The estimation of expenses For example, many restaurants now use Whew! Sounds like a lot of work, right? associated with purchasing, digital menus or self-service kiosks . We have some advice to help you launching, and using the signage should be taken into account . This is along . The kiosks can replace paid called Total Cost Ownership (TCO), workers[33], reducing payroll and When you’re carrying out these and it can vary, based on your needs . insurance costs . comparisons, you’ll also need to be able to measure both the For the most part, digital investment and the returns of your signage should be digital signage . (Depending on if you looked at as a long- are paying for the initial hardware term investment, which investment out of CapX (and is why TCO is important depreciation) or OpX you will need to consider when to adjust your ROI model to compare measuring ROI . apples to apples ).
You’ll need to consider three things[37]:
– Total Revenue: Cash generated . – Gross Profit: Revenue minus cost . – Net Profit: Gross minus expenses .
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This is most often a point of resistance for potential sign owners, as they want Because the signs can an immediate return on investment . be changed at the 33 . Data Doesn’t Lie: Why Every Nonetheless, a new digital sign owner drop of a dime, your Restaurant Should Consider should track how long the technology Digital Signage by Irfan Khan, [39] has been owned before it has paid brand content can be Commercial Integrator for itself . New sign owners must also customized to suit a consider the number of man hours 34 . How Digital Signage Reduces spared without an employee or two target demographic. Perceived Wait Times by Celia writing, printing, and sending out Anderson, Digital Signage Today updated posters and other disposable By doing this, your brand can reach signage . different people at different times, 35 . 5 Types Of Social ROI With churning sales[40] that may not When looking at TCO on digital Big Business Impact by Peter have been able to happen before signage be sure to look at all costs . Friedman, CMO . with standard, traditional poster Freeware is very common right advertising . 36 . Year Over Year—YOY, now but usually comes with limited Investopedia functionality and/or fee-based cloud storage and services, and traditional 37 . Return on Investment Formula on-premise signage comes with Sources and Use, Marketing MO higher scaling costs to maintain and expand network servers . 28 . 18 Surprising Statistics About 38 . The Benefits of Integrating Digital Signage by Irfan Khan, Wayfinding with Digital Signage With a digital signage network, Sixteen:Nine and Who’s Using it Now by sales, price changes, and specials Daniel P . Dern, Corporate Tech can be updated with real-time 29 . Plautus, Encyclopaedia Decisions information, saving thousands of Brittanica dollars on printing costs and plenty of 39 . Total Cost of Ownership, 30 . Fiduciary, Wikipedia manpower hours each month . Wikipedia 31 . Return on Investment—ROI, My 3. Will ROI Improve my Brand 40 . Digital Signage Will Increase Accounting Course Perception? Your Brand Awareness Lastly, but certainly not least, by James Barry, Ideas for 32 . Measuring Return on Objective: enhancing your brand perception Marketing An Alternative Success Metric can help generate a broader sense of by Dan Meyer, Empower Media 41 . 5 in 6 Americans admit to who you are, ultimately bringing more Marketing impulse buying, people to you . CreditCards .com Digital signage can provide a platform for your business to help you achieve this . When more people become aware of who you are and what you do, more people will buy .
How’s that for simple analytics?
23 KEY PERFORMANCE Indicators for ROI
Key Performance How to Find It Why It’s Used Indicator
Transactions # of Transactions/ Can indicate new customers, or more Per Day Day repeat customers .
Simple, high level view of store Gross Sales/ Average Ticket performance . Useful when you don’t # of Transactions know the gross margin per product .
A benchmark measure against other Units Sold by locations under normal circumstances . Product Mix Product/Total Units Can also show changes in customer Sold behavior .
Units Sold by Determines media impact on specific Units per Product/# of products . Also indicates an increase in Transaction Transactions add-on purchases .
(Margin per Unit x Margin per Units Sold by Good standard measure of overall Transaction Product)/Total store media performance . Transactions
Total Service Time/ A way to measure customer Speed of Service # of Transactions satisfaction .
Total transactions x Measures order accuracy, which is a Order Accuracy % of Accurate Orders factor in customer satisfaction . 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 3 10 Biggest Sales [email protected]
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www.skykit.com Chapter 3: Ten Biggest Digital Signage Challenges
That’s good, but using digital signage in retail isn’t something you should rush into, especially if your budget isn’t limitless . (I’ll be using retail as an example in this chapter, just know that much of this is transferrable to other 10 Biggest industries as well) . Rushing leads to more mistakes . Digital Signage And mistakes make for higher costs and bad results .
Plus, barriers can come up that Challenges make it difficult to get the most out of your digital signage as a powerful communication tool . Digital signage successes like Under Armour’s Brand House can only exist because of Digital signage has the potential light sensors to measure how high meticulous, clearheaded planning . to produce some undeniably cool customers jump, and then email them They couldn’t just hope for the best . customer experiences . their record—which meshes super well Under Armour had to anticipate and with Under Armour’s fitness-centric And while it’s entirely possible to get dodge many possible pitfalls . brand . good results on a budget, looking When you’re implementing digital at what companies with apparently Feeling inspired yet? signage, you should do the same . limitless budgets can do is often what fires people up. While it would be impossible to list every potential challenge, because For example, take a peek at Under they depend on your business, industry, Armour’s gorgeous Chicago Brand goals, and many other factors, I’d like to House[42], which is a true testament to give somewhere to start . how bold and futuristic digital signage can make a space look . Consider this as a framework for considering the challenges that might They installed no less than five arise with your own digital signage distinct digital signage elements, project, so you can create a plan of from interactive kiosks to beacon- action to dodge them . integrated stations, to wraparound video walls . Many business owners are in a similar I boiled down this section into action- situation . oriented steps you can take to Perhaps one of the most visually address these 10 challenges . arresting elements is the massive After reading about the many benefits five-sided LED cube suspended of digital signage and seeing some of The PDF walks through exactly how to from the ceiling . Its edges are nearly the statistics about how it increases approach each challenge . You can seamless, and it has 706 square feet sales, businesses are eager to take print it out or download it and keep it of space to play Under Armour’s ads . advantage of the technology . as a reference . Get your PDF here .
And then there’s the kiosks that use 26 Chapter 3: Ten Biggest Digital Signage Challenges
strategy, it’s best to take the time and 2. Fear of Spending plan . Take the Big 10 The cliché holds true: Sometimes Digital Signage One of the first things you should ask you need to spend money to make Challenge — And yourself when considering a digital money . signage network is “Why do we need It can be a scary prospect, especially one?” Learn How to with technology and strategies as Conquer Your “To increase sales” is a decent start, relatively new as using digital signage Technology Fears but it’s not specific enough . in the retail industry . In fact, the temptation is to cut your The first few challenges are centered Imagine you’re a running equipment costs as far as possible—in the hopes around planning . They’re ones you’re shop and installing your first digital that if something goes wrong, if your likely to encounter while designing signage . plan fails to deliver, you’ll also cut your and installing your digital signage If one project leader is focusing on losses . system . enhancing brand identity and is And of course, “spend money to make 1. An Unclear Vision pushing for content that is thematic, rather than advertising-focused money” isn’t a justification for being Digital signage is already a billion (footage of local track meets), while fiscally irresponsible. dollar industry, and is projected to another is focused solely on pushing continue growing at a rate of 11 .2 Solve it! product (all ads, all the time), you’ll [44] percent YOY targeting $3 .23 billion Perform a cost-benefit analysis have conflict. in 2020, and a 2014-20 CAGR of 13 .2 to see if digital signage would be percent . Solve it! worth it for your business, and see what benefits it could bring to your Industry analysts still predict Retail will company . Clarify what your vision lead the charge with upwards of 50 percent of all digital displays going for the project is first. into this massive catch-all vertical .
Perhaps numbers can be ignored, Your vision will help you choose but when your competitor right down everything from hardware, to the street installs a digital signage software, to the content itself . system, you might get scared they now has a competitive advantage This will also help you determine over you . how to measure ROO for your digital signage . Different goals Maybe you’ve seen a statistic like 42 lend themselves to different ROO- percent of shoppers would prefer to measuring strategies . Make sure you only spend money shop at a store with video displays[43] . where you need to . That is to For example, if your goal is to increase The temptation is to rush and get a say, while spending is necessary, your store’s exposure, you could track digital signage system installed as overspending certainly isn’t . social media mentions . quickly as possible . Having a clear vision and plan for Read Chapter 2 for tons of information Hold up! your digital signage will help you about setting goals and calculating decide which features are needed You see, much like any business ROI and ROO for your digital signage and which are merely desirable . efforts .
27 Chapter 3: Ten Biggest Digital Signage Challenges
For example, let’s look at digital get from Point A to Point B . That’s it: no They also want the content to be wayfinding . bells and whistles required . coordinated with other marketing efforts online and on mobile . Advanced wayfinding systems can While it’s an added convenience come with a laundry-list of special for your customers, only the most Solve it! features, including… dedicated of digital signage nerds Creating an omnichannel would actually start shopping experience requires a lot of ◊ 2D and 3D maps of indoor and someplace just because they have forethought and planning—we offer outdoor locations really nice wayfinding kiosks. some advice here . ◊ Dynamic route updates If all your customers really need—or Make the Most of It (Meaning if a class at a school all you can afford—is a moderately If you’re going to put the effort into changes places, or a sidewalk is sized touchscreen with a searchable fully integrating your digital signage, being repaired, or—you get the directory and the ability to visually you’ll have a powerful tool in your idea—the routes suggested will plot a route, that’s okay . There’s no hands . Don’t let it go to waste—come change to compensate for those need to break the bank! up with creative ways to maximize conditions) its utility, both for you and your Weigh the risk against the reward, the customers . ◊ Ability to text directions to your must-haves against the might-wants, smartphone and make a wise choice . Want an example? It’s hard to look at a place like But sometimes, you need to be bold . If you plan on integrating your Aventura Mall in Miami and not get a Instead of looking solely at ROI or ROO, inventory system, don’t just use little envious . They recently deployed you should, when the time is right[45], that to create promotions . Put that seven interactive digital directories . follow Under Armour’s lead and focus information in the hands of the The 70-inch touch displays show an on creating an experience . customer, too . (Then cross sell and image of where you are now and upsell your customer .) where you want to be, plus detailed Take a risk . (And offset the risk with directions to help you get where you good planning!) When we shop for something we want need to go . and we find something we really like, it 3. Poor Integration can be disheartening to discover our Given the mall is 2 7. million square feet, These days, retailers expect their size is not available. it’s safe to say the wayfinding kiosks digital signage to be more than just and directories were a good idea . When this happens, we leave the store digital versions of static signage[46] . and seek what we want elsewhere . They need integration with multiple Kohl’s[47] has dodged this bullet by systems to be able to truly leverage installing in-store kiosks that allow all the customer data they gather buyers to search inventory on the spot . (buying trends, weather, inventory, POS systems, loyalty programs, etc…) To make up for the fact that they might not have what you need on They want to be able to use the hand, they sweeten the deal by screens for training and corporate offering free shipping right to your communications after hours . door . This keeps the customer happy And for digital signage to be and makes them feel like they’re connected with the inventory system, getting something extra . But in most cases, the goal of digital so that specials can be offered based wayfinding is just to help someone on what’s selling and what isn’t . 28 Chapter 3: Ten Biggest Digital Signage Challenges
Keep Your Customers’ Habits In considering their demographics Larger files require more bandwidth to Mind and surveying them to assess their stream . Let’s say you decide to tie together eagerness to buy in . Standard resolution video takes your loyalty program and your digital about 40 MB/minute, whereas high signage . 4. Not Enough Bandwidth According to a recent study of resolution footage (1080i) requires a Kiosks located in the store could major banks using digital signage whopping 140 MB/minute . encourage customers to sign up for (typically in retail banking), 16 percent You may wish to invest in a private your loyalty programs in order to had difficulties providing sufficient leased line connection[49], which will receive special discounts and news bandwidth for their systems . about sales . allow you to monitor data flow and In K-12, although internet is being allocate bandwidth as necessary to Then, you could integrate beacon added into many school districts, high-demand links . This may also technology to deliver those deals the bandwidth is less than that of increase your data transfer rate, directly to the customer’s phone as an average home, but has as many meaning smoother streaming . they stroll around the store, or email as 200 students trying to connect Good news! If you’re using local them coupons or a newsletter to be simultaneously . used during online browsing . playback, bandwidth will be less of If you’re using the Internet or local VPN an issue . You’d leave the choice up to the to stream your content, you may run [48] Local playback means that instead of customer , so you could engage into issues with your ISP, who often the media player receiving a constant them using whatever channel with limit the amount of bandwidth each stream of content, the content is which they feel most comfortable . customer can use . received only once and then cached Here’s the challenge, though: Kiosks You might suddenly find your screens on the media player for playback . can be expensive equipment going blank because your ISP Depending on your CMS, you may depending on their complexity (Internet Service Provider) has cut be able to schedule these content and enclosure, and beacons, while you off . downloads for off-hours when the individually cheap, still take time and demand for bandwidth is low . Most resources to set up properly . That’s a problem you want to prevent in advance by knowing whether your enterprise-level CMS will have this You need a lot of customer current setup can provide for your option . participation to make the system pay needs, or whether you’ll need to make 5. Too Many Hardware Options for itself . changes . Here’s a fact: not all digital signage You’d need to convince customers to Solve it! systems are made equal . sign up for the loyalty program, and then download an app so they can Different types of commercial displays Figure out your receive alerts . play to particular strengths but might required bandwidth in be weak in other ways . Think about it . While this project could advance, and get in be highly successful—after all, 81% of customers who receive a phone alert contact with your ISP to open it—it could also be an expensive see if your current plan flop. can handle it. It all depends on your customers’ willingness to participate, which you can evaluate in advance by 29 Chapter 3: Ten Biggest Digital Signage Challenges
If you make a poor decision, you limiting factor in choosing what 6. Confusing Content may find that your customers can’t type of screen will work best . Management Software (CMS) read the sign because it’s too small ◊ There are many Difficulty in using CMS is among and too glare-prone . Or perhaps Type of screen: options, ranging classic options the top three complaints of digital you purchased a consumer grade [51] like LCD and projection to fancy signage users . display and the screen you placed newcomers like OLED, ePaper, vertically as a menu board begins Some CMSs are a confusing mess and indoor LED . to deteriorate the image in the of endless menus, unintuitive lower portion of the screen because ◊ Each has advantages and commands, and jumbled windows . it wasn’t meant to be used in that limitations in terms of size, price, Many of the people accessing orientation . what it’s best at displaying, and your CMS (the content creators, in what environment it’s most Solve it! the schedulers, and so on) aren’t legible and eye-catching . It is Before installing digital signage, it’s necessarily tech-savvy . Their strength important to know if the display imperative to research which of the lies elsewhere . Your CMS should allow is indoor, semi-outdoor (or near many options are most suited to your them to do their job without confusion . needs and budget . Otherwise, you’ll a window), or outdoor when be limiting yourself when it comes selecting screen type . Make Solve it! to using your network, or having to sure you have an idea of the Remember: The functions your CMS spend more money later to upgrade . possibilities available to you, has should be defined by your vision because it may turn out that for the digital signage . Also, make sure that the hardware the best solution for you is an These are the four questions you and software you choose are unconventional one . complimentary and compatible with should ask yourself when choosing a each other . ◊ Mounting: Floor, wall, or ceiling- CMS . mounted? Your answer will 1. With whom do you want to We’ll take an in-depth look at vary depending on the space communicate? hardware in Chapter 5 . you’re in and whether you want the screens to be interactive . To get you started, here are some 2. What message do you want to Take into considerations ADA issues to consider for hardware, deliver? (And what action do you requirements when installing summed up from this article . want your audience to take?) touch screens, and consider ◊ Size of screen: Depending on antibacterial plastics for 3. Who is responsible for delivering where you want to put it, and enclosures in public spaces, this message, and what does what sort of content you wish to schools, and hospitals . success mean for them? display, you might find a larger 4. Where does the content/ or smaller screen more suitable . message reside today? You also have options in building out tiled walls or video walls Practically speaking, the answers to from like sized or different sized these questions should point you displays . toward a CMS that:
◊ There are simple formulas[50] for calculating what distance from the screen an image of a certain size will be legible at. Size will, of course, affect price, becoming a
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Has the features you need other hand, sometimes these mobile And never changing it up means If you want to display social media versions are lacking . you’re missing out on chances feeds, for example, ask your vendor if to promote daily deals and take Make sure you see it in use before there’s a built-in widget for doing that advantage of local happenings . buying . or if that’s something you’ll have to Solve it! develop yourself . Built-in analytics should be How often you update may depend accessible . If your CMS gathers data It should also support all the file types on how large your company is, how on your campaign’s effectiveness, you intend to use . frequently you offer sales and other you should be able to view and promotable deals, and other factors . Supports your workflow understand the basic stats without You should be able to approve and being a statistician yourself . update content easily and instantly . Determine how often There should be options for viewing (See #9 for more on workflow.) it in different kinds of charts and you want to add new Is easy to use graphs . content in advance. Alright, this is a pretty obvious one . Hang in there—we’ll be talking even But do you know what a user-friendly more about what to look for in CMSs CMS looks like? in the next chapter . You also need to have a plan in place The interface should be intuitive to for producing content when you need navigate, even for employees who 7. Not Enough Content it . Don’t wait until it’s too late to start aren’t tech savvy . One of the greatest advantages over planning . traditional signage is that If you find yourself in a pinch, digital signage isn’t static . remember that you don’t need Even with the content playing completely new content—it just has to on a loop, the image on the feel fresh . screen changes frequently . Keep a stockpile of relevant stock This means that even if photos that you can easily swap out a customer has seen a in your CMS . Sometime, a few new particular piece of content pictures, a different color scheme, and before, they’re likely to give it changing the wording of a header are a second glance[52]—paper all it takes to give the illusion of new signage might as well be content . wallpaper . We have a few more tips for keeping Don’t forget that to maintain digital Depending on the company you go your content fresh and localized in #8. with, most interfaces are template- signage’s effectiveness, it’s important based, making it easy to drag and to add new content frequently. Also worth mentioning: budgeting for drop images, choose fonts, and content production . Many users of digital signage create powerful content in no time . networks report only updating their How much are you willing to spend? [53] Access from other devices should content every other month , or even be simple . CMS providers often tout less frequently—and that’s probably their software as usable from tablets not often enough . If it’s always the and cellphones—which is great for same, eventually people will stop updating content on the go . On the looking .
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Determine this, and decide who Here’s the issue . demographics such as languages is responsible for producing that spoken . Half of the banks in the previously content . This is especially important mentioned study express difficulties Also worth noting: if your signage for smaller companies that might not in localizing content among their is integrated with the Internet of have graphic designers on staff . branches, and the numbers actually Things and tied into your inventory Contracting graphic designers or localizing content have decreased system, this essentially solves both other skilled individuals to produce over recent years . your content production and content content may produce visually localization woes . It’s a problem when one of your main appealing results, but can you afford reasons for implementing a signage Here’s why: to do it all the time? solution becomes one of your main By having your CMS automatically Perhaps you’re willing to pay a graphic barriers towards using it effectively . promote items that are overstocked, designer to produce advertisements Solve it! or appropriate to the weather, or for major sales events . This is a problem where the best whatever other factors you select, you However, you decide it would be more solutions involve planning in advance, guarantee that your digital signage’s cost-efficient to leave minor localized but you can also start fixing it now . content will be always be relevant and messaging up to that one guy who timely . Even if you have a system in place . took a design class in college and The catch is that if your system is kinda knows how to use Photoshop . If you’re still in the planning stage, already up and running, that sort of Fair enough . start considering solutions for making solution might be more complicated your content locally applicable . 8. Trouble Localizing Content to implement . The ability to provide localized One popular option is making each Additionally, an advanced system like [54] location responsible for some of its content among multiple locations that won’t be right for every business own content . is cited in the top three reasons to or organization. adopt digital signage . There’s a downside here . Some may have a slim budget, or a Why? Well, like we talked about, This produces uneven results based lack of advanced technical knowhow . producing enough content can be on the time and personnel resources challenging on its own . If all you want is a way to display of each location . You could do the nice looking ads and pictures, that’s same thing on the regional level, But messaging is only effective if it’s absolutely fine! It’s all about what’s which might allow for more oversight . relevant . As we talked about in the right for you, and everyone has to first chapter, modern digital signage Giving access to local managers start somewhere . is focused on providing information while reserving approvals for HQ, you that’s important to the viewer . On the simpler side, you can set up can have localized content and brand your digital signs to display the local consistency pretty easily . One great way of doing that: branch’s social media feeds, or even providing localized content . Or, you can take advantage of the local weather . modern-day data analyzing That is, content that’s relevant to a CMS will usually include built-in capabilities and produce some highly specific geographical area,reflecting widgets for doing exactly that . It’s a targeted messaging . the needs and interests of the small way to make the experience demographics that live there . And For example, your messages could more personal for the customer . even content created for a specific vary based on the estimated store—talk about hyper-local! wait time in a queue, or by local
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9. Workflow Difficulties content shouldn’t need the ability to Alexandra Dunk, Boloco’s director of add more users or edit the content, marketing, said, Speaking of content, what’s your for example . strategy for evaluating and approving new content? Setting permissions that correspond “The ability to change with each person’s responsibilities Referring back to the bank study, over will help you avoid confusion and content at a moment’s 15 percent of respondents reported redundancies . workflow issues in getting new notice, as well as content approved . Don’t stop there! potentially minimizing future costs by not Your new network won’t run itself! A cloud-based solution is a good way to centralize the approval process having to replace And while something like running your and keep people from having to play Facebook page could be fobbed off menu boards on an email tag . on the nearest Millennial, maintaining on-going basis, were your digital signage is a much more The ability to create content in outside both factors in our significant responsibility. platforms (Adobe, Google Apps, Microsoft, etc .) and easily upload it to decision. We have You have to decide[55]: the CMS is essential, too . the ability to not only ◊ Who creates content? It’s much easier to collaborate on change our permanent ◊ Who approves content? and approve content that way, rather menu itself, but to than wait for the approver to log into also feature content ◊ Who schedules the content? another system to see the updated content . This makes for more nimble about our limited-time ◊ Who’s responsible for responses . maintenance? offers or other Boloco
Fast updates can help your bottom happenings.” Often, the system is too complicated, line! or the people responsible for approving the content are too slow If a product is in high demand, a 10. Workload Division to respond . This might lead to missed slight price increase can beef up your marketing opportunities, especially bottom line fairly quickly . Even with the best digital on the local level, among other communication strategy in place, a frustrations . On the other end of the spectrum, if a well-designed digital signage network product has worn out it’s welcome, the won’t maintain itself . Solve it! price can just as easily be reduced for Have a clear and consistent system in quick sales . Creating and approving content, place for approving new content, plus troubleshooting technical issues, even readily available guidelines as to what Buy One Get One promotions can help wiping dust off the screens (if you sort of content is appropriate and achieve this . don’t have dust-resistant commercial likely to be approved . displays)—all of this takes time . Boloco, a fast casual restaurant That makes everyone’s job less based in Boston, operates 22 locations 17 percent of surveyed banks stressful! in the Northeast . They use digital mentioned problems with providing menus in eight of these locations, enough labor[51] to keep their digital Your CMS should also allow you to set because they value snappy updates . signage network running smoothly, different permissions for each user . with 30 percent requiring three or Whoever is tasked with scheduling more FTEs . 33 Chapter 3: Ten Biggest Digital Signage Challenges
Solve it! Recognize that while installing a Sources digital signage network can bring 42 . Under Armour Activates the 53 . Digital Signage: Challenges benefits, it, like traditional Point of Space with Digital Signage in & Opportunities for Financial Purchase signage, requires support New Chicago Brand House by Marketers, The Financial Brand in the strategy, design, deployment, Christopher Hall, Digital Signage maintenance and so on . If you don’t Today 54 . 4 Technologies for Smarter have enough manpower resources Localized Content Marketing to allocate you’ll end up with stressed 43 . 4 Challenges for Retail Digital by Ashley Furness, Content employees and subpar content . Signage by Benjamin Schmitt, Marketing Institute Digital Signage Today Providing sufficient training for those 55 . Challenges Facing Retail involved in the project and investing in 44 . Cost-Benefit Analysis, Adoption of Digital Signage user-friendly CMS will cut down on the Wikipedia by Steven Keith Platt, National difficulties in this area. Retail Federation 45 . Falling Forward for Retail You may wish to allocate part of your Reinvention by Laura Davis Taylor, AVNetwork budget for paying an experienced to manage your digital person 46 . 4 Reasons Why Retail Should signage . Adopt Omni-Channel Digital Depending on the size of your network Signage by Irfan Khan, this may be a Content Champion/ Sixteen:Nine Manager, a graphic designer, and 47 . Try Our In-store Kohl’s Kiosk!, an IT support member if running an Kohl’s on-premise network. Staffing models will vary by size of network, content 48 . What You Need To Know About requirements, and number of screens . Omni-Channel Marketing by Daniel Newman, Entrepreneur If it saves untrained and overworked employees from spending frustrating 49 . Leased Line by Vangie Beal, and fruitless hours troubleshooting Webopedia simple problems, it may be worth it . 50 . Digital Signage-LCD or LED? It Or maybe your story looks more like Depends! by Alan Brawn, DSEG this . 51 . 2013 Digital Signage in Retail You have a very simple purpose in Financial Services by John Ryan, mind for your digital signage and JohnRyan want the least troublesome solution 52 . 18 Surprising Statistics About possible . Digital Signage by Irfan Khan, If that’s you, many digital signage Sixteen:Nine companies offer packages that are essentially “plug and play .”
Don’t fall into the trap of getting a more complex system than you need .
34 TAKING ACTION The Biggest Challenges in Digital Signage
Here are 10 common problems for you to identify—and avoid! 1. An Unclear Vision Your vision will help you determine how to measure ROO (return on objective) for your digital signage . Different goals lend themselves to different ROO-measuring strategies .
