Doing a good “elevator pitch” does not mean you need to be a fast talking, smoothed up, snake oil salesman. On the contrary, it can mean something much more simple than that. Every year there are those within and outside this industry who see an opportunity and want to get in. They want to jump on board, share in some of the profits of a growth market. Frankly, there are many software companies and creative-types putting content up on screens that invites a gag-reflex from the pit of my stomach. However, those who know what software feature-sets are worth fighting for know what long-term sustainability means in any industry. Hence, first you must have a good product or service and then the ability to pitch it to upper management and/or the clients you may be serving.

First, we must believe that those you are pitching to fall into one of two very broad categories. First, you may be pitching to the client who is a natural-born skeptic. The other level I see is the client or employer who may just need the push over the edge.

Any pitch made on this green earth, of necessity, needs a pitcher who knows the product like the back of his/her hand. This can be a difficult concept, especially when you may be pushing a product like digital signage. I often forget after speaking with people about this stuff day in and day out, how little people know–still. Things are better than they were three years ago, but I still find education to be a big part of the pitching process in this industry.

One of the first things I would suggest before trying to sell the technology is giving numbers to back it up. There is nothing worse than an assumption. I have worked for some mergers and acquisitions groups as an intern and nothing speaks louder than a prospectus in an excel-based sales projection–nothing.

Here is something to think about. “Strategies are easy and tactics are hard.” Many times we may come across someone who says something like, “oh, yeah I get it. You need to create some good content, get some sign software and start publishing it to the displays.” Building content and creating a schedule is what I would simply call a tactic, not an overall strategy. Strategies are easy. They often involve the big picture. It’s the individual tactics that can be very difficult at times.

The question you need to ask yourself is this: What do specific tactics involve? Saying you need content for your digital displays is one thing, how you go about doing it is entirely different. Often we think of digital signage experts as being those who know the right things to say and the right direction to point you in. A true consultant can take you through strategy and tactics with flying colors. Doing it right often means you have to have better and higher quality tactics than the next man. I would like it to a gymnast who is getting judged on how he/she performs on all the tactics of his/her routine. It’s very easy to say, “now I want you to perform perfectly.” It is quite another thing entirely to perform every trick, flip and frolick to micro-perfection. A true specialist and consultant will give you the wings to fly and NAIL both strategy and tactics.

You can lose a lot of money in this business if you are not careful. AFTER you are finished paying for technology, content sometimes reigns in as an afterthought. This is highly unwise. So if you are going to pitch, make sure you are able to pitch the details and sell the sizzle, not the steak.

There were a series of large digital menu boards for the restaurant, most of them attempting to sell the latest This is not the first time I have seen or personally have known of a display to be powered from an old or new laptop, nor will it be the last. I snapped a quick photo of this particular installation which I have included here. All of the six electronic menu displays were using a laptop which acted as the sign player.

Laptops are not a bad option for a couple of reasons. If nothing else, cost is a reason. The laptop I am currently using to create this post is a Gateway XYZ_ABC model (not quite sure actually). I purchased it in 2009 for under $400 out the door. It has 3 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive. The processor was fairly large as I remember as well, but I don’t have the patience to look up what its processing power is at the moment. It is sufficient to note that when cost is a factor, laptops can work well as a digital signage media player option. Another reason laptops can work well is that they are small. Think for a moment of the size of a laptop compared to a standard tower. If the display were removed or no longer included, that laptop can certainly become a money saving gem if the network is not too worried about it. If need be, the display and keyboard could both be removed for added security. The form factor and the price are extremely appealing.

The biggest downside I see is keeping the installation looking professional. When I look at the display I’ve included it conjures of images of a thrown together, haphazard network where someone decided to use a home grown sign software package thrown together with bailing wire. If you look closely, I believe the laptop itself has been attached using some plastic zip-ties. Unless you can cover up the lappy, it may be wise to keep it out of the picture and go with something that is a bit more secure and eye-appealing.

But laptops were not always so affordable. It didn’t truly happen until they began to be distributed en masse. Only then did we truly see a large decrease in the price of the units. We have seen the same thing with sign player hardware. Those who have been around for more than two years can remember a day when units were being sold for nearly $4,000. While that included the software and generally gave you a pretty slammin’ device, it still was not worth the cost unless you were running an advertising network with a big stream ready to come in at the outset. But the ROI on such a box is ridiculously long and not something I would personally put my money toward. Those who were charging that much are now either out of business or are owned by someone else. And if they haven’t lowered the prices on those units at least a bit, they will certainly be forced to. We have and will continue to see maturation in this realm. Until it completely takes place laptops as a sign player are not a bad bet. The hardware folks probably don’t want to admit it, but as long as the thing is covered (unlike the unfortunate example above), I don’t see a problem with them in the slightest. What do you think?

