11th Screen

I haven’t had a chance to stop by all of the booths on the showroom floor, but it is safe to say that interactivity is all around us.  Last year, my biggest observation was the lack of interactivity.  From both hardware and software providers.  Now, it doesn’t seem like there is a booth that doesn’t have an interactive solution.  On the surface, this is awesome.  I’m worried about over saturation.  I don’t know who does what better than the next company, so that’s going to be my task.

Initial photos:

This is the entrance to the tradeshow floor.  Cool stuff here, but no interactivity.  Each screen (and you’re not seeing 2 of them) shows something different and actually, relevant.  The vertical screen on the far right is a Tweet stream of #dse2010.

And this is the foursquare, Locamoda, digital signage integration that gained a lot of buzz before the conference.  Look at the top right hand corner,  from SalmonKangaroo3 (that was me??) – I was here.  But this is cool.  It lists the mayor of the Las Vegas Convention Center, # of check-ins and tips.  Truly integrated 11th Screen material.  “Digital” sign that allows you to interact with it via an enabling technology (mobile) phone and share it with like-minded individuals (social). 

Waiting on Keith Kelson, “father of the 5th Screen” now.  Hope he makes the session….

This time, from Gary Kayye at rAVe Publications.  30 minutes, fast and furious.  The best “session” I’ve attended today.

The 80′s were all about gathering information/content.

The 90′s were all about managing information/content.

The 00′s were all about displaying information/content.

Now:  What do we do with the content?  How does it evolve?  There is a next wave of “digital signage” and it is all personal & customized.  It is the 11th Screen.  Me and Gary – we’re talking the same language.

But he is from an AV company so he is very interested, knowledgeable, and experienced with the hardware and infrastructure of systems.  I am more interested in the content.  We are both interested in the experience.

His formula was “AV (source + display technology) + IT (network) = next phase of Digital Signage.  So, if I can break this down, what he is saying is when the source/display technology merges with the “network” or cloud, you can serve custom content on custom devices.  It gets to the level of personalization that I’m always talking about.  In his estimation, we are 3 years away.  I didn’t have the chance to ask him why “3 years” – that’s just what his magic ball says.

I thought it was interesting that he claimed that the “cell phone is the ultimate digital signage display.”  I agree with the fact that it is the ultimate personal display, even the ultimate convenient display, but it is an interactive display, not digital.  I might be on my own here, but I think it’s important to differentiate “digital” from “interactive.”

Finally, he left us with 5 steps for success:

1.  Why are you doing what you’re doing?

2.  Where and who are you doing it for?

3.  Plan

4.  Execute

5.  Scale

I have my own thoughts on this, but other philosophies are good!

Two things to check out:  WiMax 802.16 and Vukunet.  I will check them out and give you my lowdown, but anyone else who wants to chime in on their thoughts – with these two and everything else - let me know.

Up, up and away.  Here we go, Mike’s Digital Signage Expo 2010 Adventure has begun.  I’m going to chronicle A LOT of my adventure here, so be prepared.  It’s not just going to be news, or the latest greatest technology and trends.  It is going to be the entire experience from my point of view, every step along the way.  It all started bright and early this morning:

4:11 AM – my body clock woke me up.  I looked at the alarm clock.  I had 19 more minutes to sleep before the alarm started barking.

4:30 AM – the alarm clock started barking.  I turned it off, got up, dazily walked into the kitchen, pressed START on the coffee maker, and hit the shower.

4:49 AM – posted my first Tweet of the adventure.

4:52 AM – walked out of my house.

5:45 AM – arrived at Terminal D, DFW airport.

5:50 AM – checked in at the self-serve kiosk, which by the way is probably the most widely accepted interactive kiosk (what I call “Interactive Out of Home”, or “IOOH”) in the U.S. today, outside of the ATM.

6:13 AM – pulled money from what I suspect is the most widely accepted interactive kiosk (IOOH) in the U.S. today – the ATM.