You must decide your goals and vision for digital signage before you launch a campaign .
2. Fear of Spending Make sure you only spend money where you need to . That’s to say, while spending is necessary, overspending certainly isn’t .
Having a clear vision and plan will help you decide which features are needed and which are merely desirable .
3. Poor Integration Creating an omnichannel experience requires a lot of forethought and planning—we offer some advice here if you’re interested .
◊ Make the most of the data you already have for creative integrations (weather reports tied to purchasing trends for example)
◊ Keep your customer’s behavior in mind so you can capitalize on what they’re already looking for .
4. Not Enough Bandwidth If you’re using the Internet or local VPN to stream your content, you may run into issues with your ISP, who often limit the amount of bandwidth each customer can use .
Figure out your required bandwidth in advance, and get in contact with your ISP to see if your current plan can handle it .
Good news! If you’re using local playback, bandwidth will be less of an issue . 5. Too Many Hardware Options Hardware is usually specific to your industry, use case, and goals. Since there are so many options, it’s not worth wading through it unless you know the digital signage hardware landscape well .
Talk to your digital signage partner or OEM for their recommendation .
6. Confusing Content Management Software (CMS) Difficulty in using CMS is among the top three complaints of digital signage users.
These are the four questions you should ask yourself when choosing a CMS .
1. With whom do you want to communicate?
2. What message do you want to deliver? (And what action do you want your audience to take?)
3. Who is responsible for delivering this message, and what does success mean for them?
4. Where does the content/message reside today?
The answer to those questions should point you to a solution that:
◊ Has the features you need
◊ Supports your workflow
◊ Is easy to use
7. Not Enough Content To maintain effective digital signage, it’s important to add new content frequently .
◊ Determine your content schedule beforehand
◊ Store relevant royalty-free photos
◊ Budget for content production
8. Localizing Content Localized content is content that’s relevant to a specific geographical area, reflecting the needs and interests of the demographics that live there . And even content created for a specific store—talk about hyper-local!
Get a digital signage CMS that can grant access to local managers while reserving approvals for HQ. This gives you the ability to have localized content and brand consistency.
Or, you can take advantage of modern-day data analyzing capabilities and produce some highly targeted messaging .
For example, your messages could vary based on the estimated wait time in a queue, or by local demographics such as languages spoken . 9. Workload Difficulties You have to decide . .
◊ Who creates content?
◊ Who approves content?
◊ Who schedules the content?
◊ Who’s responsible for maintenance?
Have a clear and consistent system in place for approving new content, plus readily available guidelines as to what sort of content is appropriate and likely to be approved .
That makes everyone’s job less stressful!
Your CMS should also allow you to set different permissions for each user . Whoever is tasked with scheduling content shouldn’t need the ability to add more users or edit the content, for example .
Setting permissions that correspond with each person’s responsibilities will help you avoid confusion and redundancies .
Don’t stop there!
A cloud-based solution is a good way to centralize the approval process and keep people from having to play email tag .
The ability to create content in outside platforms (Adobe, Google Apps, Microsoft, etc .) and easily upload it to the CMS is essential, too .
10. Workload Division Creating and approving content, troubleshooting technical issues, even wiping dust off the screens (if you don’t have dust-resistant commercial displays)—all of this takes time .
Providing sufficient training for those involved in the project and investing in user-friendly CMS will cut down on the difficulties in this area.
You may wish to allocate part of your budget for paying an experienced person to manage your digital signage .
Depending on the size of your network this may be a Content Champion/Manager, a graphic designer, and an IT support member if running an on-premise network. Staffing models will vary by size of network, content requirements, and number of screens. 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 4 Digital Signage Sales [email protected]
Software: What Phone Toll Free: 855.383.4518
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to Look for Address 420 N 5th Street
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www.skykit.com Chapter 4: Digital Signage Software: What to Look for
CMS should offer, vertical-specific features that will make your CMS more useful to you, and features that What to might matter to you, specifically. And then we’ll wrap up with how to talk with CMS providers to figure out if Look For in their product is right for you . I put together 7 questions you should ask when evaluating digital signage Digital Signage software . It offers a framework to work from no matter what industry you’re in .
This PDF takes you step by step Software (CMS) through what you should consider . Print it out or download it for reference when the time is right . Download your PDF here . Digital signage CMS (or content Many of them are for niche uses, or management system) is the software specific requirements. that lets users set up what content Some are free with many paid add- gets displayed on which screen, and Three Things ons; some have a subscription-based when . model . Some are web-based, with You Want in content stored on the cloud; some Your Digital take the form of a downloadable program . Signage CMS 1. The Basics At best, they can enable you to put out gorgeous content and streamline There are some features that any your workflow. good CMS should have .
At worst, they can be a labyrinth to Usability Let’s be honest: today’s CMSs are use, fail to offer key features, have much easier to use than early ones . limited scalability and quickly become The instruction manuals used to be outdated . inches thick, and could take weeks to With so many options, it can be hard train users . There are CMSs that require you to to narrow down what makes a CMS a Now we’re beginning to see CMS with create and customize content within good option, and which CMS is right more intuitive user interfaces . the CMS, and others that allow you to for you — because let’s face it, there create content within the wide variety are no one size fits all. Still, as you may remember from of creative software applications the previous chapter, difficulty in In this chapter, I’ll give you some available on the market and then advice about choosing a CMS . using CMS is among the top three import them into the CMS in a variety complaints of digital signage users . of content formats . We’ll start with different features to Some poorly designed interfaces look for: the ones that every good make it look like you’re writing code . There are many CMS options . 39 Chapter 4: Digital Signage Software: What to Look for
The interface you use to interact It should be simple to import content You should be able to specify exact with the CMS (whether on the web, from outside programs, such as times . as with a cloud-based CMS, or Google Drive, Microsoft, and Adobe downloaded to your server, as with products . a locally-hosted CMS) should be In select use cases, Again, this feature is extra important sleek and easy to navigate . The end for both SMB and Enterprise . Smaller businesses may be users, including your content creators businesses may also want access to and the persons responsible for scheduling their pre-made templates and a library of scheduling that content, should be content weeks or even high-quality stock images that are able to understand it with minimal free to use in their signage . months in advance. training . See Chapter 8 for tips on how to This is especially essential for small- create compelling digital signage medium businesses (SMB) which There should be a calendar or content . may have fewer personnel resources, scheduling feature that makes it easy unlike at the enterprise level . User Controls for you to see what will be on display The larger your company and the on a given date . Content Creation Methodology more screens you have, the more Technology integration improvements If your media player caches content people will be involved in managing now allow you to create your content (rather than receiving it in a constant your digital signage system . in the creative tools you already know stream), you should be able to and love and then place them into Clearly defining each person’s schedule when your CMS pushes new your CMS . role and access level will alleviate content to the devices . confusion and redundancies . You If the CMS you are looking at requires That way, you can pick times of low should be able to assign different creation to be performed within the bandwidth demand and avoid internet users different permissions regarding CMS, the content creation tool should slowdowns . Best practice is to update which functions of the CMS they can be intuitive to use and support all the devices around 3am local time . access and alter . common file types . Security Your content creators don’t need to be Unless you are a highly tech-savvy Especially with cloud-hosted content, able to schedule that content, if that’s company and want a high degree of it’s important that the CMS offers not one of their responsibilities . customizability, a tool that allows you high-end data security in transit to drag and drop content to zones A quick note: and at rest . This includes encryption would be ideal . Some software might have limits on and regular security patches to fix the numbers of unique users that can previous vulnerabilities . be added . Of course, you also want to prevent
Know how many you expect to have unauthorized users from gaining on the system and ask potential CMS access to your screens . providers how many their software Last year, the owners of a digital can support . billboard in Atlanta learned that the Content Scheduling hard way . Hackers gained control One of the most basic and yet most of the screen over the internet and useful features of a CMS is the ability changed the image to a man’s to set certain content to go live on posterior[56] . specific screens at a specific time.
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As embarrassing as that is, it could home . Thanks to remote access, she Here are examples of important have been worse . Security is extra could hop onto any device and make features from three verticals . important if your digital signage is the approval in seconds . Education integrated with other store systems . Whether they’re on the road or While still a relatively small market for Customers want to know[57] that standing in front of the commercial digital signage, education is poised your data is secure . If your security screen they want to change, they to grow by leaps and bounds in is breached, their trust in you is should be able to control the content upcoming years . breached as well . from anywhere .
Scalability Customer Support The service should be able to “grow” Once you purchase the CMS, you with you and accommodate more shouldn’t be left to your own devices screens . (pun intended) .
If you decide to expand your amount Especially with the Software as a of digital signage or expand your Service (SaaS) model, there should footprint into other countries, it would be some basic aids in place to keep be pretty frustrating to have to toss your digital signage software running the software you already know and smoothly . The software should be able understand, and learn another one to update itself in the background from the bottom up . without needing your interference . The CMS provider themselves should You should also be confident that the be hosting regular updates to the Here’s why . CMS provider will continue to support software . the product over time as your digital In the United States, the government Even better: these updates should not signage needs evolve . has big initiatives to close the gap disrupt your signs’ functioning . Remote Access between the haves and have-nots You should be able to log into the Your CMS provider should have a help when it comes to digital learning . CMS at any time, from any device . hotline, or some other straightforward Technology funding is in place to Cloud-based CMS will definitely way to contact them for answers and drive improved learning outcomes include this capability, and some on- assistance if you encounter difficulties and to prepare students for their next premise solutions may as well . or bugs . phase of life .
[58] The world has gone mobile and 2. Industry-Specific Digital Today’s kids are “digital natives” . having the ability to drive, edit and Signage CMS Features They’ve grown up around computers program content through your and smartphones . They expect Don’t forget: phone, tablet or PC is becoming information, attractively embedded Depending on what vertical you’re in, commonplace . in media, to flow quickly and easily to you may prioritize some features over them . Being able to update or approve others . content remotely could prove useful in It’s wise to look at case studies any number of situations . from your own vertical, so you can Perhaps your advertising team sees understand how your competitors are an opportunity for a limited-time using their own commercial displays . promotion, but the person tasked with Staying on top of trends will help you approving new content already went stand out .
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Both at the K-12 and higher education One of the points of vulnerability displaying PowerPoint during lecture levels, educators are realizing that is during pick-up . Parents and has no negative impact[62] on digital signage is a great way to administration alike worry about students’ final grade outcomes. It may teach both individuals and whole a child getting into the wrong car . even have a positive effect . classes, work collaboratively, and Today, some schools may use license to keep students engaged and plate and facial-recognition software get information to them in a way that works with their CMS to confirm In fact, students prefer they’ll appreciate . Digital signage in children make it to the right car . lectures that have education can serve many purposes . Or they may choose a system like the visual aids. Students Here are a few . one recently installed at North Springs who are hard of Elementary School[60] in Columbia, S .C . Safety and Security hearing will appreciate As of 2013, one in three parents of Picture this . K-12 students feared for their child’s it as well. safety[59] in school . Each child’s guardian receives an RFID-equipped card with their contact If you’re a parent, you can probably information and photo ID . Leveraging technology in the rattle off a laundry list of potential classroom as a tool to better educate Upon arrival at the pick-up area, staff hazards: severe weather, abductions, students is mission critical . It is more scan the card . Then the information is intruders, and on and on . than just displaying visuals in a one- displayed on signs inside, along with to-many format, but rather the key With the help of the right hardware instructions for the student to proceed to relevant, up-to-date content by and software, digital signage can to the pick-up area . It also appears grade in touch or non-touch formats . help ease parents’ fears and protect on staff’s tablets, ensuring they children . conduct each child to the right card . It gives access to animated maps, videos, and learning tools that engage Let’s be clear: Aside from pick-ups, in education, students in a collaborative manner . Emergency Alert capabilities can digital signage often doubles as an Providing gamification in education be pushed manually or linked to emergency alert system . and providing both a teaching and emergency notification services, learning environment will improve test which may require third-party It’s important that any CMS you scores and overall results . software (rather than being built into choose would support these functions, at extremely high the CMS) . Check that this software Digital signage can also be used to standards of performance. and your CMS are compatible and display announcements, reminders can work together . Also, determine the The CMS should also be able to about upcoming assignments, test cost of adding the feature into your display different information on scores, and more . network . different screens[61], since not all areas of the school will take the same evacuation or shelter routes .
In the Classroom While children at school should be kept safe, they’re there to learn . Digital signage has an important place in the classroom, too .
Studies show that overall, regularly
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If you plan on using digital signage Navigating unknown campus hallways upgrades annually . in the classroom, you’ll want CMS for the first time can be intimidating. Here’s some other uses, and the CMS features such as But as mobile technology continues to features that enable them . become a huge part of our society, so ◊ User Controls: Historically the do mobile solutions . Loss Prevention teacher, onsite administration, In 2014, more than $32 billion worth the district, and the networks IT For such a system to work, you’d of products[63] and money vanished management have control over need to be able to build GPS based into the pockets and purses of the various classroom displays . interactive maps in your CMS . unscrupulous customers and If not in entirety sometimes by If you plan on including a mobile employees . zone. Understanding the CMS wayfinding system, your CMS would user control options and number also need to be compatible with the of user seats available may be app you chose and able to send important to you when selecting directions to it either in real-time, or your software partners . as a PDF . ◊ Importing Content: Most teachers will already have Retail lecture visual aids that should Retail is the largest market for digital be easy to import into the CMS . signage, and the potential uses are And at the K-12 level, there’s a diverse . lot of content available online For just one example, take Ford’s “The that teachers may wish to use . Truth About Trucks” kiosks[72] . Your CMS should make it easy
for them to import this content They wanted to give customers a as well . deeper, more interactive look at the That’s a lot of shrinkage . F-150’s capabilities and options, so ◊ Content Scheduling: they built a kiosk that would allow If you’re in the retail vertical, you Eliminate outdated PA system customers to build their own ideal already know how important loss morning announcements . trucks, compare with competitor’s prevention is. But did you realize that Announcements can be trucks, and more . digital signage can help? recorded at any time and paired
with visuals, then set to be The CMS also tracked how often Yes it can! Many stores show security played at a certain time in the customers visited particular pages camera footage on screens to remind morning . so that developers could focus on shoppers and employees alike that they’re being watched . Why not have Wayfinding developing better content for those New schools are scary . pages, or redirecting flow so less- these screens contribute to your seen pages are visited . digital signage network by adding But today, they’re a little less so . messaging[64]? But remember, most kiosk or Mobile wayfinding options are interactive solutions are not out of the Short messages welcoming shoppers creeping into schools . Now box with a CMS . to the store can catch their eye newbies can refer to one of the and remind them that the security They are custom-development, so digital touchscreen kiosks placed cameras are there (while making expect to pay a fee for both the strategically around campus or their it harder for them to pinpoint blind development and content to get mobile phones to find their way to the spots by interrupting the stream) . art or music room . going and remember to budget
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Messaging can also encourage prices accordingly . Items that are They decided that their stores in those shoppers to watch their own in high demand may increase in areas would be designed to serve belongings and report suspicious price slightly, and items that are retirees specifically. They widened behavior to staff . overstocked may go on sale . their aisles to make them accessible for those needing mobility aids, and They’ll also help the security footage These price changes are put into stocked many health items and look less inhospitable . And if you the system automatically . If you use single-serving, easy to prep meals . play advertisements as well, it may digital price tags[66], those update help boost sales and offset your themselves, and screens around In just two years, revenue at one of shrinkage. the store can add automatically the remodelled stores doubled . generated ads to their content . Localizing the content on your digital In back-of-house Usually, it’s not the CMS that does this, signage helps you get some of the but another piece of software that same benefits, for much less cost uses, messaging works with your CMS . Hadoop, by Intel, than remodelling your whole store . can discourage is an example of a system that can Today, digital signage software store, analyze, and use vast quantities internal theft and exists that automatically detects and of data in real time . remind employees of records the demographic information [67] of people approaching, guessing their the potentially dire The flexible software has been used to target individual shoppers with age, gender, and race . consequences of advertisements, and also to committing crimes. analyze POS data to forecast future demand .
Content Localization In order to make this work, your CMS Remember, the ability to would need to be able to play live localize content is one of the video feeds in the format your security top three reasons cited for cameras record in, and intersperse installing digital signage . the feed with preselected messaging . The reason is clear . Backend Database Integration Today, stores are realizing they Localizing content means can leverage the data they gather you’ll be able to target from the Internet of Things and their customers with messaging This third-party software can then Enterprise Resource Planning[65] that’s more relevant to them . More work with your CMS to present content software into sales… And that digital personal . And thus, more effective . that’s likely to appeal based on those signage can help . Entire stores can be built on the factors . We mentioned this in the last chapter, principles of localization. Or, you can take that data and use it but in case you need a refresher, For example, what if your store was to create more effective content . here’s how it works . in an area with high numbers of Aside from that specialized software, Software “watches” your inventory, retirees? here’s some other CMS features that tracking the rates at which items sell . Here’s how one grocery chain will help you localize your content. Then, it uses algorithms to figure out answered[68] . ◊ By assigning which items to promote and adjusts User controls:
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different permissions for certain publishing and audit rights . high-quality images and schedule users, you can put each region content—especially if you have ◊ You or location of a store in charge Remote control ability. different breakfast and lunch/dinner want the ability to turn screens of part of their own content . This menus . off and on, and adjust volume allows them to take advantage and brightness levels, without Another essential: . of local events or factors that the redundancy having to fiddle with the device central corporate office wouldn’t Perhaps the only advantage of a itself . (Bonus: This will keep even know about . For quality traditional menu over a digital is that the controls safe from, say, control purposes, HQ can retain it’ll never go blank on you . mischievous teenagers .) the ability to approve or reject content . No problem! Your CMS can help ◊ Built-in analytics, such as ad mitigate that risk . counts and interaction counts . ◊ Widgets: CMSs often comes with widgets, such as the local Say you have a grouping of three ◊ Proof of Play, to document and screens that act as a menu . If one weather or social media feeds, report for invoicing purposes . that can be dragged and screen experiences issues, the CMS dropped into the content . If a Quick Serve Restaurants should be able to distribute its content location controls its own social QSRs have many potential uses between the other two . media, that would be a very for digital signage—in fact, they go The CMS should also cache content simple way to present some together like buns on a burger . on your media player so if the Internet localized content. goes down and it loses its connection Ad Network Model to the cloud, your content will continue As we’ve been hinting at, one of the to play . biggest digital signage uses in retail is Beacons and Digital Signage advertising . When I say beacon, I mean a digital Studies show it’s far more effective at transmitter (or tracking device) that drawing eyes and motivating action in communicates with a shopper’s consumers than traditional signage . smartphone in an effort to improve their shopping experience . If you plan on using digital signage as your advertising network, what sort Placed anywhere you deem suitable of features will you need and want in in your restaurant, the transmitter your CMS? communicates with a smartphone’s Digital Menus Bluetooth and transmits information ◊ Granular scheduling down Quick Service Restaurants that utilize directly to anyone that has installed to store, region, or designated indoor and outdoor digital signage the store’s app . market area (DMA) . This will see a 5 to 8 percent increase in allow you to localize your revenue . advertising per region or per Beacons placed near store to show local or regionally- The increase, in part, can be relevant content . attributed to easy-to-read menus digital menu boards with more food options . can alert restaurant ◊ Ability to add users, so you can share content to outside If a digital sign’s being used as a employees when a advertisers . They can maintain menu board, the most important loyalty customer has features are the ability to display their content while you retain come in. 45 Chapter 4: Digital Signage Software: What to Look for
Specials can come up on those entertainment, and ads tailored Limited budgets mean that some of boards that appeal to that customer, entirely to the Tim Hortons brand . the most advanced solutions may be giving the establishment the out of your reach . Make sure to sort Even if your own advertising plans opportunity to personally cater to the your desired features by “must-have” are less elaborate, you can see how customer without saying a word . and “would be nice .” using digital signage to advertise can Ordering Kiosks seriously boost your brand . Also consider the human side of that Do you love the convenience of a equation . touchscreen ordering kiosk? Many For advertising, your CMS needs customers do . the ability to support multiple How much time do employees have users with different, assigned to devote to creating content? Can Aside from increased sales, many permissions . you spend hours training them in the canny restauranteurs have noticed new system? Can your IT department Many QSRs assign digital signage that buying and maintaining a kiosk spare time to troubleshoot a promotions to their ad agency or costs less than paying the salary of a complicated system? cashier . management services . You may have to sacrifice some Fact: Being able to allow the ad In other words, kiosks are here to stay . features or degrees of customizability agency direct access to the relevant in favor of streamlined simplicity . If it’s functioning as an ordering kiosk, parts of your CMS can be a huge the CMS should support touch-screen time-saver . interactivity . 3. A Good Fit for You Back of House Uses Finding Your CMS Ultimately, the best content Interactivity might be important for By this point, you’ve developed a management system is the one that back-of-house digital signage being thorough profile of what you want fits your needs the best. used to train employees as well . Or from a content management system . how about a nightly close shutdown If you have a specific vision for your You know what features are checklist or digital time cards? digital signage (and you should important to you—both what you definitely have one) then by all You may also want the ability to need to have, and what would be nice means seek out a CMS that can integrate with management systems to have . deliver on that vision . and show metrics like drive-through [69] Lastly, you also know your efficiency . This probably means looking for limitations—your budget, how specific features . If that’s your hope, you’ll need the CMS much time your IT department has to be able to work with whatever other Do you need support for specific file to dedicate to troubleshooting the software you’re using . Ask your CMS types? system, how tech savvy the end-users providers to make sure it will . are, and so on . Do you want built-in widgets for Advertising displaying social media and weather It’s time to start assembling a list of For an example of how QSRs are using reports? questions to ask software providers digital signage, let’s take a peek at and officially begin the search for your Tim Hortons . Here’s the catch . CMS .
This Canadian chain famed for its While it’s easy to pile up long lists of coffee and donuts not only has digital features you want in your ideal piece menus, but their own TV channel, of software, eventually you do have to TimsTV. Playing on screens in the face reality . dining area, this channel plays news, 46 Chapter 4: Digital Signage Software: What to Look for
You should ask about[70] If your provider overestimates their 63 . Shoplifting, Worker Theft Cost ability to meet your needs[71], or the Retailers $32 Billion Last Year by ◊ Any features not listed on the software is lacking in a key feature, Phil Wahba, Fortune software provider’s website— you’ll lose money and face the especially ones you identified 64 . Loss Prevention With Digital headache of trying to salvage your as important during your earlier Signage by Lyle Bunn, Digital content and switch to a new CMS . brainstorming . Ie . scalability, Signage Today security and speed . As you’ve been researching features, 65 . Enterprise Resource Planning, you’ve probably run across several ◊ References—you’ll want to talk Wikipedia pieces of software that appeal to you . to some of the provider’s other That’s a good place to start . 66. Keeping Up A Competitive clients to get an idea of how the (Shelf) Edge: Digital Signs and system has been working for Labels, InContext them, and whether the provider was easy to work with . (Keep Sources 67 . Ten Common Hadoopable an eye out for reviews online as 56 . Full Moon: Don’t Let This Problems, Cloudera well!) Happen to Your Digital Signage 68 . How Europe’s Grocers Keep by Christopher Hall, Digital ◊ Pricing information, such as Food Sales Fresh by Marc- Signage Today model (purchase, lease, or Andre Kamel, Nick Greenspan software as a service) and 57 . How to Restore Customer’s and Rudolf Pritzl; The Wall discounts for large deployments Trust in Data Security by Chloe Street Journal Green, Information Age ◊ Support, such as remote 69 . Digital Signage: Making a software updates, a help hotline, 58 . Digital Native, Wikipedia Difference Behind the QSR and training for the system’s Counter by Sharon Sonesh, Sign users 59 . Parents’ School Safety Fears Media Haven’t Receded Since ◊ Compatibility with other Newtown by Jeffrey M . Jones, 70 . Top Questions to Ask Potential hardware and software that you Gallup Digital Signage Vendors, Digital hope to use Signage Federation 60 . KidGopher Uses Digital Signage ◊ Ability to display and create to Keep School Kids Safe 71 . What to Look For in a Digital certain types of content, such by Christopher Hall, Digital Signage CMS by Christopher as ads, interactive content, social Signage Today Hall, Digital Signage Today media feeds, and specific file types 61 . 4 Valuable Digital Signage 72 . Digital Signage Test Driving the Applications for School Wireless Ford F-150 Experience by Nicole ◊ And any other relevant Networks by Ashley Wainright, Troxell, Digital Signage Today questions you can think of[73] Securedge Networks 73 . 10 Keys to Better Digital It’s important to be as thorough as 62 . What Is the Impact of Signage RFPs, For End-Users possible when talking to a prospective PowerPoint Lectures on and Vendors by Dave Haynes, software provider . After all, there Learning? A Brief Review of Sixteen:Nine are endless hundreds of options out Research by Linda Cornwell, there—but you’re only picking one, Hagerstown Community which you will hopefully use for years College to come .
47 7 QUESTIONS To Ask When Evaluating Digital Signage CMSs
Ultimately, the best content management system is the one that fits your needs.
If you have a specific vision for your digital signage solution, then by all means seek out a CMS that can deliver on that vision .
This probably means looking for specific features .
Do you need support for specific file types?
Do you want built-in widgets for displaying social media and weather reports?
Here’s the catch .
While it’s easy to pile up long lists of features you want in your ideal piece of software, eventually you do have to face reality .
Limited budgets mean that some of the most advanced solutions may be out of your reach . Make sure to sort your desired features by “must-have” and “would be nice .”
Also consider the human side of that equation .
How much time do employees have to devote to creating content? Can you spend hours training them in the new system? Can your IT department spare time to troubleshoot a complicated system?
You may have to sacrifice some features or degrees of customizability in favor of streamlined simplicity . Questions to Ask: By this point, you’ve developed a thorough profile of what you want from a content management system .