Get a Genius on Content (or Multiple Geniuses)

Not only does content need the street appeal, it also will greatly require marketing knowledge. There are those who primarily focus on making things look nice and superb with fantastic street appeal, but whose marketing genius was way off. One of my old buddies who was hired on by Helius used to work for Disney–first in their creative department and then in their marketing department. The guy had it all: creative genius with a mind for marketing and branding. He was the perfect tiger for the Helius team. When the sales engineers would give demos, the content would look so good it didn’t matter that the software lacked some key components that were set to launch in Q2, the content sold the software.

The same holds true on the consumer side of things. Consumers will care little (mostly because they don’t see what digital signage software is running the display), they will react only when marketing is combined with creativity in such a way that their interest in piqued and their attention is grabbed. Then and only then will you “have them.”

Don’t Let Connectivity Take the Back Seat

I cannot count how many times I have seen the connection for the displays take a back seat. There are certain areas where it is certainly okay to cut some corners for cost’s sake, but connectivity is not one of them. Before we discuss issues, let’s first look at some rationales as to why skimping on a active connection can be an issue. Here is some of the rationale I have heard for using an 802.11x wireless signal to connect to the sign player out on the network:

“Well, the content is cached locally on the player so why should I worry about the ‘always-on’ connection.”

The problem with this type of mentality is essentially twofold. First, signage is much more complex than some locally media-player-cached content. Standard and media RSS for news and weather are updated frequently enough via the web that not having a reliable connection can be detrimental to network health. Have you ever seen a display which is intended to have RSS, including media RSS which has lost a connection? It’s almost like a “blue screen of death” for the screen zone intended to house the RSS content. The second problem with relying on a bad connection has to do with network health monitoring. Monitoring the health of the sign network takes a back seat when players cannot be monitored using some type of connection. If the connection is always dropping out or going down because it is unreliable, or if there is a sneakernet with no connection at all, there may be no way of telling whether or not the content on the display is even running properly.

Schedule, Why Do We Need a Schedule?

It doesn’t matter if you’re running a digital menu or touch screen in a lobby, there are always great reasons to run and manage your content on a specified schedule. Scheduling content is sometimes as important as the content itself. For a restaurant, this could mean scheduling the different meals of the day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. For a corporate office building, it could simply mean targeting the most vital messages to employees when they were most readily present: first thing in the morning, during the lunch break and when it was time to go home. In advertising, it could mean targeting specific demographics to ensure a meaningful impact on demographics in certain regions, stores, and times of day.

Ignoring the need for content scheduling capabilities and, worse still, ignoring the need for that feature to be included in the software is a terrible mistake that can cost you time and money later. In most content management solutions for digital media, the scheduling tool is often the most complex feature, but it is also the most powerful. Not only do you have the “what” for content creation, you also have the “when.” Find a software solution which supports scheduling and create a schedule that will aid in promoting your message to its complete and full potential.

Give Time–Be Flexible

So many times we see companies rush headlong into digital signage projects without any idea what they wish to accomplish before they begin. Advertising networks are particularly good at this. There is a trend for them to come to us and say, “we’ve got this project and we need XXX amount of media players and we need them now.” If they would follow the cost, quality, speed guide they would most certainly not have a problem. But, speed is often replaced with quality because everyone wants things as cheap as humanly possible. My simple advice would be this: plan far enough ahead that rushed and rash decisions are not made in any step of the DOOH planning process. This will, in the end prove the most beneficial part of creating a last network with a strong and viable ROI.

Planning for digital out-of-home projects is not easy because digital sign technology can be complicated and confusing to the layman. However, proper prior planning prevents pitfalls. Never miss an opportunity to avoid a mistake.

Copious Amounts of Peoples

Whenever I attend any sporting event whether outside or indoors, I’m always amazed at the amount of people all gathered in one place. Apart from some of the huge religious gatherings that have taken place throughout time, I think the largest amount of people congregated into one place can generally be found at any major sporting event. We’re not talking just a couple thousand here. We’re speaking of 50,000+. That’s about the equivalent of my home town all packed into one building.

