Keith Kelsen is up.
First words that came out of his mouth: “it’s all about content.”
Content is really what the consumer is engaged with. In his new book, Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage: Content Strategies for the 5th Screen, the thinking around content is relative depending on what type of network you’re running.
There are 3 types of networks:
1. Point of sale – all about shoppers. There are a number of networks in a POS and they’re advertising things that are not part of that experience. Personally to him, with the exception of a grocery store, he doesn’t think this works. In a retail environement, the biggest considerations should be merchandising and shopping.
2. Point of wait – can mean a number of different things, but in essence it’s any point where we have dwell time. This can be in bank lines, in taxi cabs, in train stations, buildings, etc.. Content here is totally different from POS. With the confluence of the types of media we’re in, point of wait is an interesting area. We’re moving to a place where you can buy/get anything, anytime, anyplace. POW networks can be an activator for that type of engagement. Important nugget – there is a different speed, length, and message itself in a POW system than there is in a POS system, even in a POT transit (below).
3. Point of transit – here you do not have captive audience. People are on the go. How do you grab their attention? This is also an opportunity for mobile and social engagement. At this point in the discussion, he asked us to think about the difference between standard and high def video. Just the shear resolution is drastically different. When you look at the spectrum in SD, you see about 25% of color spectrum. With HD, you see about 75% of the color spectrum. This result in a higher impact and higher stickiness. Now, blow it up to life size on a screen or a window or a surface. With life size content, the mind makes an immediate reaction whether it is friend or foe. Very important to understand.
When you start looking at content in this new, digital world we’re in, ask yourself, how do I develop content that plays across multiple platforms? It’s important to consider making that content in bite-size pieces. Don’t duplicate content across platforms. This medium is so different from any other medium than we have. Don’t use TV assets for digital signage. Best buy – rather than playing the trailer of a movie, they play a particular section of the movie. So, the consumer doesn’t see what they see on the TV when they go into the store. Don’t pull those assets over and expect them to work. Create media for specific network and this industry.
Taking a step back, to level set the audience – when you look at your networks, something that is extremely powerful is continuity. Create an “interstitial” – logo, ID, brand – so there is an overall arching brand that comes across the entire network. On the technical side, there are a number of things someone should take into account to build a successful network – content is one of those. How often do you have to refresh your content? There is a formula – how much dwell time is there + how often do people visit that specific place? That determines your play loop and frequency of refresh.
Neuro-marketing – very intersting. When you look at content and images, the mind reacts immediately whether or not that image is something you want to take further. All the decisions from that first decision are made down hill from there.
Then, questions from the audience:
Any stats that will hold an older audience vs. younger audience? No, not off the top of his head, but you really need to look at what has influenced them over time. What are signficant events in their lives? For him, it’s the moon. For Y generation, it’s probably 9/11.
How do you see everything coming together and “crashing” all around us? Minority Report, is it going to happen? Can it be too much? Yes. Remember, it’s about the experience and the engagement. If you overload people, it is not going to work and there will be backlash. Speaking of Minority Report, this is where he sees the future. If you look at the connectedness of what this media is doing and how it’s connected to other screens and how the content will flow – it’s going to get very interesting.
Favorite term of the talk: “spatial connectedness” – connecting screens to screens including the screens in my pocket. I can grab a piece of content on one screen and drag it to the screen in my pocket.
He loves technology, but content is what makes it happen.
This dude’s awesome. I can’t wait to read his book. He told me he’s read my blog. And even though he didn’t say it, I think he likes the term, “11th Screen.”