You know what features are important to you—both what you need to have, and what would be nice to have .
Lastly, you also know your limitations—your budget, how much time your IT department has to dedicate to troubleshooting the system, how tech savvy the end-users are, and so on .
It’s time to start assembling a list of questions to ask software providers and officially begin the search for your CMS .
This is what you should ask about when searching for a digital signage CMS:
1. Any features not listed on the software provider’s website—especially ones you identified as important during your earlier brainstorming. Ie. scalability, security and speed .
2. References—you’ll want to talk to some of the provider’s other clients to get an idea of how the system has been working for them, and whether the provider was easy to work with . (Keep an eye out for reviews online as well!)
3. Pricing information, such as model (purchase, lease, or software as a service) and discounts for large deployments
4. Support, such as remote software updates, a help hotline, and training for the system’s users
5. Compatibility with other hardware and software that you hope to use
6. Ability to display and create certain types of content, such as ads, interactive content, social media feeds, and specific file types
7. And any other relevant questions you can think of
It’s important to be as thorough as possible when talking to a prospective software provider . After all, there are endless hundreds of options out there—but you’re only picking one, which you will hopefully use for years to come . 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide
5Digital Signage Sales [email protected]
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Address What to 420 N 5th Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 Look for www.skykit.com Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
the media player and the screen are integrated, with the player hidden inside the screen’s Digital Signage casing . Small business may get away with a consumer grade TVs for their display, but consumer displays are meant for approx 6 Hardware: What hours of play per day, typically have a one year warranty, have limited functionality, and are meant for landscape use . to Look For Commercial grade displays come in three basic types: LCD, LED or OLED .
1. LCD - LCD displays are generally less expensive, wider in depth and weigh more than LED displays . LCD displays have been the most Digital signage hardware forms a Selecting the right hardware is just as widely used type of display for crucial part of the holistic solution, important as selecting the right CMS signage until recently NOTE: LCDs but customer sometimes shop brand software can be, and should be just as offer a preferred long-life, high- or price only unless the project is of carefully chosen to suit a particular use . performance, cost-effective significant size. And in today’s market It’s easy to focus on software or on solution, while the benefits of there is much confusion around the content since those can be a little OLED may be best suited to difference between using a consumer more “sexy .” deliver the “wow factor” of very TV versus a commercial display. high profile or architectural The truth is, you need to focus on all media. parts of the digital signage rollout in order to get not only a cohesive 2. LED - Increasingly more popular, solution, but a scalable, secure due to performance and network . economies of LED panels that are back-lit, edge-lit and direct- Each digital signage system needs lit . LED types use either a matrix three major hardware components: of LEDs behind the screen or an array of side-mounted LEDs ◊ Media Player: The media player to replace the cold cathode is the “brains” of your digital fluorescent light lamps of LCD. signage . The media player is Although the concept is generally what pushes your content to the the same as back-lighting back- screen (one media player per lighting, screen unless a splitter is used to LED displays offer a drive multiple screens from one sharper, clearer image and player) . offer brighter colors and better contrast over LCD. LEDs also ◊ TV or Display: You definitely offer lower operating costs know this one . It’s where your by using up to 50 percent content shows up . Sometimes, less power consumption than 51 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
CCFLs. LEDs offer a slimmer Once you understand your options, has boomed . Most major electronics profile, with some commercial and a framework for how to approach manufacturers offer media player displays being less than a few this, you’ll find it much easier to select options, as do several large digital millimeters in depth versus up to hardware that’s right for your project . signage companies . 5 inches with CCFL displays . I made a free guide for you that will Even Google’s getting in on the digital 3. OLED - organic light-emitting help you put these strategies into signage game, with partnerships diode (OLED) OLED technology action when you’re evaluating digital with a number of different OEMs to is emerging as an advanced signage hardware . build Chromeboxes, Chromebits, and flat-panel display option. These Chromebases based on Chrome OS The PDF outlines — step-by-step — flexible, bright, ultra-thin, highly (discussed lightly below and in more exactly what questions to ask and energy efficient displays are depth in Chapter 7) . how to approach hardware using the similar to a regular LED, except concepts I talk about in this post… you There’s an option for every use case that they are made up of can bookmark it, print out, or keep it and budget, for SMBs to enterprises . organic semiconductor material in a folder for reference . Get your PDF sandwiched between two Distinguishing the players from each here . electrodes that produce light other are factors like size, processing when a current is made to flow power, manageability, commercial through its volume . setting-friendly components, memory, storage, price, and more . ◊ Mounting: Your screen needs Understanding something to hold it up, and Your Media The Categories that’s where mounting comes Media players can be loosely grouped in . There’s many types, from Player Options into a few categories . simple wall and ceiling mounts When designing digital signage, to floor stands. I’m also going to people tend to go for the things Since there’s such a glut of options include stands and kiosks in this that look good from a user interface on the market, knowing what general category . perspective, like the Content category you’re interested can be Management System (CMS) . your first step in narrowing down your choices . And it’s vital to have a good CMS . Each category will contain some But the best CMS in the world is options that are designed for use with worthless if the players fail to deliver digital signage, and some options your message to the targeted that aren’t specifically created for audience . In the end, selection of a digital signage but can work to power digital signage solution is a balance it anyway . across all components with respect to the solution requirements . We’ll run through each, giving use cases and examples along the way . The Industry There’s another grouping that The digital media player industry is overlaps with these categories, so I’ll still young, and still evolving . You may address it separately here . In this chapter, we’ll compare different remember from Chapter 1 that digital types of hardware in each of these signage itself was born alongside Proprietary media players are ones three categories . media players . designed by and/or built for a particular digital signage company . Since those early days, the industry 52 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
Hypothetically, they could show up in Box-type media players offer some Chromebit and the Chromecast . any of the below categories . advantages . For one thing, they’re super flexible in terms of how they Streaming Devices vs. Media Their main advantage is that they’re can be set up and networked with Players optimized to work within a digital signage other devices and accessories . And , born in 2013, is a environment created by that brand—no Chromecast there are many, many options on the that worries about compatibility whatsoever . media-streaming device market for many needs . plugs into the HDMI port of a screen, Boxes allowing the user to stream content . On the downside, boxes range from Box-type media players are, The device is small and is shaped like about $150 for some Chromeboxes to in essence, small form-factor a mini hockey puck . well over $800 apiece . Those heavily computers—usually about 5x7” . They optimized for commercial settings were the first type of digital media After you plug it into your HDMI port and high-end performance will be player built for digital signage . and connect to a Wi-Fi network . It acts more expensive, of course, and you’ll as a portal for the content on your They run on a variety of operating need to buy the screen separately . computer or smartphone to be played systems: Chrome, Mac, and Windows, on your display . It also includes apps Also, you’ll have to hide the box primarily . Some are designed such as Netflix which let you stream somehow . specifically for digital signage, and content to the display . some are meant as home computers Use cases include… Well, just about The Chromecast, as its name implies, but repurposed for digital signage . any digital signage application is intended to “cast” content from one imaginable . But for just a few, Worth highlighting here as an example think about giant, tiled video walls; are Chromeboxes . Born in 2012 they’re wayfinding systems; POS advertising small form-factor computer boxes and self-checkout systems; front that run on Chrome’s OS . desk information hubs at schools; The idea is that you can set the interactive changing rooms at box on your desk, plug in a monitor, department stores (check out mouse, and keyboard, and set up your Chapter 10 for other futuristic ideas); own little desktop computer… or skip and much much more . the mouse and keyboard and have a Sticks digital sign . Stick media players are similar to the With a low price point and the ability box type, but shrunk down even smaller to enroll in Google’s powerful Chrome and plugged directly into the screen . Management Console, they’re an increasingly popular option . They typically have fewer peripheral location such as a computer, tablet ports and less-powerful processors or smartphone, onto a display . You’d Chrome itself doesn’t make these than box players do . need a dedicated laptop or computer devices; rather, there are numerous for each and every Chromecast . models on offer from OEM’s like It can be a little confusing looking at HP, Asus, Acer, and more . They’re stick media players, because there’s The Chromecast is not a media differentiated by their size, materials, some very similar devices that might player. It depends on another device processors, RAM, and other factors . also be marketed as digital signage to act as the media player and AOPEN offers Chromeboxes tools, but aren’t truly media players . simply acts as a link between that specifically meant for signage. (Skip device and the screen . It cannot be To exemplify the difference, let’s look to Chapter 7 to learn a lot more about managed with CMS . at two devices from Google: the Chromeboxes .) 53 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
Now contrast that to the Chromebit, Because of this, the Chromebit All-In-One which is a true stick-type media provides more functional capabilities, All-in-one media players are a player . complexity and flexibility than the newcomer even in this young Chromecast . industry, and they excite many people who appreciate convenience and Chromebit, born in More About Stick Media Players Stick media players often run on streamlined systems . 2015, is a small device lightweight operating systems like With all-in-one media players, the Chrome OS or Android . Lightweight that runs on Google’s media player is integrated with the isn’t necessarily a negative: most Chrome OS operating screen . also have less powerful processors system. The stick- (think a 1.8GHz Rockchip) than box There’s a couple different ways to do like device closely media players have, and an OS that that . isn’t resource-intensive will run much resembles a thumb more speedily . A small box-type media player can drive. be mounted behind or within the They should be able to play anything casing of the screen . This can lead to up to HD video with ease, though they bulkiness, or cause the screen to stick may struggle with 4K video or zoned out far beyond its mounting . Chromebit, when plugged into the video . HDMI port of a monitor, acts like a tiny As an example: In Chapter 7, we personal computer, with access to the One attractive factor is the price point . briefly talk about Lenovo’s Tiny-in- Internet and Google’s browser-based Chromebits are a mere $85 per unit, One solution, which allows you to take apps . which is about half the price of a very one of their ThinkCentre Chromebox basic Chromebox . Tiny devices and install it in a screen’s The Chromebit is seemingly similar casing . to the Chromecast, but in fact, it is Also appealing are the tiny size and in a completely different class of low power demands . Or, the display can make use of machines—it IS a general purpose System-on-Chip technology . That’s However, stick media players are computing tool . right: the media player is condensed generally not considered enterprise down to a chip and built into the The Chromebit is functionally grade solutions . Most are primarily screen . This allows the screens to be equivalent to a Chromebook, without made of plastic and don’t have long much slimmer . the display . warranty options . They won’t be as durable in a commercial environment All-in-One players are appealing due So you can think of it as a $85 as an optimized box player. to the price point and convenience . computer on a stick . The Chromebit You (typically) don’t have to buy the is more functionality aligned with a Many won’t be able to handle screen and player separately . Plus, Google Chromebox, with the same more obscure file types or complex setup couldn’t be easier . Just plug it in performance capabilities, but applications . and connect to WiFi or Ethernet . without the ethernet port or multiple Use cases include classroom signage; peripheral ports . It allows the user to The downside: Decreased flexibility. lobby signage; safety training and add a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse . There aren’t as many options in terms enforcement in QSR and other of size and screen type as when Vitally: It also allows the device’s settings; and advertising-centered you’re mixing and matching media settings to be managed with Chrome signage at businesses, especially at players and screens separately . Management Console, and its content SMBs . to be managed with a CMS .
54 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
You’ll have a difficult time upgrading (proprietary), LG 55LX (embedded By “Kiosk Mode,” we mean: memory or storage, or even within a TV/Display), Mac Mini and Can the device be configured from troubleshooting issues, with the media Dell Precision (Mac and Windows PC, an administrative perspective to boot player hidden away in the screen . And respectively), and Asus’ Chromebox into the digital signage application— with a SoC, if either the screen or the and Chromebit (Chrome-based) . and only the digital signage media player dies, the whole thing will The review focuses on the device application—protecting it from misuse need replacing . attributes needed for an effective, for other applications? Plus, there’s just not as much you can secure, scalable solution . Chrome OS wins from a general do with them—you’ll have a tough How’d they measure up? Read on to purpose computing device time setting up a complicated video find out! perspective over Windows/Mac . As wall or touch-based payment system for the proprietary units, they come with a SoC or other all-in-one player, Comparisons in a three-way tie for first as they are especially one not optimized for Natively Secure Operating System dedicated digital signage devices . commercial settings .
Is the operating system inherently or Resolution It can be done, though: pop over to “natively” secure? Display resolution (and screen size) Chapter 7 to see how a fish restaurant will always get better . gave the franchise a facelift using This goes to the design methodology Chromebases . and approach to how the operating 1080p is today’s norm and 4k is system is maintained and updated . already making inroads . Use cases include wayfinding at malls, schools, and medical facilities; Chrome OS wins hands down in terms sign-up kiosks at businesses; POS of known issues (absolutely none!), It’s important that systems; teleconference-enabled rapidity and approach to patching conference room signage; and more . and updating (all automatically the player be able to controlled by Google) . play in a resolution
Google designed the commercial appropriate for general Which One is version of Chrome OS to be purpose digital signage Best: A Quick enterprise-grade by providing applications across the capabilities needed by large Comparison organizations in terms of security, the wide variety of scalability and maintainability . Especially at the enterprise level, there available displays, and are many players on the market for Security right now that means digital signage . The above “Natively Secure” category 1080p. is more about the mindset of how We wanted to review some of the the operating system is developed more popular devices within the and maintained, but also drives this most common categories: Chrome- The Mac wins here as it already Security Category . based, PC-based (Mac/Windows), natively supports both 1080p and 4k embedded within a display, and Chrome and the Chrome Device in the base unit . proprietary . Management (CDM) Console win again, for the reasons mentioned And here’s what we picked to under Chromebox Pros above . represent those categories: Operating System Support for Kiosk Blackbox iCompel and Cisco Edge Mode 55 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
CPU / Processing Capability In other words, it’s what keeps your Next best are the Mac Mini and the digital signage from becoming a Chromebox . All of the players implement CPU/ massive headache . GPU combinations enabling them to Price Point successfully support complex content This is another category where There is a 10:1 difference between the requirements – full motion video and Chrome devices win across the board . least and most expensive devices animation, crisp and clear . reviewed . The Chrome Management Console Included Connectivity provided by Google means that you However, price shouldn’t be your sole The Chromebox and Mac Mini tie for can remotely manage one device deciding factor . In fact, it can be like the win here as they both provide WiFi, through policy management and comparing apples to oranges . Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity in those policies can automatically be their base unit . A SMB-friendly solution like a pushed to thousands of devices . Chromebit will naturally be far less The Chromebit is hindered by its There’s not a limit to how many you expensive than a top-of-the-line small size and therefore does not can include . commercial media player box meant provide an ethernet port but it does for enterprise use . also include Bluetooth where the Statistics on player operation, remote remaining devices do not . On the reset, remote screenshots, it’s all there . Understand what features are downside there is no clock, which important to your use case first, and Cisco is a close second because of its can cause problems if the sign loses then look at the price of options that robust network management lineage . internet connection and can’t reboot offer those features . it’s playlist schedule correctly . Green Tech Chrome represents the least Do the reviewed devices represent an expensive of the reviewed solutions opportunity to reduce power utilization and leads at that price point from a as a result of how they are built? feature/function comparison too .
Just measuring the size of the What’s Your Goal? included power supplies makes it All of these reviewed devices are easy to assess . Cisco, the Black Box, effective digital signage media and the Chrome devices are the most players . green .
Form Factor Some have been around awhile, How easy is it to physically hide the others are new to the market . player/device? Some are dedicated to digital signage, others are general purpose Form factor helps to determine and computing devices cast into All of the other units either require an can limit the aesthetics of your sign . application-specific roles. upgraded version to support WiFi or in the case of the embedded display, do Ever see a really high-end digital sign Evaluate your solution from the not support WiFi connectivity . on an expensive, impressive stand perspective of your unique application with a large tower computer standing requirements, and your organization’s All of the reviewed devices provide next to it? It kind of ruins the brand ability to support the player devices USB connectivity . impression . themselves . Device / Player Management Smaller is better and from that Here are some questions to consider Scaling the maintenance and perspective the Chromebit cannot be when making your purchase: management process means being beaten as it can fit easily in a pocket. able to support many players easily . 56 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
◊ Are you deploying one or »» Intel Core i3/i7: The heavy If you’re going to have a digital sign hundreds/thousands of devices? hitter, which can play 4k video, where viewers will be up close and streaming video, multi-zoned personal, you probably want to go ◊ Where do you spend most of video, and more . with an LCD screen . the time managing the player/ device itself? Is it the operating If you’re deploying 1,500 digital signs, However, they are limited in their system of the player (patching, you don’t want 1,500 IT problems . brightness output, contrast, and etc .) or more digital signage viewing angles . Which device works best for your application-focused? digital signage deployment? Can you Bear in mind, too, that the protective ◊ How easily and well does this do better for the given cost? glass layer on the LCD screen is player management process quite reflective and can create a Chrome-based devices, given integrate with the digital signage mirror effect . This can be an issue in their price point, operating cost application? certain lighting conditions, making the and remote management/support content hard to read . ◊ How does the player capabilities, are very hard to beat management process integrate as general purpose digital signage It is important to note that if you use with your existing support players, be it a one-unit deployment fluorescent lights, most companies infrastructure? or a network of thousands of digital use specific cases for their screens to signs . counteract light, dust, and vandalism . ◊ Can you control the display (e .g . input) remotely through LED the player or do you have to be Light-emitting diode (LED) screens physically at the display with a Displays are a popular option for numerous remote control? When it comes to screens, there’s applications . a surprising number of options ◊ Can the player use standard Where these incredibly bright signs available, each with its own strengths off-the-shelf components to were primarily used outdoors at large and weaknesses . Here’s a quick enhance its capabilities or are sporting events or other venues, the breakdown . they proprietary? screens are now popping up indoors as a big trend . ◊ How powerful a processor will LCD you need, based on what type of LCD screens are a digital signage content you’ll be playing? Players workhorse[74] . with more powerful processors frequently cost more, so choose More affordable than LED screens, appropriately . lighter than plasma screens, and available in sizes up to 95” and with » » 1.8GHz Rockchip: A lightweight resolutions up to 4K, they’re versatile . processor of the sort found in Chromebits . Good for simple content .
»» Intel Celeron: Good for standard digital signage content, and WiFi and Wired networking .
57 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
There are a variety of reasons for that . Because they don’t require a And, in fact, type of screen is far from backlight, they’re incredibly thin . the only factor at play . Below are ◊ Because LED is flexible, it can some others to consider . adhere to any screen ratio or However, for now, they’re relatively size, flexing around pillars or expensive—as the technology A quick note: other unusual shapes . For very develops, costs will go down . Many OEMs focus on different large screens, it’s a great option . verticals, making screens specialized Projection for particular environments . [75] ◊ There are some advantages A projected display is appealing for to using a high-resolution LED many reasons . For example, one meant to be display compared to a projection used at an outdoor bus stop would or liquid crystal display (LCD) have sturdy gorilla glass to prevent in large video wall-type vandalism, high heat tolerance, and applications . LED can display extra brightness to counteract the superior images without bezel ambient light . distraction or ambient light Because there are hundreds of adjustment . options out there, it may be best ◊ Because LED’s don’t wash out to simply ask a trusted partner to colors like fluorescent lights do, recommend one to you . this makes the LED option perfect The questions we discuss below will for indoor displays and retail help you define your needs more applications . This is good news accurately to that partner . for retailers, especially now that A single projector will be much LED offers incredibly rich colors . less expensive[77] than a very large Indoor, Semi-Outdoor, or Outdoor? screen or video wall . (Not to mention ◊ Contrast levels have improved As we mentioned in Chapter 1, indoor, seamless!) They also have a high too, thanks to the ability to dim semi-outdoor, and outdoor screens brightness output: up to 50K lumens . individual LEDs to lower light are very different from one another, High resolution options exist . output levels Having. said all of each with special technology specific to its intended environment . this, LED may not always match The main drawbacks: Limited the precise Pantone of your interactivity and the need for a flat, Indoor screens might have dust- artwork, so is probably not the white projection surface . repellent encasing, a scratch-proof best use for food service . screen, and a robust cooling system . Plus, they need to adjust to ambient However, the screen wouldn’t need to OLED light to produce a perfect image . be quite as sturdy and robust as an OLED stands for Organic light- outdoor screen . emitting diode[76] . These contain thin flexible sheets of an organic electroluminescent material, and are Which Is Right For used for visual displays . Me? This fancy newcomer offers infinite While I’d say LCD is probably the best contrast (since individual pixels can all-around choice, there’s no one- be turned on and off), potentially very size-fits-all solution. high resolutions, low weight, and high It’s all about what works best for you . energy efficiency.
58 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
A semi-outdoor screen is indoors, aforementioned burn-in, not to ◊ Difference in hours per day but still exposed to direct/indirect mention overheating . usage. 6 hours for a TV, 12 to sunlight . The LED semi-outdoor 24/7 for commercial displays And in retail and QSRs, screens are screens usually produce less light often left on 24 hours a day . ◊ Understand that: because there’s natural light in the All flat-panel display models are not created room . A typical consumer screen—one you’d equal just pick up at a Big Box store—might It’ll also have sensors that will tell the not last long in a commercial setting, A single replacement of a consumer screen to adjust its brightness as because they’re meant to be used quality display panel can increase lighting conditions change through only for a few hours at a time . its cost over the commercial grade the day . panel, and operational economies And even in your home, they’re not Outdoor screens are common in the may be sacrificed since commercial- expected to last more than a few retail and QSR verticals . use features are typically not included years . in home-use TVs. Need an example? They’re made with less expensive CONSUMER TVs: Drive-through menus and have and hardy components . Plus, using 1. Consumer (in-home) TVs are special casing and specifications a consumer display commercially produced for a two- to four-year on how much light is omitted so you might void its warranty . Finally, they life operating four to six hours per can still read it in direct sunlight . They aren’t designed to work in portrait day (depending on the brand), have powerful cooling systems, and orientation, which is commonly used can continue working in extreme heat, in menu boards at QSRs, for example . 2. Warranties reflecting this cold, wind, and so on . ruggedness are typically for one Commercial screens may appear to year on the consumer TV be more expensive if looking just at MSRP, but when taking into account 3. Consumer TVs are not designed Total Cost of Ownership a different to operate in portrait mode and story is told . they usually lack the inputs and display controls that maximize TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP the return on the digital-signage (4 to 8 year of expected operation of investment . the panels) Consumer quality TVs are not suitable When comparing consumer TV in dirty, hot or humid environments pricing to Commercial Display pricing and are a false economy over be sure to look at: using commercial-grade flat panel displays . The more extreme the conditions, the ◊ Difference is scalability and more specialized and thus expensive functionality (consumer TVs COMMERCIAL DISPLAYS: your outdoor sign will need to be . have limitations) 1. Commercial-grade flat panels There’s a lot more environmental are engineered for 60,000+ duty ◊ Look at Power Consumption stress in Alaska or Arizona than in hours, (18 hours of operation for Costs . Indiana . 365 days equals 6,570 hours of ◊ Replacement cost of Hardware operation per year) . Commercial or Consumer in Consumer vs . Commercial Display? 2. Commercial grade warranties Displays, A screen that’s left on for long are three to five years on the periods of time is prone to the ◊ Difference in Warranty, digital-signage display . 59 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
3. Display OEMs typically use warranty, plus the added utility, it may of your screen and content commercial-grade components pay for itself . don’t match, the image may that are designed to prolong the end up squished, stretched, or life of the display where heat, How Should the Picture Look? surrounded by black gaps . dust and humidity are elements Your beautiful content will be even ◊ Brightness just refers of the display environment . more eye-catching on a screen that’s Brightness: light output of a screen . In optimized to display it. to the Conformal coating is a thin protective digital signage, it’s measured in chemical coating or polymer film that And different types of content and nits . is topically applied to circuit boards to uses have different screen property ◊ A high protect electronic circuits from harsh requirements that’ll help them look Contrast rating: brightness contrast between environments . When applied, this their best . white and black regions on the breathing coating “conforms” to the There’s some key terms you need to screen lends depth to images . circuit assembly, filtering water vapor know . In general, a contrast rating of and solid debris . at least 20:1, even in full light, is ◊ Pixel pitch: Pixel pitch refers to LED lighting and commercial-grade desirable . the distance between pixels . A components can be effectively cooled small number indicates a high using convection, typically negating density of pixels, and thus the the need for supplemental fan ability to produce a sharper cooling . image[78] . Fanless flat panel operations reduce ◊ Resolution noise and energy requirements while Display resolution: refers to the total pixels in the pulling less contaminated air into the screen, and is expressed in terms workings of the display device . of horizontal pixels x vertical But don’t stop reading there! pixels . For example, 1920 × 1080, which is sometimes referred They’re designed to disperse heat ◊ Frame rate: Frame rate refers to just as 1080 . Or 4K, which properly (whether oriented vertically to how often your screen can is shorthand for a horizontal or horizontally). They also have built- display consecutive images, resolution of about 4000 pixels . in anti-burn-in measures, though or frames, and is typically While it doesn’t tell you pixel many consumer displays do as well . measured in frames per second density, it lets you know how (FPS)[80] . The higher the frame many pixels they are and how Thanks to features like anti-glare rate, the smoother on-screen they’re arranged . Content that glass and ambient light sensors that motion looks . The screen can matches the display’s native adjust brightness automatically, they update the image one pixel resolution will look best . So, while should also be more readable . row at a time so that the entire 4K is trendy, unless your content screen gets refreshed at once They also have other features, such matches that high resolution, it (progressive scanning) or by as control locking, ability to recognize won’t do you much good[79] . updating first even rows and more resolutions and refresh rates, then odd so that the entire better contrast, and more connector ◊ Aspect ratio: Aspect ratio is tied screen gets refreshed every two options . to display resolution . It refers [81] to the ratio between a screen’s frames (interlaced scanning) . Not every application requires a width and height . A 1920 × 1080 commercial-quality display, but screen would have an aspect between the longer lifespan and the ratio of 16:9 . If the aspect ratios 60 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
◊ Color gamut: This term refers type . content is stretched across multiple to the range of colors the screen screens . Flat panels (that is, non-projection can show[82] . options) rapidly become more While it sounds like a higher gamut expensive above 55” . This might would be better, it all depends on indicate that a projector might be a Mounts your content . The color gamut of the wise choice . Choosing a mount is all about screen should match the standard The screen should be large enough to finding one that fits your budget and color gamut of the content, called display the necessary information in a positions your screen the way you sRGB . Any higher and you get way that will be legible at the distance want . It’s much more straightforward unrealistic, oversaturated colors . your viewers will be positioned at . than picking a screen or media Related: the ambient light affects how player . the colors on the screen look, and [78] With an LCD screen , use the 4/6/8 some displays are optimized to look rule . Here are the most common options . best under, say, fluorescent light. That means that viewers can be four Basic Mounts Your needs for all of these will be times the image height away in order ◊ Flush: The simplest type of determined by your use case: the to process complex information, six mount . These position your lighting conditions, size of the screen, times to view simple information, and screen on the wall so its back is viewing distance, and type of content, eight times for casual perusal . parallel to the wall . You might among others . find these in hallways or behind a With LED, take the pixel pitch and welcome desk . For example, envision a vehicle multiply by 1000 to find theminimum showroom (surrounded by windows) viewing distance—that is, the with kiosks that let customers learn distance at which the image stops more about the products . looking good . Think about a pointillist paintings: what looks like a pleasant The screens would need a high riverside scene from a distance looks resolution and refresh rate so that more like a mess of dots up close . For videos of the cars can play without maximum viewing distance, the 4/6/8 blur and highlight all those design rule applies . subtleties . Plus, the images would need to look good in bright, natural No analytical method yet exists for light . finding the minimum viewing distance for a projected image, but it looks like If you can spell your use case out for one’s on the way[77] . the OEM or the digital signage partner ◊ Tilt: This type mounts your you’re working with, they should be Bezel screen at an angle . It might be able to direct you to the right screen . The bezel is the plastic or metal rim useful if your screen is located around the screen . above eye level, such as with a How Should the Screen Look? digital menu board . Depending on your vertical and use, You may wish to have an unobtrusive the aesthetics of the screen itself bezel for aesthetic reasons. ◊ Articulating: Articulating mounts might be important . place a screen at the end of an If there are many displays next to arm so the angle and direction Size each other, such as with a video wall it’s facing can be changed . Screen size will be closely related to in a retail setting, you want a thin and limited by your choice of screen bezel so it doesn’t cut words in half if
61 Chapter 5: Digital Signage Hardware: What to Look for
sometimes they can be purchased ◊ Ceiling: Rather than hanging separately . from the wall, some screens
dangle from above thanks to There are other types of specialized ceiling mounts . I’ve encountered mounts . them at airports—at the gates, there are often ceiling-mounted Some kiosks may have additional TVs playing the news. components built in[83], such as a camera, card reader, or infrared sensor . ◊ Pedestal: Pedestal mounts rise from the floor. In a large space Others may be built with specialty with walls that are far away, materials to fit the setting they’ll be and especially with interactive placed in—for example, antibacterial screens, these can be practical . plastic at a hospital .