Human traffic (not to be confused with trafficking) is what venues and Internet website operators want. It means you have something of value. It means you can monetize in many different ways. I had a friend who worked in vending, food services, and catering for a major college football stadium that regularly packed about 60K worth of warm bodies. He was an honest and trustworthy soul who was in charge of the “cash” room somewhere underground. This room housed the $$$ that would come in from all the concessions and vendors. They would generally start the night out with about $20,000 in liquid cash to get the night going. They would always end with somewhere around $200,000. Big crowds, if you can push them, mean big money.

DOOH Advertising

What is better than a large crowd of sweaty people? Two large crowds of sweaty people and some dooh advertising to keep their minds on the products which will be pushed from the displays. Large crowds are effective for targeted advertising. At a specific venue type, like a hockey or basketball sporting event, you also can know a little bit more about demographic targeting. You can know somewhat of area and location, a bit about age and gender, and even more about interests and taste (based on the event they are attending). When the Seattle Mariners released a new large-format digital sign at their arena a couple years back, SANYO stated the following:

The signage serves a dual purpose, providing pertinent information to customers and the general public, as well as conveying sponsor messaging. Digital signage is very big in North America and Europe. Along with the proliferation of digital signs, there is also a shift to network the devices, and it is estimated that the market for digital signage will continue to grow to a market scope of approximately $2 billion in North America, and is said that it will expand to about $10 billion by 2015.

This PR from 2010 may seem a bit outdated and it is, but it serves the purpose of speaking about the effectiveness of the medium. Where are we now? Was SANYO correct in their assumption from nearly two years ago? There have certainly been other “reports” and “growth predictions” from industry persons since then.

There continue to be more and more ways in which digital signage can be shown as an effective tool for advertising. As digital signs continue to proliferate public spaces, sport arenas will become areas of interest for technologies and advertisists alike.

Outdoor

A standard “at the counter” digital menu is nothing more than digital signage whose content has been used to target persons looking to purchase a hot meal. Not too dissimilar is the QSR or fast food drive through. This efficient method is where the words “quick” and “fast” in the description of the restaurant type has very specific and real meaning. Backlit outdoor digital signage menus are quickly being replaced by their more efficient and cheaply offered digital brothers. There are some small differences between this type of install and one that takes place indoors. I will go over a few of the specifics.

First, the displays must be outdoor compliant and be suited to work well in the types of weather that might be common for the region the display is installed in. Just like a thermal sleeping bag, most digital signage enclosures cannot appropriately handle every and all installations for all types of climates. An outdoor digital menu in Wisconsin may require a completely different enclosure than an outdoor digital menu in Florida. Each location will require hardware which will perform according to the requirements of the fluctuations in annual temperatures. Second, the media player needs to be protected just as well as the display. Some (even clients who sign software for gas pump top advertising) are not even placing the digital signage player anywhere near the display. They distribute the signal to the display via other means. In the pump top scenario this is often required by law because of the combustibility potential of the player. In the outdoor drive thru digital menu scenario, it could make sense to protect the player. In some instances care must be taken not to extend the signal too far because signal degradation can take place.

Customer Management and POS

Fast food restaurants require fairly standard protocol when they work to install their point-of-sale computers. These units can also be integrated into the digital menu system, unless of course it is not necessary for the particular franchise owner. The point-of-sale management systems which are currently installed should sufficiently run autonomous from any digital media which may be installed in the restaurant, including a menu board. However, making sure the content on both the digital menu that the customer sees matches the content (menu items) on the POS system for what the employee sees is vitally important for a couple of reasons. First, you would not want someone to order something that is not included in the menu for that particular time of day, region of the country, or which has been canceled altogether. Similarly, if the pricing content on the displays above the counter do not match the pricing on the point-of-sale computers, you could generate some unhappy customers. Because various promotions for particular items may only be regionally based, the sign software should give the ability to work within the bounds of particular regions as well.

Digital signage installations for digital menus in the QSR space are advancing rapidly. There is reason to believe that digital signage will eventually take over all signage, indoor and outdoor, including that which is currently had in the restaurant industry.

The four detailed occupations expected to add the most employment are registered nurses (712,000), retail salespersons (707,000), home health aides (706,000), and personal care aides  (607,000). All have large employment in 2010 and are expected to grow faster than the average  of 14.3 percent.

It is not surprising that 3/4 have to do with healthcare, given that that segment is amount to an estimated 17% to 20% of U.S. GDP. However, it is very interesting to note that retail salespeople are ranked at number two with 707K as the expected employment level. Those in the digital out-of-home will recognize at least one beneficial aspect of the technology is the ability to supplement the need and use of retail sales personnel. Given this statistic, it will be interesting to see whether retail digital signage is able to ride at least a portion of this expected wave in retails salesperson demand.

