Attended a great session this morning – the Future of Digital Signage. 

Great thoughts from really smart, experienced people in the industry:

• Mike Hiatt – President, Dynamic Retailing, LLC (was instrumental in the Walmart in-store network)
• Suzanne LaForgia – President, Out of Home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB)
• Jose Avalos – Director of Digital Signage, Intel

The resounding message is that this industry has experience steady growth in previous years, despite the economic challenges that have faced marketers.  We have a bright future.  But specifically, I heard over and over again, from all three that:

• We need a consistent way to measure success.  Internal stakeholders respond to this.  Marketers respond to this.  And if we have the customer in mind, in the end, they respond to this.  Always ask, “what are you trying to accomplish?”  With this in mind, you should find out very quickly what you should and should not be doing, and tailor a solution accordingly.
• Multi-channel strides will be made over the next few years.  Mobile.  Social.  Touch.  True 11th Screen stuff, here.
• Advocacy, advocacy, advocacy.  We need champions.
• Case studies, case studies, case studies.  We need stories.
• And specifically from Jose, speaking about physical media players:  “Once devices become digital, they want to become connected, once they become connected, they want to become intelligent, once they become intelligent, they want to become cross-functional.”

And the term of the morning is from Mike – look at digital/interactive signage solutions/systems as a “customer-centric communication system.”