Kiosks and Other Specialty Mounts Kiosks enclose screens within a casing Sources for aesthetic appeal, to protect from 74 . LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), vandalism and other environmental Whatis .com factors, or to make them easier to interact with . 75 . What is OLED TV? by Geoffrey Morrison, CNET
76 . Digital Signage-LCD or LED? It Depends! by Alan Brawn, DSEG
77 . Projection or Flat Panel: The Dilemma by Alan Brawn, DSEG
78 . Dot Pitch, Wikipedia
79 . Display Resolution, Wikipedia
80 . Frame Rate, Wikipedia
81 . Progressive Scanning, Wikipedia
They often cost more than basic 82 . 16 Misleading Display Specs mounts and may be built out of and What They Really Mean by premium materials to provide visual Raymond Soneira, Gizmodo appeal and greater protection for the 83 . 4 Tips for Choosing the Right hardware inside . Kiosk by Sam Pryor, Kiosk
They’re as diverse in forms and sizes Marketplace as basic mounts, and tend to be designed for specific purposes.
Often, the screen and the enclosure come as a “package deal,” but
62 BUYER’S GUIDE Digital Signage Hardware
Each digital signage system needs three major hardware components:
◊ Media Player
◊ Screen
◊ Mount
Media Player Here are some questions to consider when making your media player purchase, because If you’re deploying 1,500 digital signs, you don’t want 1,500 IT problems:
◊ Are you deploying one or hundreds/thousands of devices?
◊ Where do you spend most of the time managing the player/device itself? Is it the operating system of the player (patching, etc .) or more digital signage application-focused?
◊ How easily and well does this player management process integrate with the digital signage application?
◊ How does the player management process integrate with your existing support infrastructure?
◊ Can you control the display (e .g . input) remotely through the player or do you have to be physically at the display with a remote control?
◊ Can the player use standard off-the-shelf components to enhance its capabilities or are they proprietary? Screen Short answer is that your digital signage partner or the OEM will be able to recommend a great screen for your specific requirements, especially since there are so many variables to take into consideration .
But, before you talk with them, here are a few terms you might want to know:
◊ Pixel pitch: Pixel pitch refers to the distance between pixels . A small number indicates a high density of pixels, and thus the ability to produce a sharper image .
◊ Display resolution: Resolution refers to the total pixels in the screen, and is expressed in terms of horizontal pixels x vertical pixels. For example, 1920 × 1080, which is sometimes referred to just as 1080 . Or 4K, which is shorthand for a horizontal resolution of about 4000 pixels. While it doesn’t tell you pixel density, it lets you know how many pixels they are and how they’re arranged . Content that matches the display’s native resolution will look best . So, while 4K is trendy, unless your content matches that high resolution, it won’t do you much good .
◊ Aspect ratio: Aspect ratio is tied to display resolution . It refers to the ratio between a screen’s width and height . A 1920 × 1080 screen would have an aspect ratio of 16:9 . If the aspect ratios of your screen and content don’t match, the image may end up squished, stretched, or surrounded by black gaps .
◊ Brightness: Brightness just refers to the light output of a screen . In digital signage, it’s measured in nits .
◊ Contrast rating: A high brightness contrast between white and black regions on the screen lends depth to images . In general, a contrast rating of at least 20:1, even in full light, is desirable .
◊ Frame rate: Frame rate refers to how often your screen can display consecutive images, or frames, and is typically measured in frames per second (FPS) . The higher the frame rate, the smoother on-screen motion looks . The screen can update the image one pixel row at a time so that the entire screen gets refreshed at once (progressive scanning) or by updating first even rows and then odd so that the entire screen gets refreshed every two frames (interlaced scanning) .
◊ Color gamut: This term refers to the range of colors the screen can show . While it sounds like a higher gamut would be better, it all depends on your content . The color gamut of the screen should match the standard color gamut of the content, called sRGB . Any higher and you get unrealistic, oversaturated colors . Related: the ambient light affects how the colors on the screen look, and some displays are optimized to look best under, say, fluorescent light. Mount ◊ Flush: The simplest type of mount . These position your screen on the wall so its back is parallel to the wall. You might find these in hallways or behind a welcome desk .
◊ Tilt: This type mounts your screen at an angle . It might be useful if your screen is located above eye level, such as with a digital menu board .
◊ Articulating: Articulating mounts place a screen at the end of an arm so the angle and direction it’s facing can be changed .
◊ Ceiling: Rather than hanging from the wall, some screens dangle from above thanks to ceiling mounts . I’ve encountered them at airports—at the gates, there are often ceiling-mounted TVs playing the news.
◊ Pedestal: Pedestal mounts rise from the floor. In a large space with walls that are far away, and especially with interactive screens, these can be practical .
For specialized mounts (like kiosks, interactive displays, etc…) talk to your digital signage partner or OEM about your customizable options and what you need for your specific use case . 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 6 Cloud-Based Sales [email protected]
Digital Phone Toll Free: 855.383.4518
Local: 612.260.7327
Signage Address 420 N 5th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.skykit.com Chapter 6: Cloud-Based Digital Signage
created equally . It is important that end-users investigate security, scalability and speed .
Cloud-Based Even today, some cling to on-premise software claim that it’s more secure, can update content faster, and is cheaper than the cloud-based digital signage Digital Signage [84] Software as a Service model .
In this chapter, we’ll explore whether those claims hold water, explain exactly what cloud-based and on- premise digital signage mean, and ask whether the cloud is right for you . Get you PDF here .
We all know that the cloud is percent of IT companies make use of Understanding tremendously valuable in our cloud services[94] . everyday lives . Cloud-Based At the enterprise level, more and more Digital Signage Most of us have smartphones that companies are coming to depend automatically back up our photos in a on public clouds to handle their Note: We’re focusing on public cloud cloud, and many make use of services computing workload, with 17 percent services, rather than private cloud such as Dropbox or Google Drive . running over 1000 virtual machines in solutions . Private clouds are on- the cloud (up 4 percent since 2015) . premise solutions . If I ever have my phone swiped by an overly curious seal at an aquarium, I But did you realize that the cloud can rest assured that the picture I’d also has tremendous implications for Cloud-based digital just taken of said seal balancing a digital signage? ball on its snout is safely in the cloud . signage software is Digital signage has been around for an “invisible” solution. a long time . The cloud didn’t exist when digital signage began, so Someone else takes these companies relied on local area care of the behind-the- networks, hosted on on-site servers . scenes work for you. The issue within this concept is that every time technology would change, businesses had to invest in new Want to see how it works? hardware and software . That is, until A cloud service provider owns a large cloud-based digital signage came server farm . along, promising a radical new model of device and content management You may be provided with a And it’s not just consumers who and collaboration . predetermined amount of storage love the cloud . In fact, as of 2016, 95 space such as 30GB (for example) for Keep in mind… not all clouds are 67 Chapter 6: Cloud-Based Digital Signage
no charge from your CMS provider, or Enterprises and SMBs love this manually push content via USB if the pay a monthly or yearly subscription convenience and peace of mind, and internet is going to be down for any fee for space on those servers, the of course not worrying about internal period of time . software necessary to stream your IT resources . 24 percent of SMBs Take Caution of On-Prem Scams content to your digital signage, and surveyed running all of their cloud True end-to-end cloud-based digital so on . computing on public clouds (versus signage has some great advantages . on-premise)[94] . Having to pay a monthly or annual But are you sure that’s what you’re fee for use of software is known as the A Back-Up System Keeps You in paying for? Or have you been taken in Software as a Service (SaaS) model— Business by cloud-washing? you don’t own the software outright . Most cloud-based software is designed to cache the content on the Depending on your provider and media player[85] . which options they offer, you might Cloud-washing is purchase hardware that’s preloaded Caching means that new content is when vendors take a with the necessary software to create downloaded to and stored on your solution meant to run and stream your content, or you media player at regular intervals, might just pay to license software ready for playback . This means if on-premise and hand and load it onto your own hardware, there is an interruption in the Internet it over to a local value- or a combination of the two where a connection, the cached playlist will nugget is on the device and it calls load and play a back of the content added reseller (VAR), home for setup . seamlessly . who runs it on their
Your digital signage network’s content It also means that the content servers. I.e. a Private is hosted on and streamed via the isn’t continuously streamed from Server, not well-known the Internet, meaning you save Internet from that offsite server farm . public servers such as bandwidth . Pros Google or Amazon Web Cons We’ll take a deeper dive into the pros Services (AWS). in the “Top 8 Reasons Why Cloud- Content Doesn’t Update During an Based Digital Signage Is Right for You” Internet Outage section below . Trust me, there’s a lot If there is an outage, the currently The vendor doesn’t host or maintain of them! This section is just a quick scheduled content will continue the solution . When you subscribe to it, comparison to on-prem solutions . playing . it’s more like you’re just tapping into The System Isn’t Dependent on One an on-premise solution hosted by Computer Here’s the catch . someone else . Because it is a cloud-based solution, Any content that has been updated But the vendor still calls it a cloud- the user doesn’t need to rely on a via the cloud won’t update on related based solution—tricking you into an computer (or system of servers) in kiosks or commercial grade screens inferior cloud service . the back room for their digital signage until the Internet comes back up . campaign to function . Trust me, it’s a real problem: As soon as the Internet comes back, This is ideal for most companies any new content will appear . 83 percent of surveyed companies because cloud-based solutions expressed frustration with having to perform automatic software updates, Regardless, the lag time of missing wade through the fine print on cloud support, and ensures the IT team “new” content is an issue for some . If solutions to find out whether they’re doesn’t have maintenance issues . so, these end-users may choose to even actually cloud solutions[86] . 68 Chapter 6: Cloud-Based Digital Signage
Why Does It Matter? struggling to customize your use, media player, it’s encrypted . Here’s just a few reasons . and potential server down-time . What’s their stance on multi- ◊ Decreased security: Does the ◊ Increased costs: Instead of tenancy? Multi-tenancy is an local VAR have properly robust subscribing to both the software essential component of cloud security measures in place? and the hosting from one source, computing . It means that all Probably not—most are stretched you’re basically paying for them companies using the provider’s thin on resources already . separately . Bringing in a middle- product are served from the same man means higher costs for you . cloud . ◊ Because the Painful updates: Not only that, but instead of the VAR is a middle-man between This saves costs, because it allows service being scalable and you you and the vendor, software maintenance to occur all at once, and only paying for what you need, updates may take months to assures that all customers access the you’ll have to buy extra software reach you (if they even reach [88] licenses in case your needed same product . you at all!) Frequently VARs allow capacity increases . What a server updates to become far Some cloud washers try to claim that waste! out of date in favor of “if it ain’t multi-tenancy weakens the product, broke don’t fix it.”This leaves How Do You Spot It? but in the end, that’s an excuse, and gaping security holes in the Unfortunately, unless you’re going with simply not true . If multi-tenancy is solution (not exactly what you a true giant of cloud computing, it can good enough for Google, it’s good want in the system controlling be tricky to spot a fake cloud at first enough for you . what content is displaying on glance . your signs!) Since all customers But with a closer look, and a few aren’t hosted in the same place, strategic questions, you can find out they’ll have to be issued updates the truth . Here’s what to ask . one at a time . You may even be charged for updates and Do they meet the definition of cloud upgrades, and have to wrestle service? According to the US National with compatibility issues on your Institute of Standards and Technology own or pay for a consultant to (NIST), at the simplest, cloud services Can you customize the service? come in . should be on-demand and self- On your end, you should be able to [87] service, and scalable/elastic . develop custom applications without paying for expensive consultations . What security measures do they You should also be able to integrate offer? For many companies, their the cloud solution with other content needs to be secure because applications and web-services[89] . the information being shared is for “eyes-only” (e .g . employee Of businesses surveyed, 13 percent engagement, KPIs, and other internal ran apps on one of Google’s cloud numbers) . Ensure the CMS transmits services, but with the company’s your information in an encrypted support for digital signage apps and format when you load into the CMS, its kiosk mode (which we’ll talk more it’s stored in an encrypted format, if about in chapter 7), it’s looking like an ◊ Lowered product quality: moved between data centers then even more attractive option for those This is the big one . Falling for it’s encrypted in transit . If security is a wishing to use the cloud for digital cloud-washing means wrestling concern for you, then make sure that signage . with compatibility problems, when your content is cached on the 69 Chapter 6: Cloud-Based Digital Signage
Furthermore, you should have the In 2015, they decided to expand Pros guarantee that when the software beyond the waiting room and start You Don’t Need an Internet updates, it won’t stop working with the offering content for other areas of the Connection other solutions you’ve integrated it with . dealership—for example, digital menu On-premise software is operated boards at the parts counter (with locally . Who Uses It? parts lists, prices, and details), or There are very few situations when displays showing cars in action in the That’s right . You don’t have to rely on cloud digital signage isn’t a viable showrooms . an internet connection to keep your solution . content moving . Because they provide custom content to dealerships across the United If the Internet signal is somehow disrupted, your content will still show Think very simple, States, on-premise signage just wouldn’t cut it . up because you’re not using the single location digital Internet to begin with . signage that has The cloud allows them to deliver that content seamlessly to more than 1,200 limited updates or displays across 42 states . With cloud-based changes, where it Multiple customers reported that their signage, an Internet would be more cost new digital signage led to marked signal is needed to increases in sales . effective to just update download new content content by hand or to onto media players. use freeware rather Understanding than paying a monthly If your digital signage relies on real- subscription fee. On-Premise time data and instant updates, or if Digital Signage you live in an area where your Internet A hosted digital signage content connection is unreliable, on-premise Of course, in that situation, an on- management system also delivers might be your best pick . . or at least premise solution complete with content to players (like kiosks or having a cloud-based solution that servers would be too expensive touchscreens), only it’s delivered from caches content to the media player . as well . And what if someday you an on-site server that is hosted and decided to expand your digital Potentially Increased Security maintained by your company . signage? You’d long for the scalability As we’ll talk about in #6 below, cloud- the cloud provides . Content may be delivered via the based signage has more-than- Internet, or, more likely, by your own sufficient security protocols for most Think about how the cloud could work network . purposes . for you, too . This delivery isn’t able to stream your The companies who host your Use-Case: Automotive data and run your software will use Broadcasting Network content to several remote players, encryption to protect your content, The Automotive Broadcasting Network unless they are fairly close to your on- plus offer regular security patches (ABN) is a company that provides site server . and bug fixes as vulnerabilities come auto dealerships with targeted, Are you spotting some limitations to light . customized TV programming already? designed to engage customers and show off car products .
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Furthermore: It’s highly unlikely that Cons If you were to go the old-school route your network is more secure than Different Recurring Expenses (locally hosted), you’d have to pay for the public cloud giants. While you aren’t paying a monthly any hardware up front, and that could subscription, that also means put an unexpected dent in your wallet . However, if your digital signage you aren’t getting some of the system isn’t connected to the Internet Not to mention ongoing software subscription benefits. at all, but is instead entirely hosted updates on every device across your locally and streamed through cables, Your software won’t update organization. That means paying for on-premise digital signage could be automatically . You’ll have to download more man-hours of maintenance . more secure . Someone would actually and install updates yourself . And If your company isn’t already have to physically come into your if a new version comes out, you’ll experienced at maintaining its own location and intercept the signal to have to buy it—or continue using old servers, you may need to hire an steal your data . software, which may develop security additional FTE IT support member who vulnerabilities . While this kind of setup would does have that expertise . have disadvantages of its own, As your servers age, you’ll have to And that’s in addition to the Content since you yourself would have to maintain and ultimately replace them . Champion/Manager and graphic be physically present to make designer you may also be hiring for changes in content or scheduling, You can weigh those costs on your your digital signage content needs . in situations requiring extreme own, and for some people, completely security it could be worth it . owning their digital signage system is worth it anyway . You Own It Cloud-based digital signage typically There is No Technical Support relies on a Software as a Service Are you certifiably “tech-savvy?” If not, model . this one could be a real trouble spot .
That means that rather than owning Unlike subscribing to a cloud-based the software, you subscribe to it, often system, there’s no tech support with on a monthly basis . Depending on on-premise . your provider and your own needs, If your software needs updating or you may also rent some of your your hardware starts acting wacky, hardware from them . you could be at a loss . That’s not the case with on-premise Unless you have a robust IT team, If a business prefers to capitalize digital signage . this could be a factor that makes or expenses, that may move this out of Once you purchase your hardware and breaks your decision to host on-site . the Cons category and into the Pros software, it’s yours . No monthly fees . category . You may be able to turn to the Do you like the sound of that? You company from whom you purchased Limited Growth might hope that after your up-front your software or hardware for help, As we’ve mentioned, once you investment, with time, you may have but given that intense support will purchase the necessary components, net savings over what you’d pay for be needed, there will likely be a cost they’re yours . cloud-based signage . associated . Here’s the problem . That can be But… Notice that I don’t say there are More Up-Front Costs limiting . no expenses. Read on to find out what Hosting your own digital signage Let’s look at an example . they are . content incurs more upfront costs .
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Your digital signage is a hit and you connecting laptops up to LCD players . 1. The size of your business. want to expand from ten signs to fifty. After their IT department spoke with The type of campaign you want Can your servers support that number 2. several companies, they settled on a to launch . of signs? simple on-premise solution involving The message you’re trying to It’s up to you to find out… and then media players and Apple laptops that 3. convey . purchase, install, and troubleshoot connect to a local area network (LAN) additional servers if necessary . at each school . For agencies like the NSA, or a company that legally requires security Is your software only licensed for in-house without a public cloud ever a certain number of screens or touching the data, an on-premise locations? If so, you may have to solution with specialized internal purchase additional copies, which security measures would be the best may end up being different versions option . than the one you’ve been using, depending on how long it’s been since However, if it’s content for customers the original purchase . and it includes some sort of customer
[90] And you can pretty much forget interaction , or is corporate expanding your network to more than communications meant to be sent one location . to many locations, cloud-based is almost always the best fit. Unlike a cloud-based network, where content is managed centrally from Coming up next are eight more the CMS, there’s no easy way to share The digital signage company also reasons why cloud-based digital content between locations, or share collaborated with the school district signage could be your new best friend . some content and localize other to create usable and attractive Cost and Return on Investment are elements . templates for content creation . often key drivers when users make Who Uses It? It took six months to implement the a final decision. If up-front costs for digital signage at the trial school . on-premise aren’t available, a cloud- On-premise digital signage is most based solution might be the best often used for highly customized, The district said it’s pleased with the option . highly integrated applications; in solution and that parents love seeing situations when extremely high levels their children’s projects on display . And make sure you ask enough of security is desirable; or in situations questions of your software provider so when a single location has only a few that you have a full understanding of signs . Which Triumphs? the product you’re investing in . Use-Case: Elizabeth Forward School District Like all other aspects of digital For our example, let’s turn to a small signage, this question comes down to six-school district located near which one’s right for you . Pittsburgh . These are the three big factors you The district wanted to share important need to look at when you’re deciding announcements and showcase on a solution . student projects in a vivid, dynamic way . They turned to digital signage to replace their outdated system of 72 Chapter 6: Cloud-Based Digital Signage
2. Cost Efficiency applicable), access 24/7 help lines, and license the requisite software . The Top 8 Cloud-based digital signage really Reasons Why starts to distinguish itself over on- Furthermore, your own IT department Cloud-Based premise digital signage in the area of isn’t responsible for keeping the servers cost efficiency. running: your service provider is . Digital Signage Is 37 percent of respondents said the Still, some (26 percent of Right for You cloud saved them money over their respondents) are concerned about [94] previous solution . [94] 1. Rapid Delivery of Content cloud operating cost management . When it comes to distributing content With on-premise digital signage, Luckily, there are simple measures for across locations—whether it’s two you’ll be facing some nasty surprise minimizing cloud costs, like monitoring locations or two hundred—cloud- expenses . your usage and using that information hosted content gets there fast . to rightsize the instances you pay for. If you want to host your own digital Only 45 percent of enterprises and Any user who has access can change signage network, you’ll need to SMBs take that step [94], though it’s or add content at any time, which purchase and set up your own an opportunity for big savings . will be nearly instantly sent out to all server system, complete with meters locations . upon meters of cabling, along with Also consider shutting down the necessary heating and cooling workloads during times they aren’t That means you have a way to quickly equipment to keep it running . needed, a savings measure 33 [91], such as a typo, correct errors percent of enterprises use . pricing error, or listing of an item that You’ll need to pay your IT people to is no longer in stock . run and maintain the servers . And, bonus, if your service fees are charged on a metered basis, you are With traditional printed signage, these Any time you want to update or only charged for what you use[92] . problems would have to be corrected upgrade your servers, or update the software you’re using to stream your by fixing price labels by hand, 3. Scalability reprinting posters, and other laborious content, you’ll need to do it manually Start small… and dream big . and expensive means . and at your own expense .
Even with other methods of doing On-premise signage is a major up- digital signage, getting updated front money and time commitment Cloud-based digital information out to multiple locations that many SMBs, in particular, might signage can support not be prepared to take on . might be complicated or take longer you whether you than… well, mere moments . With cloud-based digital signage, want to have simple . In This also means you have incentive the upfront cost is relatively low fact, some providers will provide you slideshows running and opportunity to innovate. By lowering the costs associated with a free short term trial period so you on a single screen, or can decide whether to commit to the a flopped ad or other minor piece of stream full HD video to content, you can afford to take risks . service . a thousand screens. Producing more content more quickly Service is the key word there . As means you’ll fail more often—and mentioned, you’re paying a single also learn more quickly from those subscription fee to use the provider’s mistakes, and ultimately succeed servers, have them stream your more often . content to you, rent hardware (if
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In fact, budget allowing, there’s no 52 percent of survey a difficult time understanding, reason you can’t start with the first increasing your efficiency. and eventually transition to the respondents were second . psyched about the 5. Good Support cloud’s fast time to If you have a good service provider, Your provider will allow you to pay for they’ll be dedicated to helping your additional bandwidth and storage market compared to experience go smoothly . space as your needs grow . other options[94]. They’ll provide free software updates Scalability is one of the biggest whenever those become available, advantages the cloud has to offer, which should download automatically Depending on the company you go with 58 percent of survey respondents to your digital signage network . saying the cloud has given them with, most interfaces are template- greater scalability compared to based, making it easy to drag and You can even set up your account so previous solutions[94] . drop images, choose fonts, and downloads of content and updates create powerful content in no time . occur at times of least demand for And unlike onsite options, expanding your network, so as not to overload Other interfaces allow you to continue your network won’t mean sending the your bandwidth . IT crew into a panic as they update using the platform you build in now . and install more servers . Those interfaces simply import what They’ll be available for you to call or you’ve created and fire it off to your email any time an issue or question Whether you have one screen in one monitors and kiosks . arises, and will work with you to location, or 500 spread all across the resolve it quickly—because they’re This means you can continue to use United States, you’ll be able to manage providing you with a service, and it’s PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator or any it all from your CMS . (See Chapter 4 for in their best interest to have happy other program you’re comfortable more information about that ). customers. with . Reputable cloud service providers They’ll also help allay some common There is no special training to learn also handle auto-scaling and load fears . For example, what if the Internet how to use the software, nor do users balancing of bandwidth so that as connection goes down? you add more screens and content, drown in technical terms as they you won’t experience crashes or data create . Well, we actually that one for you, bottlenecks . under “Pros” up above . Pretty neat, huh? 4. Easy Implementation If you have any similar questions, you And with the right team, plus the good can ask your provider! Time is money, and cloud digital support mentioned in #5, questions signage is a deal . can be answered and concerns What’s left for IT to do? When asked addressed by experts who know what what the role of IT is when using cloud You already learned how it saves you they’re doing . services, respondents mentioned money (#2) . Here’s how it saves you choosing which apps to run on the time . Even with larger systems, it won’t be cloud, advising which cloud service to as complicated a task as setting up Getting your system running might choose, and setting policies for cloud your own servers . be as simple as installing a screen use[94] . preloaded with the required software This will free your employees to spend 6. Security and hardware, connecting to the time focusing on your company’s This is a somewhat debated point . Internet, creating your content, and core competencies, rather than letting streaming begin . struggling with a system they have
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Some fear that by putting your data The cloud uses the same For example, a branch manager in the hands of a third party and might be able to add content of his or streaming it over the Internet, you’re protocol as the World her own, but not alter certain files that leaving it vulnerable to attack[84] . Wide Web—that very big every location uses .