I am always an advocate of automation, within reason, but won’t much of the informational aspect of retail sales eventually be performed by some interactive touch screen automation systems? Or, will people–knowing they can do that at home–be coming to the store to talk to a real human? I suppose the alternative cop-out method would include obtaining products via free two day shipping via Amazon Prime? My guess is that the latter will the case. Even still, signage will certainly play a supplement to some of the demand increases in this market segment.

For those who have attended a movie at the theater lately, you may have noticed a bit of change in the ambiance in the lobbies and hallways. Digital signage is quickly making it’s way into Hollywood with the introduction of digital media displays in theaters and cinemas. These venues are frequented by millions of Americans each year. In fact, the movie and entertainment industry is even larger in other parts of the world than it is here in the United States. With that being said, this post will delve into a few of the ways in which the cine can benefit from digital message boards.

Gathering Place for Large Amounts of Humans

At a large theater at the mall or some other shopping center venue, large amounts of people are often to be found. Targeting these groups with specific messages for branding is easy with a bit of dynamic signage. During new releases, especially those whose advertising has created quite a buzz, there can be large groups of people waiting to enter the theater (I can think of “cult following” films like Harry Potter and Star Wars where this was particularly true). During these instances of large traffic, large amounts of people can be influenced very quickly by the digital message boards installed in the theater venue.

Theaters Have Restrooms

Of course they do. It’s a move theater. Besides, what public space doesn’t have restrooms. I’m sure they would be breaking some sort of construction code. Restroom signage is not new, but it is also not being fully utilized like it could be. The space in many restrooms is left blank while a semi-captive audience mingles, staring blindly into space. When I’m in the restroom I may not be super “captive.” I often pretend aloofness while keeping to myself. Being entertained by a screen installed either in the mirrors or above the restroom urinals would certainly be helpful in keeping the mood and atmosphere within the theater.

Concessions

Many go to the theater as a place to entertain for both family and other social activities. And when persons attend these venues they often are expecting to have a “night on the town” and to spend a little money. As a result, the tickets alone are often not enough for what they are attempting to accomplish. Attendees are going to need popcorn, licorice, soda pop and a litany of other unhealthy junk foods before they enter into the theater. These delectable delights can be promoted by some easily installed digital menus placed above the concession stand. Enough said. We all get the point here.

“Now Playing” and “Coming Soon”

If you’re familiar with movie theaters in any country, you have certainly seen the backlit signs advertising for flicks “now playing” and for “coming attractions.” They have been an important part of movie theaters for years. If you were in a movie theater lobby or hallway and did not see them, you may–consciously or unconsciously–think the place a bit naked. This is one benefit of DOOH when it comes to movie theaters is that these signs can easily be replaced by the digital counterpart.

Unfortunately, they are a bit more expensive, but they do not have to replace every sign in the building. The theater owners can simply choose to replace a percentage of the signs with HD digital signs. The rest of the signs can remain static. There are huge benefits to this methodology. The biggest is that the dynamic signs have the ability to draw more attention. Secondly, they can rotate through advertisements about the current and future films as well as the current and future items offered at the concessions stands. They can also advertise for gift cards for birthdays, special events, or any other additional service the theater may provide.

Similar Venues

Very similar to cinemas and theaters are orchestra and concert halls–both rock and classical. Entertainment venues can benefit greatly from an influx of dynamic digital message boards. I attended an orchestra about a year ago and was impressed by their acceptance of technology with LCD installed throughout the lobby. These displays advertising for up-and-coming orchestra events as well as other events to happen at the hall. They were not running any specific software (in fact, I’m fairly sure they were simply rotating through a DVD player loop), but the messages were delivered clearly to a very large audience.

There can be many reasons to install digital signage. Perhaps some of the best places to do so are in venues meant to provide entertainment to large numbers of guests. Theaters and cinemas are great examples of this.

Issues

While my blogging may not be at the top of my priority list, the lack of professionalism in the textual grammar and spelling is certainly a reflection on me. Because this is an issue, I’m planning from here on out to spend a bit more time editing and reading through the various posts I write. Hopefully this helps to alleviate the issues with which I have heretofore been plagued.

Help

I have appreciated in the past when I’ve received the occasional email or comment on the blog letting me know in a friendly manner when I’ve made a mistake of some sort. Perhaps it was a dangling modifier or maybe it was a simple misspelling (which are generally caught by the automated spell checker). I really have appreciated the help and editors. That’s why Wikipedia is so great: millions of editors make for some of the best content available.