In fact, 29 percent of survey space where millions Or, one team member at the local respondents cited security worries as of bank transactions level can be in charge of scheduling [94] a challenge in cloud adoption . are made securely and and downloading content . Don’t worry yet! successfully every day[85]. 8. Data Collection Digital displays can do more than just Even here, cloud-based digital show content . signage has certain advantages . Of course this depends on which With the Internet of Things showing For one thing, your provider may, in cloud you’re using, but as an example, up loud and proud, digital sign fact, be able to provide higher levels Google’s cloud encrypts everything campaigns can also collect much- of security than your company’s multiple times in transition and at rest . needed data . This collected data can network can, especially if you’re a The company you choose will handle be the catalyst that helps improve the relatively small company[91] . all of these back-of-the-room ROI, all of which is stored in the cloud . They should stream using HTTPS, functions, including software updates Case in point: encrypting both the uplink and and security regulations . When big box the downlink . Stored data will be 7. Accessible From Everywhere stores prepare encrypted and protected with firewalls to order as well . Anyone who has been granted the product, they right permissions can access the need to know For another, locating all of your cloud from wherever on earth they how much digital signage-related data in one are—they don’t need to be sitting at a to order and “place,” rather than spread out across company computer to do so . multiple machines and locations, may when peak help you reduce opportunities for In fact, this rapid access to selling times are . Sometimes these leaks[92] . infrastructure is the top-cited benefit peak selling times are affected by the to cloud computing, at 62 percent[94] . weather and the seasons . It’s not quite like storing all your information in a single vault, though: But access doesn’t have to be one- If the weather breaks and it is some advanced cloud storage size-fits-all! suddenly colder than usual, coats and companies use “cloud files”[85] to space heaters may fly off the shelves You can grant highly granular keep different types of information faster than normal . permissions to different employees, separate—so a breach wouldn’t give only allowing them to make changes This trend is tracked and stored in hackers access to all of your data at to the content for a certain number of the cloud, enabling retailers to be once . locations or in certain kinds of ways . prepared for the same possibility the You’ll also have to do less security following year . This helps maintain central control testing across sites . of content at a company-wide level, Backup playlists are put in place so allowing a high degree of brand [93] that any disruption in a connection consistency . can be thwarted .
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On the other end of the spectrum, if In other words, rather sales are slow and retailers end up with too much inventory, managers than dampening your can review trends and create performance, pairing promotions to help move inventory . the cloud with your By changing advertising to digital signage is sure automatically sync with current to brighten your day. inventory levels, retailers can avoid losing money on unused stock while offering different options and specials to customers .
To Sum Up… Sources
Despite sounding like a wispy 84 . Is Lost in the Cloud the Right 90 . 5 Innovative Digital Signage concept, cloud-based digital signage Place for Digital Signage? by Campaigns to Model Your is actually a solid choice for many Glen Young, Digital Signage Own Campaign After by David reasons . It even offers advantages Today Kovacs, Creative Guerrilla over on-premise networks . Marketing 85 . Which Digital Signage Platform It’s a low-cost solution, especially is Best for Your Business? by 91 . Why Digital Signage Belongs in at its basic tiers, compared to the David Little, Digital Signage the Cloud by Craig Scott, Digital difficulty and cost of purchasing, Today Signage Today installing, and maintaining your own servers . 86 . It’s Hosting, Dammit: Fed Up 92 . The Cloud: Taking Digital With Fake Cloud Providers by Signage by Storm? by It’s easy to get started with David Linthicum, Infoworld Jonathan Brawn, AVNetwork and, thanks to good cloud service providers, easy to maintain, leaving 87 . CIOs Frustrated By ‘Fake’ Cloud 93 . 6 Strategies to Keep Brand your employees free to focus on other Services by Antony Savvas, Consistency with Digital tasks . ComputerWorld Signage by Irfan Khan, Sixteen:Nine It’s scalable—it can grow with you . 88 . How To Tell a True Cloud Solution From a Fake One—And 94 . Right Scale 2016 State of the It’s secure . The provider encrypts Why It Matters, NetSuite Cloud Survey, Right Scale your data, both while it’s stored and while it’s streaming; and you have 89 . Cloud Washing—5 Ways to total control over who can access the Spot the Fake Cloud Solutions files and what kind of changes they From the Real Ones by Ben can make . Rossi, Information Age
76 Which Digital Signage is Right for Your Business
Here are 5 attributes you need to consider before using a digital signage vendor . Use this PDF to ask questions as you evaluate and compare digital signage CMSs to find the one that fits best with your company and your goals .
1. Software Performance There are two things to consider when looking at the performance of a software: a . Can it meet the increasing demands of your customer? b . Will it successfully deliver reliable video, images and other media to your screen?
2. Network Performance and Delivery They say performance is everything and in the digital signage industry, this is certainly true .
Why?
Because if you have great software but a lousy network to carry it, you’ve essentially got nothing .
3. Advanced Performance If you want to incorporate live social news feeds, interactive media, or touchscreen capabilities, you need advanced performance software . The software’s ability to integrate with third-party data providers is key .
4. Customer Service Based When determining which digital software you plan on going with, consider a company where customer service is a priority . You’re likely to have a lot of questions that require thorough answers and explanation .
5. Cloud-Based or On-Premise It’s difficult to find a company that shouldn’t go with a cloud-based solution.
Companies want software that updates automatically, requires no maintenance, offers support, and doesn’t need server racks in their back room . Most companies also look for digital signage software that has little to no learning curve, drag-and-drop capabilities, and offers different templates to work from .
This also means they want to lessen the IT load, which would make the cloud-based software the best option for them . 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 7 Google Sales [email protected]
Chrome for Phone Toll Free: 855.383.4518
Local: 612.260.7327
Digital Address 420 N 5th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Signage www.skykit.com Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
players and give you a leg-up in deciding which is right for you. Get Google your PDF here. The Hardware Chrome for The hardware required to complete a digital signage solution is typically a commercial-grade screen and Digital Signage a media player . There are lots of options out there for displays, which we explored in Chapter 5, but now it’s time to look at the media players .
There are also lots of options out there for media players, and for Google, that includes the Chromebit, Google has been making waves in Chrome bypasses all those concerns Chromebase, and Chromebox . We’ll the digital signage market for about that are very real for other platforms . also enlighten you about Chromecast, two years . They’ve made it clear that but Chromecast is not recommended You can choose for your Chrome is here . Chrome OS as a commercial-grade digital media players, manage those devices signage tool . The Google ecosystem has from the Chrome Management compelling hardware / media players Console (CMC), and control your It can be confusing to determine which available to run your digital signs . content using a CMS from one of device you need if you’re considering Chrome provides a platform for Google’s partners . Chrome for digital displays . innovation . All your software runs in the Cloud . What’s the difference between the Chrome-based digital signage All your data is stored there safely . three? What are the pros and cons of solutions are by far the most secure, Plus, you get to harness the cloud for each? easy to manage, scalable, and easy collaboration . We’re about to end any confusion you to implement . And among their many product might have regarding these three Here’s why: options, there’s solutions for everyone options, giving you clear definitions on Digital signage through Chrome is from SMBs to enterprises . In this what each does, how the hardware a truly end-to-end cloud-based chapter, I’m going to walk you options can best serve you, and solution . Chrome takes care of it all . through each of Google’s media what the pros and cons are of each . Remember what I talked about in Chapter 6 about the dangers of the “fake cloud” and not updating new versions and security patches?
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The Chromebox syncs and locally 2955U ($179 MSRP), i3-4010U ($369 Chromebox caches the content (so it can still run MSRP)[95] . The i3 model comes with a if the connection is choppy) . keyboard and mouse . You probably remember the
Chromebox from Chapter 5, but we’re Instead of tasking someone to code Acer going to take another look and see an application, it’s just a matter of Acer’s Chromebox CXI models are how it measures up to other Chrome using CMC and your preferred CMS also aimed at the consumer market, solutions . to push the desired content to the with all-plastic casing and a noisy appropriate devices . fan . They’re still solid products . The Chromebox, born in 2012 , is small form-factor computer box that runs Cost and Models At 1 .3 x 5 .1 x 6 .5”, it’s compact, though on Chrome’s OS . not the smallest . There’s options with $159 – $675 (depending on model) processors and memory[97] . The CXI The idea is that you can set the box has a 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2957U on your desk, plug in a screen, mouse, processor and a choice between 2GB and keyboard, and set up your own There’s not just one ($179) and 4GB ($219) RAM . little desktop computer… or skip the sort of Chromebox— mouse and keyboard, plug it into a There’s options with an Intel i3 in fact, there’s one to commercial-grade screen, and use processor, able to play up to 4K Chrome’s kiosk mode to lock-down suit the needs of just video. The first, Acer CXI-i34GKM, has functionality and now you have a fully about anyone. 4GB RAM ($349); the second (CXI- functioning digital sign . i38GKM) has 8GB RAM for $399 .
How it Works Worth noting: If you’re hoping to That makes it a little tricky to sum up Chromeboxes primarily support a upgrade the memory or hard drive the Chromebox’s stats, since there single application at a time . yourself, you’re out of luck—the case are many models made by different is hard to open without damage and They rely heavily on an Internet companies . parts difficult to extract[98] . connection for software functionality Standard features include a 16 GB and data storage . That connection, AOPEN SSD, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4 .0, at least via a local area network, can be AOPEN offers a robust (if pricey) 4 USB ports, Ethernet, DisplayPort, [99] wireless or through an Ethernet port . commercial Chromebox option . HDMI, and an SD card reader . The user hooks up their Chromebox to In fact, it’s currently the only Below, you’ll find a rundown of the the display via HDMI and connects to commercial Chromebox designed for offerings from a number of major the Internet . digital signage use . original equipment manufacturers If the user subscribes to Chrome (OEMs) . With three and five year warranty Management Console, he or she options, a wide temperature operating Asus can take a few seconds to enroll the tolerance range, metal casing, a solid Asus is known for consumer media device to allow it to be configured state drive, and fanless construction, players, but they perform well and remotely . the Chromebox Commercial is built are commonly found in commercial to withstand stressful environments settings . Part of this is due to the small After that, if working with a digital that might cause consumer-grade form factor, a compact 4 .88 x 4 .88 x signage CMS (one of Google’s Chromeboxes (with their fans 1 .65” . partners might be able to provide an and plastic construction) to fail attractive solution) once the player is You can choose between several prematurely . connected to the network, the visual different processors: Intel® Celeron display shows the content . 80 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
Who uses Chromeboxes for And while the device isn’t pretty, at ◊ Intel Celeron (2955U 1.4 GHz) Digital Signage? only 25 mm thick it’s easy to hide . with 4GB RAM, $199 Because of the Chrome Management Console, it’s easy to use Chromeboxes On the technical side, it boasts a Intel® ◊ Intel Haswell (4600U) Core i7 to control many screens on a large Quad Core N2930 processor with 4GB processor with 4GB or 8GB RAM, scale . It’s a true enterprise-grade memory, plus dual screen support . starting at $629 solution. The price may be a barrier, though: with The last option has the same specs You’ll find Chromeboxes behind digital an MSRP of $429 a pop, you’re definitely as Asus’s Core i7 offering, but it’s signage everywhere from retail stores paying for that commercial quality . available on its own, rather than in a to universities . bundle[102] . Lenovo Here’s just one example . Lenovo was a Chromebox latecomer, It’s often described as blazingly fast. but brought its own twist with the Clothing retailer Chico’s had a [100] And this is just the tip of the iceberg . ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny , massive project in mind: deploying which is small compared to a desktop Samsung also offers a Chromebox, up to 5,000 screens at some 1,500 computer, though not quite tiny for a [103] and that’s not even to mention locations . Chromebox, at 7 x 7 .2 x 1 .4” . Chromebases . (Don’t worry, we’ll get Built of aluminum with a plastic to them .) Plus, there may be models front panel, the Tiny has some great we’ve missed . security features, like data encryption You’ll have to do some comparison- and a way to disable USB ports to shopping of your own, but this should prevent unauthorized access. be a good start . Technical specs include an Intel Core But none of the options are terrible . i3-5005U Dual-Core processor with Like every other aspect of signage, it’s 2GB memory ($240 on Amazon), about which one’s right with you . or a Intel 3205U processor with 2 or 4GB memory (both about $150 on Pros: Amazon). ◊ Central Management Lenovo also offers the ThinkCentre They envisioned personalized content ◊ Kiosk Mode Tiny-In-One, which is a tool-free way down to the store level, and control to convert the Tiny into a 23” All-In- ◊ Upgradable RAM over each individual screen . They One display . settled on HP Chromeboxes, because, ◊ Automatic software upgrades according to CIO Eric Singleton, HP ◊ Various models to choose The HP offerings match Asus in terms “Since they’re cost-effective, we can from that support different of tiny size: 4.88 x 4.96 x 1.54”. afford to outfit more of our stores with requirements like 4k more displays . Since they’re small, HP aims its models at enterprise they don’t take up valuable space buyers, offering rack mounts and ◊ Security and virus protection in stores and they are unobtrusive . other accessories . ◊ Low power demands With more screens, we have more Here’s the choices[101]: places where we can tailor content Cons: that resonates with each store’s ◊ Intel Celeron (2955U 1.4 GHz) ◊ Requires an internet connection customers .” processor with 2GB of RAM, $179 to receive updates MSRP 81 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
As a trial run, they outfitted one store It’s functionally equivalent to a If it’s too jargon-heavy for your tastes, with 10 screens, and quickly began to Chromebook, without the display or though, feel free to skip down to “How see the benefits. keyboard . would I use it in my digital signage campaign?” You’ve already got the jist Their previous promotional strategy, So you can think of it as a $85 of it . traditional printed signs, had a lead computer on a stick . The Chromebit time of about ten days . is more functionality aligned with a Performance Google Chromebox, with the same The Chromebit has 16GB of storage performance capabilities, but and 2GB of RAM (same as most With digital signage, without the ethernet port or multiple Chromeboxes) . It’s powered by a they can showcase peripheral ports . It allows the user to 1.8GHz Rockchip, RK3288-C CPU with a add a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse . ® new items and sales separate ARM Mali™-T624 GPU . Because of this, the Chromebit within minutes, a huge The Chromebit was tested side-by- provides more functional capabilities, side with the Asus M004U Chromebox advantage in the ever- complexity and flexibility than the with an Intel Celeron 2955U CPU Chromecast . changing retail vertical. and embedded Intel HD Graphics Cost 4000/4400 . While it wasn’t a true scientific performance analysis (just The average cost of a Chromebit is $89 . Eventually, they hope to almost played the same content on the completely replace printed signage Pros two media players side-by-side) with Chromebox-driven digital displays . the two devices running a digital ◊ Swivels, fits into small places. signage application with the ◊ Great option for mobile workers . same content—still images, 1080p full motion video and stereo sound— What is a ◊ Comes with 100GB of Google performed identically in terms of Chromebit? Drive space for documents, playback . photos, and other files[104] . How it works The Chromebit warmed up more than ◊ Can be used as a portable kiosk . the Chromebox, most likely due to Chromebit, born in 2015, is a small a smaller heatsink in the Chromebit device that runs on Google’s Chrome Cons form factor . Any performance OS operating system . The stick-like ◊ Not the best solution for video differences were imperceptible device closely resembles a thumb content watching both devices side-by-side . drive . ◊ Offers only 2GB RAM, 16GB The Chromebit, when plugged into Networking and USB internal storage . the HDMI port of a monitor, acts like a Connectivity tiny personal computer, with access ◊ No internal clock . So if you’re The Chromebit includes 802 .11 a/b/ to the Internet and Google’s browser- using it for day-parted content g/n/ac WiFi . based apps . and it reboots, it won’t know what to play because it doesn’t know It’s seemingly similar to the what time it is . Chromecast, but in fact, it is in a completely different class of Want some techie-friendly stats to go machines—it IS a general purpose with your pro/con list? We’ve got your computing tool . back .
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Connectivity is rock-solid and there The Chromebit plugs directly into a Schools can use this same kind of were no perceptible performance display’s HDMI port, or alternatively option to track library books . Larger differences between the Chromebit connects via included HDMI extension schools, like colleges and universities, and the M004U Chromebox unit . cable for tight connection locations . can use the stick devices as a portal to access the school’s learning Networking performance was The Chromebit includes a small management system . also very good when running the separate 18W power supply that Chromebit as a computing device, requires an AC power connection . A browsing the internet and/or working USB-powered device would be ideal, with Google Apps . but the Chromebit requires a little What is a more power than that to operate . The Chromebit was also tested Chromebase? with a USB Ethernet connection, How would I use it in my digital The Chromebase, first unveiled in 2014, turning off the WiFi through Chrome signage campaign? marks Google’s dive into integrated management . This worked just Thanks to the Chrome Management displays[106] . Think a Chromebox built fine, but the device may be more Console, you can manage thousands right into a screen . cumbersome to physically manage in of devices and remotely control your this configuration. content showing on each display . How it Works
A keyboard/mouse combo connected Thought of another way, a with a small RFI USB adapter worked Chromebase is basically the desktop- very well, as did the Bluetooth The Chromebit makes sized equivalent of a Chromebook. It connection (Bluetooth V4.0 included). for a perfect digital runs Chrome OS, and is thus heavily focused on web-based applications . Enterprise-Enabled Chrome signage player where Management wireless networking is Just like a Chromebox, the Chromebase can be easily enrolled The Chromebit truly stands apart from a requirement. in CMC for remote management and other stick-based PCs when it comes configuration. It can also boot directly to enterprise management . into kiosk mode . You can connect up The Chromebit is a Chrome OS The low-cost, small form factor, a keyboard and mouse, if desired . device, meaning it can be fully and enterprise manageability Basically, all you need to do is plug it managed, remotely, in enterprise make the Chromebit the in, connect it up to the Internet, and environments via Google’s Chrome clear leader in terms of price/ start pushing content to it from your Management Console and enterprise performance/management/size. CMS . Content can be stored on the enrollment . This device can be used for Chromebase or streamed over the Power and Display Connectivity enterprises and other large-scale Internet (safely cached in case your businesses, though SMB will find the connection crashes) . price point attractive as well . Several models offer additional What else can I use it for? features, such as a webcam and If you need to power your guest touchscreen capability for interaction, [105] kiosk or want an electronic sign-in or the possibility to attach POS option at your desk, the Chromebit peripherals . can accomplish that for you . Add a display and you’ve got a nice little space to direct guests who might also need Internet access . 83 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
Cost and Models the speakers built in to the bottom- dust-proof . Despite being fanless, it edge bezel are obvious and a little has a wide temperature operating $300-1,099 bulky depending on what you’re going range, up to 104°F . As with the Chromebox, there are for . It’s right at home in kiosk or POS several models on the market . Here’s The 21 .5” model ($300 without touch applications . Like the Acer models, it a summary . capability, or $430 with) has a Tegra has 10-point touch capability . LG 2.1 GHz processor, 4GB RAM, and But beyond that, it’s got tons of LG’s 21 .5”, full HD Chromebase is the same standard features as the powered peripheral ports meant to relatively affordable at $280 per unit, Chomeboxes discussed earlier do[109] . but not quite ideal for an enterprise connect up to other gadgets, such
[107] as a card swipe . It’s meant to be setting . The bezel is white, which might stand out in some settings . tamperproof . With a 1.4 GHz Intel Celeron processor and 2GB of RAM, it’s similar to most The 24” models seem to be optimized Chromeboxes in terms of computing for teleconferencing, with a built-in HD power . Storage-wise, it’s got a 16GB webcam and microphones. The bezel SSD and two years of access to 100GB is a subtle black . Able to tilt between on Google Drive . -5 and 30°, the stand is designed to work with VESA mounts for wall or It’s EnergyStar rated . arm mounting[110] .
The LCD screen is not touch- And then there’s the all-important sensitive . security features, like a Kensington lock slot, built-in encryption, and Probably the biggest drawback to this Verified Boot, which checks files for device is its built-in stand[108] . With no tampering each time the screen good way of detaching it, you’re stuck boots up . Under the hood, there’s an Intel Quad using this Chromebase on a table or Core processor, 4GB RAM, and a 32GB desk . You can’t wall mount it or build it Since there are five different models SSD . into a kiosk . (ranging in price from $430 for the touchless to $900 for the top-of-the- Currently it only comes in 22” size, with Ultimately, it looks like something line touchscreen) . an MSRP of $1099, though a 19” screen more suited to an office desk, and is set to release eventually[111] . has only a 1-year limited warranty . Differentiating factors include amount It’s not quite an enterprise-grade of RAM, 16 vs 32 GB SSD, and Intel That price tag is the rub . Chromebase . Celeron vs . i5 vs . i7 processors[110] . Add a $24/device/year single app Acer AOPEN CMC enrollment, or a $150/device Acer currently offers 21 .5” (touch and AOPEN’s solutions are truly designed perpetual enrollment to CMC, and non-touch) and 24” (touch and non- , with for commercial settings you’ve got an investment that only an touch) versions of the Chromebase . tempered glass, semi-waterproof enterprise with a hefty budget could All are full HD, with LED-backlit LCD fronts, a screen capable of staying on swallow . screens . The touchscreens have 24/7, and a mere 30 mm depth . You 10-point multitouch capability . can choose between a 3 and 5 year warranty[111] . Right from the get-go, it looks more like a digital sign than the LG model, Unlike all the other models, it doesn’t since it doesn’t have a stand—though have a fan, making it silent and 84 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
Pros Plus, since their customers now had reason we’re including it here, is to the the ability to explore and ponder clear up the misconceptions . ◊ All-in-one convenience options on their own, the average Short answer: the Chromecast is not ◊ Central Management transaction value jumped to nearly 28 . It’s not percent higher than other locations . a digital signage solution ◊ Kiosk Mode even a true media player . They now plan on rolling out Long answer: you could hobble along ◊ Security and virus protection Chromebase to other locations . if you really wanted to . More on that in ◊ Automatic updates How Else Can I Use It? just a second . Your use-cases are slightly limited by ◊ Touchscreen models available the size and durability of the screens. Chromecast, born in 2013, is a media- streaming device that plugs into the Cons Most seem to be designed for indoor use only, and due to the width and HDMI port of a screen, allowing the ◊ Fewer choices in screen sizes shape of the bezels, none are suitable user to stream content . The device and types for tiling into a video wall . is small and is shaped like a mini ◊ Obtrusive bezels on some hockey puck . Other than that, though, Chromebases models should be suitable for many digital How it Works ◊ No signal-splitting signage applications, from end-cap The small, round device plugs into advertisement, to donor boards, to your HDMI port and connects to a ◊ Potentially high costs compared indoor wayfinding, to sign-up kiosks, Wi-Fi network . It acts as a portal for to Chromebox to self-service check-out devices . the content on your computer or How Would I Use it for Digital smartphone to be played on your Signage? display . Despite being a recently developed technology, Chromebase is already The Chromecast, as being successfully deployed in retail and QSR settings . its name implies, is intended to “cast” Here’s an example: content from one In early 2016, Australian seafood location such as a franchise Famous Fish decided to bring a fresh look alongside its fresh computer, tablet or fish at a newly opened franchise[112] . smartphone, onto a That meant bringing in digital What is a display. signage: dynamic menu boards and self-service order kiosks . Chromecast? Let’s clear this up right away: the The Chromecast includes apps After hearing good things about Chromecast was created as such as Netflix that can cast content Google’s security and reliability, a consumer product, not for streamed from the internet onto the Famous Fish settled on AOPEN’s enterprises or for digital signage. same display . Chromebases . They found that the Since it can display content to a screens blended into their clean screen, many people have the seaside aesthetic seamlessly . misconception that it’s a digital signage solution . That’s the only 85 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
Cost Using Chromecast for more than It can also be used to play games . one display makes it difficult to There are about 100 games for The average cost of Chromecast is manage because there is no Chromecast that can be found in $35 . central management solution—they Google Play . Pros can’t be enrolled in the Chrome ◊ Because the content is streamed Management Console. directly from the Internet, Because of this, it’s hard to scale Which Chrome the battery on your phone or support for this with content for computer won’t drain quickly . multiple signs because you have to Device Makes have another device at each and ◊ Chromecast now supports 4K the Best Media every location that’s pushing content streaming to the Chromecast . Player for Digital Cons Signage? ◊ Requires a dedicated device Every digital signage campaign needs (computer, phone, or tablet) a media player to support the content to stream content for every that will be used in the campaign . location, making it an expensive Depending on your company and and complex solution if you try to what you’re trying to accomplish, scale the Chromebox, Chromebase, or the ◊ No central way to manage Chromebit could be your answer . content for multiple screens or Chromebox is a great all-around locations—you don’t get access solution, with many model types to to the Chrome Management If you have 10 screens and need to accomplish different goals . While Console with the Chromecast update the content, you have to make the Chromebit can alternatively ◊ Not compatible with Blackberry 10 changes - going to each physical accomplish a similar thing on a much or Windows Devices . device to update . smaller scale, the Chromebox packs more of a punch . ◊ Requires a strong Wi-Fi The security for the Chromecast is connection . light at best. The Chromebox is the enterprise- grade digital signage player from How would I use it? Change your WiFi security code or Google . If you’re a small business with just SSID and you’ll have have to do it all Chromebase is a still-emerging one digital sign in your store, the again, at every display . Chrome OS technology . While options Chromecast might work for you if What if some accidentally logs-in to are currently limited, the all-in- you’re okay with having a dedicated one of your content source computers one nature is incredibly convenient computer or device to stream the and starts browsing the web? There’s (provided the screen meets your content . no kiosk mode, as with Chromebox . needs) . It can do everything a Chromebox can . Likewise, if your digital signage What else can I use it for? objective is to learn about digital But just because it’s not meant for Aside from AOPEN’s model, though, signage and maybe experiment with digital signage doesn’t mean it’s not a none are optimized for a commercial a single sign, then the Chromecast great tool for the office… setting . might be a good place to start . This little number is ideal for Here’s the drawback: presentations[113] . 86 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
Chromebit is a solid digital signage ◊ Communicating with employees Side note: You’re more likely to want player at a great price but cannot about events coming up and the Single App license for your devices support 4k video and has limited giving them a briefing over if you plan on using them exclusively power . Unlimited devices and displays promotions for digital signage . can be controlled remotely with ◊ Displaying company news That will give you access to all the this option, thanks to the Chrome settings necessary to configure, Management Console . deploy, and monitor a device running Many companies that a single app in Kiosk mode . You operate with multiple won’t be able to use that device as a Chrome Device workstation, or manage and deploy locations use digital policies at the user level[114] . Management signage solutions to 1. Managed (CDM) and be able to do all of The Chrome operating system and Chrome that at scale. the corresponding Chrome hardware Management is a managed system .
Console (CMC) And that means finding the right Once the device is enrolled in a device management system . domain, the administrator has the There will always be the 1-2 person ability to manage every aspect of the donut shops that plug in a flash Since Google Chrome’s operating device . drive to a monitor and showcase system, Chrome Management a slideshow they made in the back In the realm of digital signage we Console and Chrome Device office a few minutes ago with their have the ability to restrict the device Management (CDM), single app specials . to running the signage application kiosk license, is perfect for digital signage, it’s a wonder that not all only—that is, putting it in Kiosk Mode . And for them, that works . solutions use it . This means that the device cannot be But if you’re a 20-location donut This is perhaps the Chrome’s best repurposed without an administrator empire, then you have multiple layers feature . intervening . of complexity to navigate . After subscribing to the Chrome Here’s why that’s important . Some common ones I’ve seen are: Management Console service ($50/ Let’s say you have a Chromebox ◊ Maintaining brand guidelines device/year for full use, or Chrome running your digital signage in the Device Management $24 for a ◊ Ensuring all locations are employee break room . Single-App Kiosk license), all the showing the same promotions: administrator has to do is enroll each A clever employee may think they it’s difficult to change a new device in the system, which takes could plug a keyboard and mouse promotion last-minute when just seconds to do[114] . into the device and be able to surf you’re dealing with so many over lunch . Thanks to Chrome OS locations . Relying on store And then, they can control every management, the device is restricted managers to receive your email aspect of every screen, from to digital signage display and support and download a presentation anywhere they want to . personnel only . onto a flash drive is time- consuming and never has 100% If you’re part of the education vertical, success . you’ll likely get a discount on the license fees .
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The entire Chrome OS management Unlike other operating systems, console is accessed through the web, Chrome OS allows a digital signage Sources administrator to automatically run which means that people with 95 . Chromebox, Asus administrative access can manage their digital signs right when the your devices from anywhere (even machine turns on . 96 . Asus Chromebox (M060U) your mobile device) . Review by Mark Hodgkinson, And, like I mentioned, it also prevents AVForums 2. 0-60 Rollout users from hijacking the device for The managed capability also allows other purposes . 97 . Acer Chromebox CXI Review by for fast and easy rollout, since the only Kevin Lee, techradar . Google’s security team is constantly step an administrator needs to take is seeking out vulnerabilities to patch 98 . Customer Review by Lon J . to enroll the device into their domain . and sending out automatic updates . Seidman, Amazon It’s been hailed by many as At that point, all the necessary the most 99 . AOPEN Formally Launches settings, policies, and configurations secure operating system you can Commercial-Grade are automatically downloaded to get . Chromebox by Dave Haynes, the device . For a digital signage 4. Update automatically Sixteen:Nine administrator, this means that in mere Chrome OS is minutes you can have your entire automatically 100 . ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny signage fleet up and running, and you updated seamlessly in the Desktop, Lenovo . won’t need to install a thing! background 101 . HP’s $179 Chromebox is Now This same benefit means that if you Shipping, Pricier Models Also need to rollout an additional series of Available by Andrew Martonik, displays you won’t need to waste time Android Central installing software, setting up policies, 102 . Chromebox Buying Guide: Find or configuring apps. the best Chromebox by Tim A display administrator only needs a Wells, AndroidPCReviews .com few seconds to enroll the device and 103 . Chico’s Chooses Chromebox it will automatically obtain all the This negates the need for additional to Create a Digital Shopping necessary policies and applications patch management systems or Experience by Eric Singleton, for its purpose. manually updating your fleet of Chrome for Work devices . 3. Secure 104 . PC Stick Showdown: Intel Gone are the days of administrators Compute Stick vs Google needing to worry about making sure Chromebit by Alan Henry, Chrome OS is built their devices are updated, or making Lifehacker from the ground up sure that latest security vulnerability with security in mind. was patched . 105 . 5 Ways to Use Google Chromebit in the Enterprise by Chrome Management takes care of Conner Forrest, TechRepublic this and even gives the administrator With features like verified boot and control over timing and distribution of 106 . Chromebook, Wikipedia data encryption you can ensure that the patches, so you can automatically no malicious software can ever take scan for updates every morning 107 . LG Chromebase 22” Class over your system or data . at 4 a .m . when there’s the lowest (21 .5” Diagonal), LG bandwidth usage . 88 Chapter 7: Google Chrome for Digital Signage
108. Is LG’s Chromebase A New Kind Of Digital Sign? by Dave Haynes, Sixteen:Nine
109 . Acer to Ship 21 5. Inch Touch Chromebase by Dave Haynes, Sixteen:Nine
110 . Acer Chromebase 24, Acer
111 . AOPEN Adds Chromebase Commercial All-In-One To Chrome OS Line-Up by Dave Haynes, Sixteen:Nine
112 . Famous Fish by Steve Costi Provides a First-Ever Digital Experience For Diners by Jon Sully, Chrome for Work
113 . 19 Things You Didn’t Know Your Chromecast Could Do by Chandra Steele, PC Mag
114 . Chrome Device Licenses, Chrome for Work and Education Help
89 GOOGLE CHROME for Digital Signage
The Google ecosystem has compelling hardware / media players available to run your digital signs . Chrome provides a platform for innovation .
Chrome-based digital signage solutions are by far the most secure, easy to manage, scalable, and easy to implement . There are many digital signage media players to choose from . Here are the pros and cons to each Chrome-based media player .
Chromebox Pros
◊ Central Management
◊ Kiosk Mode
◊ Upgradable RAM
◊ Automatic software upgrades
◊ Various models to choose from that support different requirements like 4k
◊ Security and virus protection
◊ Low power demands
Cons
◊ Requires an internet connection to receive updates Chromebit Pros
◊ Swivels, fits into small places.
◊ Great option for mobile workers .
◊ Comes with 100GB of Google Drive space for documents, photos, and other files[104] .
◊ Can be used as a portable kiosk .
Cons
◊ Not the best solution for video content
◊ Offers only 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage .
◊ No internal clock . So if you’re using it for day-parted content and it reboots, it won’t know what to play because it doesn’t know what time it is .
Chromebase Pros
◊ All-in-one convenience
◊ Central Management
◊ Kiosk Mode
◊ Security and virus protection
◊ Automatic updates
◊ Touchscreen models available
Cons
◊ Fewer choices in screen sizes and types
◊ Obtrusive bezels on some models
◊ No signal-splitting
◊ Potentially high costs compared to Chromebox Chromecast Pros
◊ Because the content is streamed directly from the Internet, the battery on your phone or computer won’t drain quickly .
◊ 4K streaming
Cons
◊ Requires a dedicated device (computer, phone, or tablet) to stream content for every location, making it an expensive and complex solution if you try to scale
◊ No central way to manage content for multiple screens or locations—you don’t get access to the Chrome Management Console with the Chromecast
◊ Not compatible with Blackberry or Windows Devices .
◊ Requires a strong Wi-Fi connection .
◊ Built for consumers, not for the enterprise 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 8 What Content Sales [email protected]
to Put on Your Phone Toll Free: 855.383.4518
Local: 612.260.7327
Displays Address 420 N 5th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.skykit.com Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays
Where’s the Sign Placed? Is your digital sign located at a Point of What Content Transit, Point of Sale, or Point of Wait? The answer should help you determine the pacing and amount of to Put on Your information conveyed in your content . Point of Transit A Point of Transit sign is located where people are on the go . This Displays includes things like wayfinding kiosks at airports and digital billboards along highways .
If you hate the cliche “Content is King” ◊ Do you use bullet points? Long raise your hand . sentences?
You know why industry experts keep ◊ Does your content flash by on the saying it, over and over? screen too quickly to read, or too slow to hold attention? Because it’s still 100% true . ◊ Is your content aligned with your Content is what people look to your brand identity? digital signage to see . Your customers If your sign falls into this category, don’t care about your well-chosen A lot of careful consideration goes recognize that you have very little time media player . They care about the into making top-quality, eye-catching to get the attention of passers-by . information or entertainment your content specifically for digital signage. digital signage promises them . In this chapter, we’re revealing inside Particularly with advertising, you must secrets about how to do exactly that . strive to be as concise and bold as And it’s easy to trip up on content. Get your PDF here . possible, using some of the tricks we’ll be discussing later . I’ve heard about, but have yet to witness, a QSR accidentally advertising Why? for its own competitor[115] . Answering the Because average dwell time for Surely you’ve never made such a Big Content something like a digital billboard is grave mistake—but odds are you’re around two seconds[116] . That’s not still making some common errors in Questions much time to make an impression . your content . Maybe not that bad, Before you think about what picture’s If you have multiple segments of but it might need some polishing . Ask perfect for a certain slide, there’s content on your loop, they should yourself: some big picture questions you need cycle through quickly enough to to answer . These will help guide the ◊ Are you keeping the same content maximize chances of your audience general tone and look of your content . for weeks at a time? Months? seeing multiple messages .
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Point of Sale This means you can include longer Demographics should inform design, If you have a Point of Sale network, messages and more words per information, and call-to-action there’s not quite as much of a hurry, segment . choices as well . (We’ll talk more about but your audience is still there for a design later—this is just to get you purpose . thinking .)
Focus on providing immediately If your corporation is a professional relevant content that focuses on environment full of no-nonsense opportunities available now—for businessmen, you’ll want sleek example, a sale in a nearby aisle, or a designs with simple color schemes . giveaway that can be entered on the go . How Are You Approaching the Campaign? Consider timing how long customers It makes sense that your content will spend within visual range of your change depending on the purpose of signs . This will help you determine your signage . how often to switch between segments . If the same information All communication, including digital However, in order to take advantage remains on-screen for the entire time signage, fits one or more ofsix of that longer dwell time, you’ll your customer is within visual range, purposes . Your content will probably have to compete with cell phones . they’ll get bored and stop looking . include a mix of at least a couple of Consider mixing in trivia questions or them . Make sure whatever information you fun facts with advertising and other put on the screen is readable within important information in order to keep Here’s a simple breakdown . the time allotted! customers’ attention . 1. Educate Who’s Seeing It? Educational content has a number of Not all potential target audiences uses . react the same way to content . A well-informed shopper can make Age is a big factor . the best choice for his or her needs .
For example, if every Thursday is Outward-facing educational content senior discount day at your store, the can include product demos, use messaging playing that day shouldn’t cases and testimonials, and handy focus on social media engagement . comparison charts to other products (or with your competitors’ products!) . Given that only 18 percent of people between ages 50 and 64 access Employees and associates can also social media on their mobile phones— benefitfrom watching training content that is, potentially while in your during slow traffic periods or before/ Point of Wait store—you’d have very little chance of after store operating hours . With Point of Wait signs, you have fostering customer engagement that a captive audience . As customers Whether providing information to wa[117] . queue or linger in a waiting room, customers or associates, your bottom they’ll be desperate for anything to However, if you had a vintage clothing line will feel the boost . distract them . store in Brooklyn, you could target your younger-skewing customers with social media-oriented content . 95 Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays
2. Inform shortly .) ads that much more effective . Where’s that conference room? They know that Ads made for traditional forms When’s the office picnic coming up? content doesn’t have to be pure advertising to help the of advertising can sometimes be That type of question can be bottom line . repurposed for use in a digital answered by informational content . signage network . 4. Convert This includes company Often, your content’s purpose will be But, often ads need to be produced announcements (especially useful if to get your audience to do something, with the venue and dwell time in mind, you have a QSR and the employees such as sign up for a loyalty or reward as we mentioned under “Where’s it don’t have company emails), program . Placed?” calendar events, and wayfinding . How do you craft a compelling call- Informational content should to-action? prioritize clear communication . We give you the details under “Give Aesthetics are important, too, but Your Viewer a Job” below. ultimately secondary . 5. Promote Keep your interfaces clear and simple Promotions aren’t necessarily trying for interactive informational content, to sell anything . But they are a little and make sure the five W’s can be flashier than the above-mentioned gleaned at a glance . information content . 3. Entertain The idea is to catch eyes and bring Your audience will get sick of Also think about how often ads will awareness about something your continual ads . show up in a given “loop” of content . audience wasn’t aware of before . People often suggest having a single Sorry, but it’s true . For example: You can promote ad make two impressions per loop, though that wouldn’t be the case for You have to break it up with engaging, upcoming events and opportunities, advertising banners or crawls . attention-grabbing content of award programs, and your social media . another sort . Here’s a challenge: if there’s no sound, you’ll have to rely on visual There’s lots of options out there With social media, you can display appeal . We’ve got some tips for that for entertaining content, so pick the feeds right there on the signage later in this chapter, but realistically, something relevant to your audience: using widgets that are included with you may want to enlist the help of a sports, weather, news, a stock ticker… most CMS, and pair with a call-to- action to encourage your audience to professional . This type of content is inexpensive follow you . In the retail vertical, digital signage and available in many forms, like live often includes merchandising that streaming, files, static images and RSS We’ll talk more about social media advertises specific items located feeds, just to name a few . and how it can help your branding efforts a little later . physically near the sign . This type In QSR, some franchises use of “ad” varies in length and usually infotainment—a custom blend of 6. Sell To includes a call-to-action . entertainment programming and Remember: All ads, all the time will For retailers, presenting contextually advertising aimed squarely at keeping get your digital signage tuned out relevant content can enhance customers around long enough to buy eventually . shoppers’ experiences and help each more food . (And also at building their Keep a mixture, and it’ll make your sign’s ROI . brand image, which we’ll talk about 96 Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays
What Content has Worked for Check out your vertical on a site like 1. Keep a Consistent Look Your Competitors? Digital Signage Today for glimpses of It may be tempting, for simplicity’s successful campaigns that push the sake, to use a theme you found online Managing expectations is an envelope . or that came with your content- important aspect of creating digital creating software for your digital signage content . What’s Your Brand Identity? signage . There are certain expectations for what content will look like in each vertical, in each business .
For example, if I say “sports equipment store,” you probably think of high- def HDR images of dirty, sweating athletes; angular sans serif fonts that look like they’re about to zoom off the signage; and close-ups of shoes, high-performance sports drinks, and so on .
You’d be baffled if the signage featured news about the stock markets, instead of the latest big A well-formed brand differentiates a game . Three problems: that’s boring and lazy company from its competitors[119] . from the customer’s viewpoint, it’s a How do you surprise and excite missed opportunity to brand content, without confusing your customers or Using digital signage to create an and it can lead to incongruities failing to meet expectations? emotional connection with consumers attaches your brand to their lives between your overall brand and That’s a question you’ll have to answer and in turn creates loyalty and builds what’s on your screen . for yourself, because the answer will equity in your brand . For example, a vehicle parts supply be different for every business in every store probably would wish to avoid vertical . As you’re striving to maintain brand consistency, make sure you don’t delicate fonts, Instagram-style filters But I can give you a starting point: overlook your digital signage! and shades of pink . You can’t break the rules until you Not only is digital signage a chance to Nor do you want your visual style to know what they are . put your brand front-and-center from vary from slide to slide . So study your immediate competitors, the moment customers walk in the A little customization goes a long along with the big names in your door to the moment you leave, but way. vertical . Know what kind of language having poorly designed and out-of- they use, what sort of imagery they character content can damage your If your company already has a style is rely on . Know what kind of content image . guide, that’s your place to start to find de rigeur . guidelines for producing on-brand That said, here are three ways for you content . If they have a marketing push that’s to make sure your brand stays clear the talk of the town, take note . Don’t and central in your digital signage . copy it, of course—but you can take the same basic idea and put your own spin on it . 97 Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays
Otherwise, it’s worth it to take the include people? Is clip art ever Consider posting them on Google time and decide how you’re going to acceptable? Drive and sharing the link to your create a uniform look for all of your content creators . 2. Create a Content Guide content[120] . Be open to feedback . Especially if you ◊ Color Scheme: Your company Provide guidelines to aren’t a marketer or designer, other probably already colors that they members of your team may have make sure your written tend to use in their promotional useful suggestions for improvements . material and décor . Use a neutral content stays in the As trends come and go, and your tone for backgrounds, a color brand’s voice. company tweaks its own brand, your associated with your brand for guide should change as well . contrast, and one other color that fits the brand and looks ◊ Tone: Are you sassy? Formal? That’s another reason why cloud- attractive as an accent . To Always positive? based sharing is advantageous: it make sure you’re always using allows any changes to be distributed the same red, define it using a ◊ Focus: Is plain, simple instantly to all who have access to the hexadecimal code . If you want information preferred, or can you document . to sample a color from your logo have a little personality? or website, there are Chrome ◊ Are there certain extensions that’ll help[141] . Word choice: words you prefer to avoid? Are 5 Tips for Writing ◊ Preferred Fonts: If the brand is there specific words associated already defined typographically, with your brand? Compelling go with those fonts . Otherwise, ◊ Should content Content That Will choose a sans serif font to be Style guide: conform to a specific style guide, used for most content, and one Get Seen such as AP or Chicago? or two other fonts from different Once you’ve set your vision for your font families for emphasizing ◊ Terminology: Make sure content, you can fire up a content [121] elements . (No more than two commonly-used terms and creation program and get going . Here’s fonts per slide!) phrases are always spelled, some tips to help you along your way . worded, and capitalized the ◊ Template Slides: Consider same way . 1. Try Something New creating a collection of blank If you don’t refresh your content template slides into which 3. Make it All Readily Available frequently, repeat visitors will content can be inserted in order Once you have all of these guidelines eventually stop paying attention to to guarantee a uniform look . created, make sure they’re available your signs[123] . (You’ll want a variety so all of to everybody who could conceivably your content doesn’t look exactly create content for your digital However, you don’t have to start from the same ). Whatever program signage . scratch every time . you’re creating content in may have some built-in options . You could create print copies, but it’s You can simply swap new stock easier and more cost-effective to images into your existing content . ◊ Imagery: Decide what sort of share online . This document or set Or change the layout of an existing pictures you want to include of documents should also contain message . Or add a bit of motion in your content . Would you necessary files such as logos, icons, where there hadn’t been any before . Or [122] prefer exclusively black-and- and images . maybe just change the color scheme . white images? Should they ever
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But beware! There’s a temptation to Luckily, by focusing on a few key visually attractive together . Use the resort to “wallpaper”—cheap, generic, areas, you can do this in a few color wheel as your cheat sheet[128] . readily available material for your minutes for yourself . Complimentary colors (opposite each screen—in order to ensure there’s other on the color wheel) pair nicely . Resolution and Aspect Ratio something fresh on-screen at all So do colors that are next to each Make sure these match your screen . times[124] . other on the wheel, called analogous Very little looks worse than content colors . That type of content is not only easy that’s stretched or squashed because to ignore and is useless in promoting its aspect ratio is wrong . Fewer colors is better—one color your brand, but can in fact harm the should dominate, another contrast Font Choice effectiveness of your network . Hopefully you know better than to and highlight, with maybe a third choose Comic Sans or Papyrus . for accent (perhaps as part of the Don’t wallpaper . There’s more to it than that, though . image) . That’s a matter of simple math: if Composition Particularly on outdoor signs, you ten percent of your content is, say, When it comes to composition, should avoid difficult-to-read script generically pretty landscapes, ten it’s hard to go wrong with the rule fonts[125] . If you use it as an accent percent of the time viewers will be [129] of thirds . It’ll help you achieve font, make sure it’s large and only seeing material that offers no useful asymmetrical balance . Asymmetry used on one or two words . information and doesn’t speak to your catches the eye and is more visually brand . Choose sans serif fonts (Helvetica’s interesting than symmetry, but you have to execute it correctly . It also helps hold interest if you vary the classic example) over serif fonts (such as Times New Roman)—the the length of your messaging . Most First, mentally divide your screen into lack of serifs gives them a cleaner of your messages will be on-screen nine rectangles of equal size. for about 10 seconds, but if you need look . to communicate more intricate Have no more than two fonts per slide information (say, with 17-second long or segment of content, and make sure slots), make sure to break it up with they’re from different categories[126] . shorter and simpler slides too . Two novelty fonts in the same place is For other concerns about producing too visually busy . enough content, and creating data- Finally, consider tone . A heavy driven and localized content, peep blackletter font would look out of back at Chapter 3 . place on an advertisement for Second, place your elements . Content 2. Design Properly a summer sale, but might fit an announcement about a book club[127] . close to the intersection of the lines It’s time for a crash-course in the will stand out more . That’s where you principles of digital signage design . Colors want important elements to go . With colors, contrast is the name of Your goal is maximizing visual appeal the game . Also consider filling one-third of the and ease of reading . space with an image while putting a Pair dark text with light backgrounds . In an ideal world, you could hire neutral background with text in the Be wary of using white text on a black graphic designers to do this for you, other two-thirds for a simple, clean background—if the letters are too but given how frequently content look . small, they can be hard to read . cycles out, that’s not an economically feasible option for many companies . You also want your colors to be
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Motion Distance accurate . If you direct customers to While it’s tempting to animate every Double-check that the content the wrong aisle for a deal, you could square corner of the screen, don’t . is large enough to be read from be missing out on sales opportunities . wherever viewers will be standing And heaven forbid you give the wrong Seriously, don’t . when they see it . There’s some useful date for an event . Moving text is too difficult to read, rules to help you do that . 4. Give Your Viewer a Job and more than one moving element With an LCD screen, use the 4/6/8 Picture this: You’re the proprietor of a will vie for the viewer’s attention and [131] rule . That means that viewers grocery store, and you’ve just installed distract from the actual message . can be four times the image height your first digital signage system. away in order to process complex information, six times to view simple You’ve been careful to do everything Motion should be used information, and eight times for right . sparingly, to grab casual perusal . But a week passes, and then two, the eye and attract With LED, take the pixel pitch and you’re not seeing the kind of attention to one key and multiply by 1000 to find the results you were expecting . What went wrong? You followed the whole part of a slide without minimum viewing distance . checklist, right? hurting readability. No analytical method yet exists for finding the minimum viewing distance Well… maybe not . for a projected image, though one’s Did you remember to include a call- on the way[132] . For visual interest, a slow pan over to-action? a static image, or a steady shot Accessibility of something slightly moving (like Forgetting a call-to-action, or Consider accessibility, too . waving grass, or a time lapse of a city including one that’s poorly worded, scape) are arresting without being Strong contrasts, avoiding white-on- can render a digital signage system distracting . black text (use the other way around), pretty much useless . simple typefaces, and the largest font Of course, it’s a different story if your size possible will help people who content includes video . have difficulty seeing or reading. Readability 3. Check and Double Check The above items do contribute to readability, but here’s a few final tips. Because there are so few words per slide, any mistakes you make will A call-to-action directs customers Brevity jump out dramatically . Deliver your whole message in as few to give a certain response to the words as possible . The fewer words, Read through all your content (and message on screen . the more impact each word will get someone else to look through it This can be anything from have[130] . for you) to make sure there are no downloading an app, to picking up a grammatical or spelling errors . You don’t even need to use full coupon, to signing up for an event, to sentences . Someone will inevitably mock you engaging with you on social media, to on social media for a typo . Trust me, taking advantage of a deal . If you must include more words, make that’s not the kind of attention you A call-to-action is a command for sure the message is on-screen long want . enough to read . your customer to take a specific Also ensure that all information is action. 100 Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays
By tracking the level of response You should be able to find statistics ◊ watching an interactive to calls to action, and which sorts for other common methods of action presentation in order to receive a of calls get the greatest response, online, and common sense is a discount code . owners of digital signage networks valuable tool here as well . Also, can determine how effective their make sure the benefit to Vary your action based on what signage is and how to make it even following the call to advantage is demographic you wish to target—or, —list it right there with the more effective . obvious with broad appeals, try to choose a action to be taken . “Text (keyword) to In other words, they are absolutely method with the highest engagement (number) and get 20% off any item .” essential. Below, you’ll find tips for rate across demographics . A Second Purpose creating compelling calls to action: Enable and Incentivize Action Your call-to-action doesn’t have to Consider the Audience If your viewers don’t understand how serve just one purpose—in fact, if you Different demographics will find to act, or if acting is difficult, they can have a secondary purpose, go certain methods of action more won’t act . for it . appealing . That’s elementary, but worth pointing For example, perhaps your primary Take QR code usage, for example[118] . out . purpose is to get viewers to enter a contest by tweeting at the store’s Make sure that the exact steps a Twitter account . viewer needs to follow to take action are clearly and thoroughly listed on Your secondary purpose would be the screen . getting people to engage with your social media, in hopes that they’ll If the screen is advertising a sale on continue engaging there in the future . a specific item, tell them where in the store the item is located . If the action Even if your primary message isn’t one is connecting on Instagram, give the that require a certain action, you can exact username . If there’s a contest, include one anyway[135] . For example, if either list the steps required to enter, you’re announcing an event, you can or give the general idea and display direct viewers to an online calendar so Across age groups, 64 percent of a link where people can find further they can view other upcoming events . scanners are male . The disparity was details . greatest in the 55+ age group, with The main caveat here: Don’t add too 71 percent of scanners being male . Make it as easy for your viewers as many steps . However, that age group makes up possible . only 15 percent of all people using QR Everyone’s lazy at heart, and if people codes . People between the age of 25 One of the greatest advantages of have to jump through three or four and 44 were most likely to scan a QR digital signage is how it enables hoops to receive a certain benefit, they code . instant interaction[134], so take will probably decide it’s not worth it . advantage of that by making the Choose Your Words Another example: paperless coupons, call-to-action something that can be ◊ Action verbs: Avoid passive distributed by email or found on the done immediately, such as: Internet[133] . Women are only slightly language, such as “can be found” more likely to use them than men . ◊ tapping their phone to a tag to or “is available .” Instead, pick They’re most popular among those have content uploaded action verbs that convey your aged 35-44, though people aged call-to-action forcefully . Don’t ◊ texting a keyword to a certain from 18 all the way up to 64 are all suggest—command . Act now! number, or fairly likely to use them . Find it here! Visit today! 101 Chapter 8: What Content to Put on Your Displays
◊ Trigger words: Certain words clashing: yellow and red, vivid green Try tapping a resource you probably are more likely to catch eyes and purple, or a riot of neon will just already have: your social media than others. You can find lists hurt your customer’s eyes and be accounts . of powerful marketing words difficult to read. Flashing or animated Your Twitter feed or Facebook page online[136], but here’s a few to get elements are tacky and distract from should be updated frequently, and you started: You (makes the your message . should already have a particular voice customer feel directly engaged), Don’t sacrifice good design in the that reflects your brand’s personality. free (speaks for itself), save name of catching eyes . (everyone loves savings), easy Not only that, but with modern digital (customers are less likely to take If you include a QR code, make sure signage software, displaying a live action if it means work for them), it’s large enough to easily scan from and/or curated feed on your screens and new (novelty is compelling) . wherever the viewer is standing . If is simple . Many social media networks you include a URL, make sure that is have an API that developers can use ◊ Keep it short: The same rules readable as well . to develop a custom module for your you’d follow for making a signage[139] . compelling slide presentation Create Urgency apply here: the fewer words you Limited-time offers are the most can use to convey your message, compelling[138] . the better . How many times have you been ◊ Keep it simple: Prefer language watching an infomercial, chuckling at that is clear and straightforward . the ridiculousness of the product on Write like you’re scripting a offer, and been a little tempted once comic book, with snappy, short, they reached the “Call now and get all action-oriented words . Use a these extra things!” part? readability score tool to estimate the message’s reading level . As Put that principle to work in your call- a general rule of thumb, most to-action . good business blogs try to Perhaps the first 50 customers to take communicate complex concepts advantage of an offer get a bonus If you choose to display posts using vocabulary under a 7th item or extra 10 percent off . Maybe the from followers, that reinforces your grade reading level . It’s faster to special coupon is only available for customers’ sense that your brand skim and digest [137]. the next 36 hours . The contest ends is personable and that they have Make it Visible tomorrow . a personal relationship with your If the call-to-action is the most company, fostering loyalty . You get the idea . important part of your slide, treat it as In fact, 55 percent of Americans state such . Don’t go overboard, though . If every they’re more likely to stick with a single deal is “Act now or you’ll never Make it larger or a different color brand they follow on social media[140] . see it again!” customers will become than other elements (aside from the annoyed with the manufactured headline) . And, bonus, by displaying your social scarcity . media feeds, you’ll remind your You may wish to offset it with a visitors that they exist—which should 5. Integrate your social media border . translate into new followers and an Need more in-voice and fresh expanded reach . You can take this too far, of course . content? Don’t confuse contrasting with
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Make sure to show your username or handle, and consider displaying a QR code or shortened link so interested customers can follow you instantly .