I am also grateful for the help I have received in the past regarding my business, it’s role in the industry and our efforts here. While I have made mistakes (as we all have) and received criticism–both constructive and destructive–I believe it all has proved beneficial in formulating what our focus is here at Deploid. I thank you for reading and hope you will continue to correct me in the future. For while criticism and correction are not the most “fun” aspect of any venture, they certainly serve to “hone to the bone” cutting off excess and creating something that lasts. I think ending with one of my favorite quotes from Theodore Roosevelt is fitting.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

For some, the electronics store turns their crank, for others it’s the hardware store–a veritable “man” venue where everything home-improvement is present. The days are long since past when I used to work landscaping and construction and I would have regular visits to the hardware store to pick up sprinkler parts and pipes, paint, drywall and all types of wood for projects I was working on with several local companies. In fact, those were the simple days when deals were not so complex (believe me, there is a huge difference between the complexities of putting in a sprinkler system vs. installing a DOOH network). There are so many more factors involved in organizing a network of digital signs. Even still, I thoroughly enjoyed my work as a landscaper. Being outside and working with my hands are both fulfilling to me. But what about the hardware store itself? Can this particular venue benefit from digital signage? If so, how? I have outlined below a few of the ways in which digital signs benefit the hardware store.

Men are Visual Creatures

Men may not be the only “creatures” frequenting the hardware store. In fact, I would wager to bet that the typical hardware store probably has an equal mix. Stereotypically speaking, however, the hardware store is a man’s domain. And, as we’ve learned previously, men educate themselves and shop many times based on what they see in the store itself. They shop differently than women do. And, while the hardware store should target both men and women, I’m sure if I did a little more digging, I’m sure I would find that a greater percentage of men frequent hardware store than compared to the grocery store. With that simple fact in mind, the signage can greatly enhance the customer experience in a hardware store. One of the biggest reasons this is true in targeting the male audience is that men like to get information from the inanimate objects rather than human beings. It feeds their egos to be able to figure it out on their own by reading–and in our case–watching a digital display.

Women Need Direction

For the women that will most certainly enter the Lowe’s or Home Depot, we need to appeal to them as well. And while the female may be less averse to asking for help, in big stores digital screens can act as a digital clerk, giving them the information they need without having to walk around and ask for it. Standard digital signage displays could be replaced by an interactive touch screen sign. A touchscreen could act as a product guide in an aisle showcasing hundreds of different types of screws and nails. The screen could prompt with, “Which screw do you need? Click here to begin.” The process of customer service and information distribution is streamlined with a simple touch screen app.

I want to be PC here, but I’m certain you can’t please everyone. The mere subtitle of this section could denote some departure from the politically correct. However, we must consider the audience of the venue. And, in considering it for a hardware store means we certainly must know the audience and target them accordingly.

The Point-of-Purchase

POP (point-of-purchase) displays are a small form-factor way to target those who have purchase, those who are purchasing and those who will purchase home improvement products in a hardware store. Pushing and upselling are big jobs of POP displays, but they are also important for branding purposes and coupon-related promotions that may help to drive customers back to the store. I could go on for quite a while about the POP display, it’s benefits and contributions, but I will simply conclude with stating that POP displays work in nearly all public retail environments, hardware stores being only one.

Home improvement projects will certainly always be a part of the American way. I’ve been involved in plenty myself and I certainly could have benefited (because of my male nature) from some dynamic signage in the aisles or at the point-of-purchase in the hardware stores I have frequented in the past. As hardware stores move into the digital age in their product promotion, we will certainly see more in-aisle and point-of-purchase (POP) digital signage hardware and software.

With all the previous blogs and ideas about facial recognition–including the feared potential of having a “Minority Report” experience–it only was a matter of time before such a thing happened.

“With facial detection in digital signs, is there a notice to consumers that the digital sign is using a camera that implements facial detection?” Koulousias asked. “Is there a notice if the ads are being targeted based on that?”

Under Section 5 of the FTC Act, the agency has the ability to bring cases if an act is deemed unfair or deceptive. At this point, though, the agency is in an information-gathering mode. “We’re really trying to figure out what’s going on in this space, how it’s being used, where it’s going [and] bring everybody together to discuss these issues,” Koulousias said.

In fact, you can follow the link below to weigh in yourself on just exactly what the Gubment should do with facial recognition and privacy:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/12/facefacts.shtm