Sources
115 . Another Digital Signage Don’t: 124 . Branding Your Digital Signage 134 . 6 Tips for Digital Signage The Wrong QSR by Christopher Wins Audience by Vern Calls to Action by Irfan Khan, Hall, Digital Signage Today Freedlander, Digital Signage Sixteen:Nine Today 116 . Effects of Electronic Billboards 135 . A Call to Action is Essential on Driver Distraction by Tania 125 . The Effectiveness of Outdoor in Digital Signage by Sean Dukic et. al, Traffic Injury LED Advertising Signs by Matthews, Digital Signage Prevention Hendrikus E .J .M .L . van Bulck, Today Academy of Business Research 117 . Social Networking Fact Sheet, 136 . The 30 Magic Marketing Words Journal Pew Research Center You Should Be Using, Vertical 126 . A Crash Course in Typography: Response 118 . QR Code Scanner Age and The Basics of Type by Gender Breakdowns, Marketing 137 . Readability Score Cameron Chapman Charts 138 . How To Get Buyers To Take 127 . Blackletter, Wikipedia 119 . 6 Strategies To Keep Brand Action With A Strange But Consistency With Your Digital 128 . Paletton Effective Concept by Russ Signage Work by Irfan Khan, Henneberry, The Daily Egg Sixteen:Nine 129 . How to Use the Rule of Thirds Effortlessly by Vladimir 139 . A Quick Primer On Best 120 . Why Your Brand Needs a Style Gendelman, Company Folders Practices for Social Media Guide, and How To Create and Digital Signage by Sean 130 . PowerPoint Tips and One by Cameron Chapman, Matthews, Digital Signage Techniques by Robert Harris, Webdesigner Depot Today Virtual Salt 121 . 6 Tips & 20 Tools for Creating 140 . 10 Social Media Stats You 131 . Digital Signage-LCD or LED? It Effective Digital Signage Might Not Know (But Should) Depends! by Alan Brawn, Digital Content by Irfan Khan, by Brittney Ervin, Business 2 Signage Experts Group Sixteen:Nine Community
132 . Projection or Flat Panel: The 122 . How to Build and Maintain 141 . ColorPick Eyedropper, Chrome Dilemma by Alan Brawn, Digital Brand Consistency by Nate Web Store Holmes, Smart Image Signage Experts Group
123 . Digital Sign Content Best 133 . Paperless Coupon Usage Practices, University of On The Rise by Ellen Romer, Michigan Experian
103 4 FREE TOOLS Design Beautiful Digital Signage Content Whether you’re a designer or don’t have a design bone in your body, these 4 free tools will help you make gorgeous content for your digital displays faster than ever. Use any or all of them in your future signage content.
Your content always needs to serve a purpose: Typography fonts.google.com
Download beautiful web safe fonts, for free! Find a nice variety of fonts to 1 Educate choose from to make your presentations more dynamic. Inform Free Icons 2 iconmonstr.com Great place to download high quality icons for presentations and visuals. Entertain Download the .png file format and change the color of your icons before 3 exporting. 4 Convert Picking Colors coolors.co
Generate beautiful color palettes easily so you know that every color will Promote 5 be complementary. Make sure you include a clear call-to- action! Forgetting a call-to-action, or including one that’s poorly worded, can Free Photos and Videos allthefreestock.com render a digital signage system pretty much useless. The web’s free stock photos and videos directory. Browse through different websites to find the right assets for your content. 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 9 Installing & Sales [email protected]
Rolling Out Phone Toll Free: 855.383.4518
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www.skykit.com Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
fully installed . Without a fully planned strategy, costly trial and error can make your expenses quickly balloon Installing above your budget . In this chapter, we’ll walk you through the digital signage rollout and Rolling Out planning process and give you an idea of what to expect along the Digital Signage way. Get you PDF here. What Goes Into Creating a Rollout Strategy? In order to form a smooth rollout While the retail sector currently makes If the screens aren’t doing the best strategy, you’ll need to take a big- up the largest part of the digital job to communicate that information picture look at your intentions for signage industry, it’s widely adopted in that they possibly can, they may not your digital signage, decide who food service, transportation, financial offer much advantage over traditional you’re going to work with, and plan services and education . signage in getting your point across . each aspect of your signage . That said, studies still show that up You’ve also been seeing some Then you can start working on figuring to 43% of traditional paper-based promising statistics on the success of out how to get it into place . signage used in campaigns or for digital signage, and the fact that the promotions is never installed, so at industry has a CAGR of nearly 9% is A Purpose least the digital signage has a 100% encouraging as well . compliance advantage when it
You might be considering rolling out comes to installation . Your purpose in digital signage . After all, it seems to You must put serious thought into installing digital be bringing great results for others, your strategy for installing digital signage will inform and since prices for digital signage signage in order to maximize its systems have been steadily dropping, all of your other usefulness and accessibility to your it seems like the time is right and it’s audience . decisions about it. an easy way to get a return on your So it’s important to investment . Case in point: You need to choose the right digital display to install based clearly define it, right However, you can’t just get any old on the placement and environment in from the start. screen, slap it up at random, and your store . A retail sign near a window expect to rake in the dough . They may require a semi-outdoor display aren’t a magical revenue-generating that will have higher brightness to charm . The more familiar you are with your counter the direct sun light? digital signage needs, the better your Even if your aim isn’t advertisement, Of course, the problems can start long partners will be able to collaborate you still have information you want to before your digital signage is even with you and realize them. communicate . 106 Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
Who is going to see the signs? Are questions to your satisfaction . would best show the content off . they outward-facing and primarily They should be able to connect you intended for paying customers or A Plan with past clients, to discuss their students? Are they inward-facing Haste makes waste! You’re not ready overall experience and talk about and meant to communicate with to deploy your digital signage until their deployment . employees? you’ve planned each aspect . They should also have a robust What are the signs intended to This planning will also help as you network of expert partners, such as communicate? Is the primary purpose budget for the project . installation partners and OEMs, who advertisement? Is it something highly can work together and with you to Most of the items in this section are specific, like the aforementioned make the best decisions about your covered more comprehensively in price tags? Are they a wayfinding signage . other sections, so we’ll touch lightly on resource? Will they be presenting each . Think of it more as a checklist data, displaying schedules, or sharing If you’re bringing in any additional and a reminder of what to consider as internal memos? partners of your own, for example, you plan each . you may be working directly with a Where will they be located—inside or designer . Based on your deployment The Components outside? you may want the content creators Of course, you’ll have to select all the How do you define success? What to have conversation with the CMS components of your digital signage does a healthy ROI look like for you, provider directly and the system system in advance . and how will you be evaluating it? integrator to ensure everyone is on Your partners may be able to (Turn back to Chapter 2 for help the same page . recommend components that will fit planning this ). Let’s have an example of how a your needs and budget . You should be able to sum up your healthy network of partners can Media Player purpose and goals for the signage contribute to a better digital signage How do you intend to update the in a few short sentences . This will experience for all . content on your screens? help your partner determine the best When a tourism center in Montreal, placement of the signage during the Gone are the days when you had to Canada wanted to deploy a digital site survey which will ultimately make plug in a VHS player. signage system that would bring an installation a much easier process . immersive, interactive, video-based Now, you can update content A Partner (Or Partners) experience to its visitors, they brought wirelessly and instantly, using a Don’t worry, you’re not on your own . several partners on right from the device like a Chromebox to stream [142] For all but the most basic digital beginning . content from the Cloud . signage, it’s wise to work with system Displaying the video in a way that Something like an electronic price tag integrator, VAR, or reseller to assist would maximize its impact was key. is probably RF-equipped . There are in defining the best possible rollout After the video producers had created wired options as well . strategy based on your individual the concept, they shared it with the needs . Some digital signage integrator . Also recall that there are all-in-one companies may offer these services choices, which integrate a media via a third party as part of a holistic Based on the nature of the content, player and a screen into a single solution . and the angle and location the device . tourism central wanted to mount the Your partner should have experience screens at, the integrator was able For deep looks at media player with the type of signage you plan on to recommend the exact screen that options, check out chapters 5 and 7 . deploying, and be able to answer your 107 Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
Display Screen see if they can get you a good deal) . ◊ And of course, the features that For a professional installation at an have to do with the content itself . See “The Placement,” below, for more enterprise, or even SMB, you will want You should be able to create about locating a screen and how that commercial-grade display . content in the CMS itself, or use affects screen choice . familiar programs to create Advantages of a commercial content and easily upload it to Content Management System display include As you know by now, content is the CMS . You should be able to ◊ A three to five year commercial everything . Your screens aren’t there schedule content to appear at warranty to hang like empty picture frames, certain dates or certain times . after all . You should also be able to ◊ Serious durability, with 60,000+ choose which content appears duty hours and the ability to stay Your CMS is the software on which screens . The CMS on all day long infrastructure that allows you to bring should make content localization content to those display screens . simple . ◊ Commercial grade components, including conformal coated Choosing one with the features you ◊ Built-in widgets for weather, circuit boards, that can survive need will save you endless headaches news, or social media feeds . dust, heat, and humidity in the future and help you use your If those fit the purpose of your signage to its full potential . digital signage, it’s much easier ◊ Convection cooling—no noisy, to use a built-in widget rather bulky fans We cover CMS in-depth in Chapter 4, than trying to code your own . including features that are important ◊ Anti-glare glass and ambient for specific verticals, but here’s a quick You’ll need to decide between a CMS light sensors for increased reminder of the elements you need in that “lives” in the cloud or one that readability from any angle your CMS . runs from your own servers .
◊ Support of the content file types We recommend a cloud-based CMS you intend to use . with offline capabilities for most purposes . Why? ◊ Compatibility with other software you plan on integrating with First, it’s worry-free . your digital signage, such as Enterprise Resource Planning You aren’t responsible for the cost and (ERP) software . trouble of maintaining the servers . Security and software updates are ◊ User accessibility from any managed by the CMS provider and device, and the ability to set downloaded automatically . In fact, the granular permissions for different And much more . When choosing a provider’s security system is probably users . screen, make sure to consider the far more robust than any you could muster . amount of ambient light in the room ◊ Strong security features, like and what sort of environmental firewalls and encryption. Second, it guarantees easy access . factors (high heat? rain?) it’ll have to endure . ◊ High scalability, so that when you’re ready to expand your Turn back to Chapter 5 for much digital signage system, you can more information about types of do it without difficulty—even if screens, and ask your partners for you’re going from ten signs to a advice in choosing the screen (and to hundred . 108 Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
Since it’s on the cloud, you don’t have digital menu board . purposes . The screen and the to be at the site of the servers to add enclosure may come as a »» Articulating content or modify scheduling . Just Articulating: “package deal,” but sometimes mounts place a screen at the like you can log into your Google Drive they can be purchased end of an arm so the angle account from any computer, tablet, or separately . and direction it’s facing can be smartphone, you can access cloud- changed . based CMS from anywhere .
◊ Ceiling: Rather than hanging Third, it ensures scalability . from the wall, some screens You may have to purchase additional dangle from above thanks to server space and software licenses, ceiling mounts . I’ve encountered but you won’t have to worry about them at airports—at the gates, physically buying and installing there are often ceiling-mounted additional servers to accommodate TVs playing the news. increased resource needs when growing your system .
There are certain situations when hosting your content and managing your devices using on-site server ◊ Specialty mounts: This isn’t banks might make sense . a discrete category . Specialty mounts are can take the shape For example, Healthcare . Although one of other types of mounts, but can argue that a public cloud may they’re built with highly specific be more secure than that of an On- purposes and environments in Prem solution, select industries such mind. They may use specialized as Healthcare have additional steps materials, like antimicrobial required of CMS providers working in plastic for a kiosk in a hospital . the cloud to ensure data security . Or, an articulating counter mount ◊ Floor Stands: in a retail location . Mounting »» Pedestal: Pedestal mounts The mounting positions the screen at The Infrastructure rise from the floor. In a large a location and angle where it can do You may be adding your digital space with walls that are far its job best . signage to an existing wifi or you may away, and especially with be running new Cat6 cabling . The use interactive screens, these can ◊ Wall: case, connectivity quality, content be practical . type, etc . . are all determining factors »» Flush: The simplest type of » for mapping your infrastructure mount . These position your » Kiosk: A kiosk encloses your need for digital signage . If you aren’t screen on the wall so its back sign in a casing, for aesthetic streaming all your content over is parallel to the wall . You purposes or to protect it from wifi, you’ll need a robust cabling might find these in hallways or the elements . They often cost [143] behind a welcome desk . more than basic mounts and infrastructure . may be built out of premium Work closely with your vendors to »» Tilt: This type mounts your materials to provide visual design a cabling system that you screen at an angle . It might be appeal and greater protection won’t regret later when you want to useful if your screen is located for the hardware inside . They’re add additional screens . above eye level, such as with a often designed for specific 109 Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
For example, in K12 education in the same other features as commercial Be sure to take into consideration the US, most schools have the bandwidth indoor screens . ADA height recommendations when of an average house, but have up placing interactive kiosks within your have special casing to 200 students online . In a scenario Outdoor screens environment . and specifications on how much light such as this, the system integrator is omitted so you can still read it in would want to select a CMS that could Angle direct sunlight . Depending on type of screen and download or code bundle content location, you may need to angle the during offline hours and then store it They can continue working in extreme screen . LCD screens become less on the player device for use later to heat, cold, wind, etc… though outdoor legible when viewed at an angle, so if avoid fighting for bandwidth during screens still have limits to their you have one mounted high on a wall busy school hours . operational temperature ranges, so you might want to tilt it downwards . The Placement make sure to check how much heat and cold it’ll have to endure at your Angle can also be addressed by location . selecting the appropriate screen . If you are in a call center and the They may have waterproof coatings viewing angle is not height related on their components and extra-tough but side-view, viewability can be glass to stand up to vandals and addressed by installing a brighter sign environmental forces . with higher contrast levels .
Height and Distance? Light Exposure This is another obvious one, but you Consider the ambient light at still need to think about it, of course: the location the device(s) will be Where will you be putting your installed . As discussed, different types displays? of displays have different maximum You want to position your screen outputs . You should also consider somewhere it will be seen by the possible sources of glare, like nearby Indoor, Outdoor, or Semi-Outdoor? maximum number of people to whom windows or spot lighting . Don’t forget: it would be relevant, at a place where it will be relevant . This, of course, ties Indoor, semi-outdoor, and outdoor back to your purpose in installing the screens are very different from one What Questions displays . another, each with special technology Should You Ask? specific to its intended environment. For example, if you had wayfinding kiosks, you wouldn’t bury them deep in How Big is the Rollout and What Commercial indoor screens the heart of your mall—you’d position is the Footprint? might have dust-repellent casing, one at each entrance, and perhaps a I know, it’s a pretty basic question, but scratch-proof screens, heavy duty couple at intersections of wings of the your partners will want to know, and components, ability to be on 24/7, a mall and the food court . so should you . cooling system, and more . Watch the paths people take through Are you looking at three signs in a A semi-outdoor screen is indoors, your building and where their eyes are single location, or 900 signs at 100 but still exposed to direct/indirect already glancing to determine high- locations scattered across the United sunlight . The LED semi-outdoor exposure locations . Avoid odd corners States? screens usually produce less light and dead ends where people rarely because there’s natural light in the look or wander . room . They’ll usually have many of the
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As you’d expect, rollout for a large needs, but also information gathered limit the amount of bandwidth each number of signs and locations will from your potential partners and customer can use . be more involved than a smaller others in your industry about the Learn your required bandwidth in deployment . Pulling together a timeline of similar projects . advance, and get in contact with your heat map by zip code will help to Make sure to factor in time needed ISP to see if your current plan can determine logistical planning and to choose components, make a plan handle it . rollout partner selection . for maintaining content, and create Larger files require more bandwidth to Consider one small step: the actual, the first batch of content. Get regular stream . physical installation of the signs . Just reports from the team or teams the signs . You may be relying on local involved in deploying the signage to Standard resolution video takes contractors to do that . If each of your make sure the project is on track . about 40 MB/minute, whereas high hundred locations are in different cities, resolution footage (1080i) requires You know the adage about how, out it would be recommended to work with a whopping 140 MB/minute . Your of good, fast, and cheap, you can pick an installation partner that has either content type the media player two? staff or contract headcount that can selected is key to support the highest service a project with sites in numerous That’s also true when installing digital quality content for your audience . For cities . Keep in mind that rollouts that signage . example: a media player with 16 gigs cross borders into other countries may will be able to hold the equivalent to While rushing through planning and require procurement within the given about 4 full length movies . countries to ensure that the hardware installation is possible, it’s costly . Not warranty is covered within the region . It just in money needed to pay those will also cut down in shipping expense designing and installing your system, You may wish to and exporting paperwork . The larger but in mistakes and oversights that the rollout, the more structured your will need to be corrected later . invest in a private planning must be . leased line connection Do I Have the Necessary Rather than leaving it up to the Resources? which will allow you to IT department in each location Electric monitor data flow and (which will lead to slight differences You need to be able to power your allocate bandwidth between locations and overwhelmed signs and players . departments), you’ll want project as necessary to high- supervisors at the regional and Will your locations require significant demand links. This may national level, some kind of rewiring in order to accomplish also increase your data centralized planning team, and that? Are you likely to overload your
[144] circuit breakers? What kind of surge possibly more . transfer rate, meaning protection is in place? smoother streaming. Plus, there needs to be a clear line Internet of communication between the According to a recent study of individual locations and the planning major banks using digital signage team . Floor plans and internet Good news! If you’re using local (typically in retail banking), 16 percent availability might vary between playback, bandwidth will be less of had difficulties providing sufficient locations, for example . an issue . bandwidth for their systems . What’s the Timeframe? If you’re using the Internet or local VPN Develop a timeline for deploying your to stream your content, you may run digital signage, based on your own into issues with your ISP, who often 111 Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
Local playback means that instead of Providing sufficient training for those back, hidden in the ceiling, or the media player receiving a constant involved in the project and investing in cabled to a media room 25 ft . or stream of content, the content is user-friendly CMS will cut down on the more away) received only once and then cached difficulties in this area. Aside from that, you should also on the media player for playback . You may wish to allocate part of your record the rollout schedule, an Most enterprise-level CMS will be able budget for paying an experienced itemized budget, your plan for to schedule these content downloads person to manage your digital maintaining the signs, and your for off-hours when the demand for signage . strategy for producing their content . bandwidth is low . Depending on the size of your network Do I Want To Do a Trial Run? Manpower this may be a Content Champion/ The answer is probably “it depends .” Manager, a graphic designer, and an Unless you’re a true IT support member for each location For large, multi-location deployments, if running an on-premise network . it’s wise to do a trial run in a select one-person show, you Staffing models will vary by size of number of locations . You should won’t be the only one network, content requirements, and also pre-define what the definition responsible for your number of screens . of a successful pilot is . Once the trial period is over, how is success going digital signage. If it saves untrained and overworked to be measured? The number of employees from spending frustrating smiles? Sales? No downtime? You and fruitless hours troubleshooting decide, but know the answer prior to Get your team excited about the simple problems, it may be worth it . the test or it’s not worth doing the test . new opportunities digital signage What are the Details? provides . You’ll want total buy-in Any flaws in your planning should and participation at every level to As you work out your plan, make sure show themselves quickly when the ensure success . to assemble all of the information in project goes from paper to real life . one place . And I really mean at every level . Plus, it’s a great opportunity to get You should have a master list that feedback: If the person at the customer service includes: desk in one location decides that your ◊ From your employees, about how advertising is too obnoxious to put ◊ The exact location each of your easy the signage is to maintain up with for a whole shift, they might signs will go and control, or whether the covertly mute or turn off the screen . content is obnoxious ◊ The angle and direction it’ll be That’s potentially ad revenue lost, or mounted to face ◊ From your partners and vendors, customer confusion generated . about how to make the process ◊ The model of the mount itself Additionally, recognize that while of deploying go more smoothly at other locations installing a digital signage network ◊ The model of each screen (and can bring benefits, requires support its size and any other relevant ◊ From the customers, about in the strategy, design, deployment, details) what they like and don’t . Are the maintenance and so on . speakers too quiet? Is the screen ◊ The type of content each screen If you don’t have enough manpower will play hard to read? Is the touchscreen resources to allocate you’ll end up interface tricky to navigate? Is ◊ The you’ll with stressed employees and subpar type of media players the advertising too intrusive? be using and how they’ll connect content . to the screens (velcroed to the 112 Chapter 9: Installing and Rolling Out Digital Signage
And the above bullets might be your measurement of success! Make sure Sources to apply the definition of success you 142 . 3 Keys to a Successful Digital designed as part of your purpose Signage and Kiosk Rollout, statement . You may have to adjust Digital Signage Today your goals . 143 . How to Deploy Digital Signage Try to pick locations where the Nationally by Bill Roberts, audience is representative of your Datatrends Technology average customer . 144 . Behind the Scenes of Burger King’s Nationwide Digital Menu Board Rollout by Christopher To Wrap Up Hall, Digital Signage Today Are you reeling a little from the many things to consider?
I’d encourage you to think about your purpose in installing a digital signage system . As we’ve seen, it’ll inform your strategy and decisions in most of the other areas .
With a solid purpose in mind, and good information about your options (found here in this guide, gathered from your provider, or read elsewhere on one of the many Internet resources), the rest should fall into line .
Enjoy your effective signage!
113 CHEAT SHEET FOR YOUR Digital Signage Rollout
Make sure you track the following…
1 The exact location each of your signs will go 2 The angle and direction it’ll be mounted to face 3 The model of the mount itself 4 The model of each screen (and its size and any other relevant details) 5 The type of content each screen will play 6 The audience for each screen
The type of media players you’ll be using and how they’ll connect 7 to the screens
Aside from that, you should also record the rollout schedule, an itemized budget, your plan for maintaining the signs, and your strategy for producing content . 10 Digital Signage Topics You Need to Know Before Buying Digital Signage Guide 10 Digital Sales [email protected]
Signage Phone Toll Free: 855.383.4518
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Trends Address 420 N 5th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.skykit.com Chapter 10: Digital Signage Trends
featured them in displays .
But that doesn’t mean those technologies are true digital signage Keep Up with trends! It just means they’re trendy to show off at trade shows .
Think virtual concierges, for Digital Signage example[146] . They’ve popped up multiple times in digital signage trade shows . But have you ever seen one Trends out in the real world? Much of the futuristic tech exhibited at trade shows is just that: futuristic . Speculative . While it’s cool to see what technology is capable of, it’s unproven .
If you’re old enough to remember But not every exciting new gimmick the first lunar landing, you’re old is widely adopted in the market . And It typically takes enough to have witnessed the entire in a rapidly evolving industry like a number of years development of the digital signage digital signage, it’s vital to stay on industry—and what an incredible rise top of emerging trends to keep your between a it’s been . approach fresh . technology’s debut
Back in the seventies, long before In this chapter, we’ll teach you how in the trade show the arrival of the modern Internet, to tell a trend from a gimmick, and and true market enterprising shop owners played give you an insider’s perspective of penetration. This VCR tapes on televisions to attract what today’s trends really are (so customers . Of course, all content had you can hop on while they’re still has been true from to be prerecorded, not to mention fresh!). Get your PDF here. the earliest days rewound once you reached the end of the tape . of the digital signage industry. Today, however, is another era . With How Do You Spot the industry’s rapid growth and the continued accumulation of promising a Trend? Plasma screens came into use in data about the usefulness of digital The digital signage industry has digital signage because they were signage[145], you might even call it a always been ahead of its time . easier to ship, store, and set up in golden era . Here’s what I mean by that . trade shows than the previously used Recent years have seen the arrival of CRTs[10] . It took a while longer before If you read coverage of major digital crazy technologies like glasses-free retail and other industries adopted signage trade shows, like Digital 3D signs, interactive digital personal plasma screens . Signage Expo, you may see any assistants, and absurdly high- number of technologies labelled as resolution 8K LED displays[146] . trends, because multiple companies
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Sure, holograms might be the next big interactive, I’m not just talking about Interactivity is a major element of thing . If you have the money to spend interactivity via a touch screen, wayfinding stations as well. and want to bet on a technology in but turning viewing into a personal Interactive kiosks are big, too . Let hopes of keeping up with the bleeding experience . customers browse digital catalogs, edge of digital signage tech, more Retailers, especially, have a strong learn more details, and view different power to you . interest in increasing impressions color and size options on items. But most corporations and individuals made, and this year will doubtless see A “compare items” option, which don’t have the funds to risk . Most want increased efforts to include interactive displays specs side-by-side, can be to be on-trend, without taking on an elements in digital signs . especially useful . unpredictable level of financial risk. One major area: the use of beacons, Putting this information at customers’ To find real trends, you have to particularly Bluetooth Low Energy- fingertips empowers them to make a watch the market. enabled ones . Beacons detect the more informed decision . It also frees proximity of people with the right app up your staff to provide hospitality Be aware of what technologies installed on their smartphone and and complete other tasks, rather than are actually being adopted in your broadcast their identity to the app . just reciting information . vertical . The app then queries a server which Plus, it gives you more opportunities Watch digital signage news and sends personalized information back to upsell: the kiosk can suggest other industry blog sites, such as Digital for the user . This could be something related items and optional features, Signage Today and Sixteen:Nine . like a coupon . or be used for advertising when
Set up a Google alert using key terms not actively being browsed by a If you want a more in-depth like “vertical name” + “digital signage” customer . explanation, check out this article on to spot the latest big rollouts . beacon technology . 2. Facial Detection and During your preliminary research Characterization Software period when planning digital signage, Facial recognition sounds a little “Big ask digital signage providers what’s Brother is watching,” doesn’t it? really selling . But we’re not talking about software Don’t just gravitate toward whatever that can recognize individuals. That looks flashy. would be a little creepy, and would probably make your customers concerned for their privacy .
The 12 Hottest Rather, facial recognition is part of the larger trend for leveraging data to Trends in Digital But what if you add a digital display tailor ads to specific audiences and Signage to the mix? A customer could walk maximizing their effectiveness. into your store and be greeted by 1. Interactivity Facial detection software recognizes name on a screen, or offered targeted and focuses on the faces of people Digital signs are inherently more advertising based on their shopping who pass and pause in front of the attention-grabbing than a traditional history with you . static sign . Thanks to recent sign . technologies, digital signs can be Interactive projectors are another big even more engaging to customers possibility here . Customers can play and viewers—in fact, they can be simple games, and so much more .
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Then, facial characterization embedded in objects[149] . software makes a guess at the age, Ever taken your pet to be gender, and racial demographic microchipped? That tiny transponder of the user and takes note of the inside your pooch is an RFID tag . content they viewed, how closely they approached the sign, and how long But RFID readers in digital signage [147] they spent watching . aren’t there to read Fido’s address . Instead, they’re being considered You can then take that data and learn for a whole variety of applications . how well your signage is doing in For example: You can now RFID reaching your customers, and tweak chip products such as perfumes, When a guest checks in, information your content accordingly . layer demographic information about the guest (such as if they’re For example, if it became clear that collected via facial recognition as at the hotel to attend a particular your Millennial-aged customers discussed above and then have conference) is stored in the system . preferred video content to static visuals and messaging appear on If a guest approaches a sign, the RFID pictures, and this is the demographic the display targeting the appropriate reader in the sign detects the key you were hoping to target, perhaps it demographics . card, retrieves guest characteristics would be time to invest more time in Retail from the server, and displays producing videos . RFID tags can be used on items like relevant information . For example, high-end clothing . it could direct the guest to the next conference event, or pull up a Bringing an item near a kiosk, or into customized itinerary. a virtual changing room (see #7 below) can trigger signage to pull 4. Social media up information about the item, to In 2016, it would barely be an showcase upsell or cross selling of exaggeration to say that everyone’s accessories, jewelry, or shoes, and on social media . maybe even let you virtually try it on! With 74 percent of all adults on the RFID tags can also be used to track Internet and 81 percent of all small stock and prevent shrinkage . A and medium businesses[151] in America great use case for tracking stock using at least one social network, in for shoes . Many times the box odds are that both your customers Again, the data of individuals isn’t is misplaced or put back with the and competitors are making use of saved, only collected in aggregate . wrong shoe run . Chipped boxes let the medium . Your customers’ privacy is preserved . associates know exactly where the item is in the back room . Social media is a great way to drive There’s even facial recognition customer interaction and loyalty, and software to help signs recognize If all items in a store are equipped it will be even bigger than ever this the gender and age of viewers and with RFID tags, you know where each year[152] . It’s time to bring it to your display appealing content for their item is, exactly how many of an item digital signage networks . demographic[148] . have been sold and how many are left . It’s possible to introduce social media 3. RFID Tags interaction in a big, flashy way. Hospitality RFID tags use electromagnetic The Hyatt Regency Chicago embedded fields to track and identify tiny tags RFID chips in guests’ card keys[150] . 118 Chapter 10: Digital Signage Trends
In 2015, Coca Cola launched its It’ll help your viewers connect with Mobile integration is also important in “What’s In a Name” campaign[153] . If your brand on a more personal level, wayfinding . you tweeted your first name at Coke but don’t worry, filters and pre- A wayfinding kiosk is already a with the hashtag #CokeMyName, approvals will keep the negative or great way to help people find their Coke’s giant Times Square digital tacky messaging off your signs . way through a rambling mall or billboard would display a fun fact 5. Mobile integration labyrinthine office complex. about your name within two minutes . Mobile integration is closely tied to But many people find it difficult to In a different phase, tweeting your both interactivity and social media . memorize multi-step directions. name to the soft drink would trigger Especially if they’re already in a rush . the billboard to display a one- As of 2015, a full 68 percent of US adults [155] sentence story about you . owned a smartphone or tablet . Nowadays, some wayfinding kiosks People are ever-more accustomed to allow people to send step-by-step A webcam set up across the road interacting with the world through the directions straight to their phone . I’ve would snap a picture of the billboard, filter of their small screen. personally spotted this option on offer and Coke then tweeted it back to at Chicago O’Hare airport . the original person . (That way, even The near future should see retailers, people not physically present at in particular, looking for new ways to Even banks are getting in on the Times Square could participate .) take advantage of that with digital mobile integration action . And I do signage . mean action . The campaign was a media hit, and people from all over the world For example, a digital sign might In 2015, the National Bank of Canada participated . display a QR code for a customer celebrated the Rogers Cup tennis to scan in order to receive a special tournament by letting customers play However, you don’t have to get that offer . Be aware, however, that QR [158] tennis using their smartphones . elaborate with your integration. codes are losing popularity, and Here’s how it worked . [156] Thank goodness, because Times scanners tend to be men . A customer scanned a QR code, Square billboards can cost $1 .1 million Consider including the option to then entered the three-digit code to $4 million a year to lease[154] . simply text the offer to the customer’s on the digital signage screen . This Many CMS include simple widgets mobile phone, rather than scanning . synched their phone to the screen . for social media . Simply dropping it The software powering the experience This year, screens which can read into place and logging in with your used the phone’s motion detection Apple Pay-enabled phones[157] for social media account will allow you capabilities . ultra-convenient payment will debut to display your Twitter, Facebook, on the U .S . market . All a buyer would By swinging their phone, a customer Instagram or other feed on your need to do is hold their phone against could try to nail the perfect tennis digital signage . the screen for a few moments . serve . Want to make it interactive? Completing the game allowed Create a hashtag for your viewers to customers to enter a giveaway for use, and promote it on your signage . Rogers Cup tickets . When customers share using that 6. Ultra-HD displays hashtag, retweet or share selected posts into your own feed . Then they’ll 8K displays like the one displayed at be able to see their own words on this year’s Digital Signage Expo are your signage . going to be out of most people’s price range for a long time .
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But there’s another uber-crisp option You should be seeing them pop up tech strategies . that, this year and in coming years, in the hospitality and retail sector, Retailers such as Macy’s have had should be a more realistic option than especially in industries where great success in marrying digital ever before . presenting a sleek and high-class mirrors and social media with image is essential . 4K displays have four times as many campaigns like Magic Fitting Room[162] . pixels per square inch than full-HD, 7. Digital Mirrors 1080p screens . They also offer high These touchscreen mirrors allowed dynamic range and excellent color shoppers to choose clothing, which fidelity. Digital mirrors work would then be superimposed over the by using rear or shopper’s image . When first introduced, these screens Customers could even alter the color were absurdly overpriced[159] and edge projection to or size of each item with a couple seen as a mere gimmick . How much superimpose images swipes . difference could a few more pixels onto a mirror. really make? The shopper could then share the outfit to social media to get their Over the course of 2015, an increase friends’ input . in options available (thanks to OEMs The concept of a digital mirror has been around since the mid-2000’s or picking up on 4K as a high-potential RFID tags (see #3) can be attached so . They’ve served as a fun publicity- market) led to an abrupt drop in to clothing so that the items are grabbing advertising campaign prices, and a rise in the availability automatically pulled up on screen— centerpiece for everyone from Pepsi of high-quality features made 4K no need to make manual selections . displays an attractive and affordable to sporting venues . option[160] . Motion sensors suggest another While they still make up a small sector potential use . In fact, with a bit of luck, you could of the digital signage market, they snag a giant 60-inch display for as have the potential to really break Digital mirrors can be used to display low as $800 . through in upcoming years (and not messaging (say in a restroom or at a in the seven-years-bad-luck way!) . cosmetics counter) . Too pricey? One reason: the actual software and Then, when someone moves close Consider tiling a number of smaller hardware powering digital mirrors has enough, the motion sensors can screens in order to achieve a similar improved . Early displays were limited trigger and clear the advertising so effect for much less dough . by dim images and restricted viewing the mirror can be used . angles, not to mention lag when trying Your content management software to make adjustments to an image in 8. ePaper can help you synchronize the content realtime . ePaper is a relative newcomer to in a pleasing way . the digital signage market, but it Recent offerings from the likes of A recent study suggests that the shows significant promise in retail Samsung have addressed these Ultra-HD panel market (which applications . problems . Powerful software and includes all screens) will grow $44 .4 processors allow digital mirrors to You’ve probably seen ePaper in use in billion by 2024 . The digital signage manipulate 3D models (like clothes) e-readers before . The screens have a market segment will help propel that in real time . matte finish and aren’t illuminated. growth, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 .7 Another reason: There are more ways For the scientifically curious, here’s [161] percent . to integrate digital mirrors with other how they work[163]:
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Most are classified as electrophoretic This year should see an increase in comparable size, and they offer displays . Inside the screen, tiny prevalence in LED screens indoors . a greater variety of configuration microcapsules are filled with dark- options for oddly shaped spaces or Industry insiders are predicting colored oil and electrically charged for displaying content with unusual that this year will bring a flood of white particles . aspect ratios . affordable indoor LED options to the Electric fields either send the particles market, thanks to recent acquisitions to the front of the capsule (turning the by giants such as Samsung, and microcapsule white to the viewer) or traditional display manufacturers the back (turning it black) . expanding their product lines .
These displays are generally limited This will mean not only better prices, to black-and-white or grayscale, but a greater variety of sizes and and are usually small—think shapes . Get excited, because LED e-reader or price tag sized, screens have a wide variety of however a number of companies are advantages . developing and testing color readers . LED screens can be almost any shape Larger sizes are very expensive. and size, even wrapping around Today’s tech makes it easier to deploy pillars . They can also be incredibly an awesome video wall than ever . They have a relatively low refresh rate, thin . Some models are only a few so they wouldn’t be good for showing When video walls first debuted in millimeters deep . There are also video . the eighties, the great challenge was bezel-less options. synchronizing the content on the However, they can maintain a fixed They’re energy-efficient and long- screens . Those wishing to use them image on their screen without lasting: perfect for creating eye- had two options: One, use computer consuming any energy—some can catching displays without bloating processors to split and synch the last up to three years on a single your energy bill . signal—which, in those early days battery pack . They are high-contrast, of computing, were prohibitively impervious to ambient light; and LED screens are sharp and crisp . expensive . unobtrusive . Not only that, but they offer incredibly Or, two, contract a video production Because they can be updated rich colors, and, thanks to the ability company to divide up the content instantly, they could be an ideal to dim individual LEDs to lower light in advance, load the content onto substitute for something like price output levels, greater contrast levels LaserDiscs, and then play the discs on tags or conference room schedules . than traditional LCD screens[165] . separate players attached to each TV.
Plus, they have a clean, minimalist look . 10. Indoor Video Walls Today, splitting a signal among multiple screens is simple . ePaper could give the opportunity Indoor video walls aren’t exactly new to swim against the “flashier! More tech . They’ve been on the scene since The screens don’t even have to make colorful!” current and distinguish the eighties . Here’s the thing, though: up one single picture: you can have yourself, while still gaining the they’ve stayed hot . They still stand out zoned content. advantages of digital signage over and make an impression . traditional . (Don’t get too wild, though—if you Well, how could they fail to? It’s a have too much going on at once, your 9. Indoor LED whole wall of synchronized displays. viewers will be overwhelmed .)
We’re not talking about outdoor LED A tiled video wall will typically billboards here . cost less than a single screen of 121 Chapter 10: Digital Signage Trends
The other big challenge to video walls But consider this . runway shows at retail outlets . Then is dealing with bezels—the strips of the banking industry picked them VR is breaking into the mainstream plastic or metal that frame the screen . up… and casinos… And now they’re with Google Cardboard, Samsung While they’re pretty unobtrusive if a absolutely everywhere . Gear, and the much-hyped Oculus sign is by itself, bezels get obvious Rift . Glasses-free 3D entertainment is With the market growing steadily, it when they’re cutting right through available in the form of the Nintendo shouldn’t come as a surprise that your content . 3Ds and, very soon, 3D televisions[167] . this indicates more digital signage, There are a number of bezel-less, or everywhere, for everyone . very nearly bezel-less, options out It’s even made its way into the digital You’ll be seeing more digital signs there, in a variety of sizes. signage sector . in restaurants, in retail locations, in 11. 3D Norway’s fifth-largest company offices, in schools (2,000 universities installed an entire autostereoscopic If you’re like me, you might think of 3D installed digital signage networks in (that is, 3D without the use of special as too absurdly futuristic to actually 2011, and that number has continued glasses) video wall in its operational stick . to grow)… center last year[168] . The wall is over And you’ll be seeing them used Some types of 3D displays, like 10 feet wide and eight feet tall, and is for an increasingly wide variety of holograms, simply aren’t practical to essentially the first of its kind. communication and interaction implement, due to high costs, limits in While wide adoption of 3D tech in purposes . image quality, and sensitivity to light digital signage might be a way off, it’s levels and viewing angle . not too soon to start thinking about New Applications For example, in 2015 McDonald’s That isn’t to say that digital signage how you can use it. Virtual tours? introduced a new custom burger companies aren’t dabbling . In the Product demos[169]? The possibilities option at select west coast stores Netherlands last year, a graphics are pretty cool . before bringing them to locations design agency turned its focus to Sure, right now, it’s more of a across the nation[170] . 3D holographic display cases[166] . gimmick… but it’s a gimmick with a They’ll be promoting them for use in lot of potential . Early adopters should What makes it unique? Digital everything from advertising in malls to keep their eye on 3D tech . signage . Customers choose buns, use as showpieces at trade shows . meat, and toppings using a touch- Whether it becomes mainstream or if screen kiosk and pick their creation up Widespread adoption, however, is it remains in the “cool toys” category, at the counter . unlikely . time will tell . Just the other day, I nearly had a 12. Digital signs everywhere! heart attack when a digital endcap Is it a cop-out to call digital signage chocolate display at a store itself a digital signage trend? whispered “Indulge yourself” in a sultry voice just as I walked past . Well, maybe a little bit . A college I visited recently had an LED But I’d argue that filling new niches stock ticker on the wall in the business and finding a place in new verticals department . has been a “trend” in digital signage ever since it first came into use.
Think about it . At its inception, digital signage was relegated to replaying
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Integration No matter who you are and what kind Integration is everything today . Not of business or other operation you Sources only will you see digital signage in have, there’s some way for you to 145 . 18 Surprising Statistics About new applications, you’ll see it in new make digital signage work for you . Be Digital Signage by Irfan Khan, combinations . on the lookout for new ways to make Sixteen:Nine use of it and the unique advantages Digital signage can now be part of a it offers . 146 . Check out the 9 coolest things complex, multi-part system involving we saw at the Digital Signage multiple pieces of hardware and You may end up setting a trend of Expo by Christopher Hall, software working together to deliver a your own . Digital Signage Today result . 147 . How Visual Interactions Can Personalize Digital Signage and To Sum Up… Humanize Big Data by Chris Glider, Digital Signage Today It can be hard to predict the future, especially in an industry like digital 148 . Facial Recognition: Ads Target signage, which is characterized by Consumers for You by Heather rapid growth and quickly evolving Fletcher, Target Marketing technologies . 149 . Radio-Frequency Identification, However, we can guess with some Wikipedia certainty that the biggest trends of today are focused on integration of 150 . Four Tips for Digital Platforms At a drive-through, software can digital signage . by Jeff Collard, Digital Signage measure how many customers per Today hour are served, and the number can Rather than an afterthought or a 151 . Social Networking Fact Sheet, be displayed by digital signage on the separate effort, it’s going to become Pew Research Center wall, beside a target number . more deeply linked to all aspects of connecting with and serving 152 . 10 Key Marketing Trends for At schools, digital signage can be customers . 2016 (And How Digital Signage linked with third-party emergency Can Help You Maximize Them) notification services and be used as It’ll be used for more diverse purposes by Casey Dubbs, Digital an alert system during emergencies . and linked up to social media . Signage Today In retail, software like Hadoop by Intel This increased immersiveness will be 153 . Send a Tweet to Coke’s Digital can be used to “watch” your inventory, aided by emerging and increasingly Billboard, and It’ll Tell You Fun tracking the rates at which items sell . widely available tech like high- resolution LCD and LED screens . Facts About Your Name by Then, it can use algorithms to figure Lauren Johnson, Adweek out which items to promote and It’s an exciting time in the digital 154 . Here’s How Much It Actually adjusts prices accordingly . Items that signage industry . A good time for you Costs To Buy One Of Those are in high demand may increase to start planning! Times Square Billboards by in price slightly, and items that are Jim Edwards, Business Insider overstocked may go on sale .
Really, the options are limited only by your imagination (and budget) .
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155 . 68 Percent Of US Adults Own 167 . Will Glasses-Free 3D Finally Put A Smartphone Or Tablet: Pew 3D TVs in Every Home?, How- Research Center Survey by To Geek Menchie Mendoza, Tech Times 168 . Norway’s fifth-largest 156 . 6 Tips for Digital Signage company deploys autostereo Calls to Action by Irfan Khan, 3D video wall, Digital Signage Sixteen:Nine Today
157 . ‘Pay-at-the-Screen’ Digital 169 . 5 Possibilities for Marketing in Signage Headed to CES, NRF 3D by M .J . Anderson, Target Shows In 2016, Digital Signage Marketing Today 170 . Local McDonald’s Tests ‘Create 158 . Digital Signage Serving Up Your Taste’ Custom Burger Mobile Interactivity for National Experience, McDonald’s New Bank of Canada, Digital York Tri-State Signage Today
159 . Why 4K TVs Are Stupid by Geoffrey Morrison, CNET
160 . Why 4K TVs Aren’t Stupid (Anymore) by Geoffrey Morrison, CNET
161 . Report: 4K Panel Market Size Forecast to Surpass $44 .4B by 2024, Digital Signage Today
162 . Macy’s Mirror Lets Your Reflection Try On Clothes by Christopher MacManus, CNET
163 . Electronic Paper, Wikipedia
164 . State of the Digital Signage Industry: What’s Trending by Ken Goldberg, AVNetwork
165 . LED Vs. LCD TVs by Drew Prindle, Digital Trends
166 . Rain Dance Netherlands Goes 3D With RealFiction Holographic Display Cases, Digital Signage Today
124 6 BRANDS THAT IMPLEMENTED the Hottest Trends in Digital Signage
1. Interactivity One of the firstmeasurable success stories in beacon technology comes from Hillshire Brands when they saw a 20% increase in purchase intent . In April and June of 2014, it used the beacons in grocery stores in major US cities to advertise its American Craft sausage . They targeted shoppers who had downloaded one of several apps which worked with the technology, including Epicurious and Key Ring .
2. Facial Detection and Characterization Software Tesco rolled out facial detection to better analyze their demographics. For 450 locations in the UK for this gas station chain, this is a big deal . Initial concerns were over privacy, but the system doesn’t collect any facial patterns, rather the age, gender, and ethnicity so they can tailor ads through their ad network .
3. RFID Tags The Hyatt Regency Chicago embedded RFID chips in guests’ card keys .
When a guest checks in, information about the guest (such as if they’re at the hotel to attend a particular conference) is stored in the system .
If a guest approaches a sign, the RFID reader in the sign detects the key card, retrieves guest characteristics from the server, and displays relevant information . For example, it could direct the guest to the next conference event, or pull up a customized itinerary. 4. Social Media In 2015, Coca Cola launched its “What’s In a Name” campaign. If you tweeted your first name at Coke with the hashtag #CokeMyName, Coke’s giant Times Square digital billboard would display a fun fact about your name within two minutes .
In a different phase, tweeting your name to the soft drink would trigger the billboard to display a one-sentence story about you .
A webcam set up across the road would snap a picture of the billboard, and Coke then tweeted it back to the original person . (That way, even people not physically present at Times Square could participate .)
The campaign was a media hit, and people from all over the world participated .
5. Mobile Integration In 2015, the National Bank of Canada celebrated the Rogers Cup tennis tournament by letting customers play tennis using their smartphones [158] . Here’s how it worked .
A customer scanned a QR code, then entered the three-digit code on the digital signage screen . This synched their phone to the screen . The software powering the experience used the phone’s motion detection capabilities .
By swinging their phone, a customer could try to nail the perfect tennis serve .
Completing the game allowed customers to enter a giveaway for Rogers Cup tickets .
6. Digital Mirrors At Nordstrom in Chicago, a touchscreen dubbed the ‘Digital Denim Doctor’ allows buyers to enter their body shape, type of preferred fabric, and other key points to create an algorithm that displays a 360-degree view of how the jeans will look on the user’s body .
The best part?
Users love it .
Because they love it, they’ll tell their friends about the super-cool digital mirror that put pants on them without hands ever touching them . Their friends will come in droves to check it out . Thanks for reading the Skykit Digital Signage Guide.
We’d love to hear what you thought of the guide! Drop us a line at skykit .com/contact or sales@skykit .com with any comments, questions, or to setup a demo of the Skykit Digital Signage Platform .
Go to skykit com. for more resources to jumpstart your digital signage strategy .