6:32 AM – checked in “On Da Plane” via foursquare (become my friend – “mikecearley”)

6:45 AM – flight departed.

6:46 AM – found two interesting mobile advertisements that could easily have been made into IOOH examples in the American Way magazine.  Before I get into those advertisements, I think it’s important to make clear, again, my viewpoint on OOH + technology.  “Digital Out of Home” or “DOOH” is the term that is used to describe anything that falls into the OOH category and has technology associated with it.  To me, that is such a wide generalization and practically accurate, but not always technically accurate.  “Digital” Out of Home is any standard OOH solution that is made digital by display technology.  There is a finite list of display technologies – LCD, LED, plasma, projection.  If there are any other display technologies, please let me know, but it’s a small list.  This, to me, defines Digital Out of Home.  There is no interactivity associated with Digital Out of Home.  But since technology is the foundation of “Digital” Out of Home, interactivity is inherent.  Not always used (in fact, used much less than I think can be.  I hope to see advancements made on this front in the industry this week), but inherent.   Standard OOH initiatives can also be made interactive.  Case in point:

Example 1: 

Simple mobile app that the user can access at AA.com/mobile (which doesn’t work btw).  Put a short-code on this ad (which I originally thought it was) or a QR code/MS tag, and send them directly to the app from the magazine ad.

Example 2:

Print any attachment from your smartphone on one of these fancy HotSpot Printers.  There’s a simple process to go through, but when you do, voila, you’ve got printing on the go.  So, here, if I wanted to take a picture of this map, from this magazine, I could take a photo of it, email it, and print it, all from my phone.  

This magazine is a device, medium or platform that I do not own, so by my definition, it is an “Out of Home” solution (in this case, an object).  The brand is driving me deeper into an engagement through the use of enabling technology, in this case, my mobile phone.  Thus, we have an Interactive Out of Home solution, or IOOH, which is a term that I’m officially coining (at least the acronym).  It’s my truthiness.

8:46 AM – passed over the Grand Canyon.  Even from up here, it looks grand.  I’ve had the fortune of visiting the Grand Canyon.  It is something that I think everyone should do once in their life.  It is amazing.  I will bring my family here when the kids are old enough to appreciate it.

9:18 AM – landed in Las Vegas.  Off to the convention center to get my press passes.  Then, to the hotel to drop my bags.  Then, to the Hard Rock Café to depart on an awesome behind-the-scenes tour of Las Vegas’ $11 Billion City Center and Hard Rock Café.  

“The most exciting part of the tour is the behind-the-scenes look at advancements in digital signage control – everything controlled from single laptop computer equipped with state-of-the-art software to the remote control of over the 1,000+-screen installation at City Center and the other MGM properties up and down the Las Vegas strip.

Stops will feature Interactive reader boards, progressive Slots & Video animations that tie-in to progressive jackpot meters and table top displays; restaurant interactive Touch Screen Menus, interactive wayfinding through a 500,000-square-foot shopping center, video walls, and a huge multi-user, multi-touch interactive digital wall.”

Awesome, right?

More later……

I’d like a number 10, 20, 28, 34 and a Super-Session to go, please.  To those of you going to the DSE next week, these numbers probably mean something to you.  To those who aren’t going, these are the sessions that I plan on attending.  Here’s the rundown:

Session #10 – How They Did It: Three Real-World Models for Successful Communication-Based Digital Signage Networks - Representatives from Reuters, a college (John Marshall Law School), and a medical facility (Mayo Clinic), discuss their DOOH networks and installations.  All of these seem like they’re fully integrated into their respective businesses and have clearly provided value back to their audiences.  I hope they’re able to cover their different expansive installations, the thought and buy-in that had to go into each of them and then ultimately, how they each look at success.  It will also be interesting to know what they think the future of DOOH looks like.

Session #20 – Creative Tactics for Integrating Digital Signage in Different Environments – This looks to be all about innovation, particularly in various approaches to a wide range of OOH environments and how to best incorporate digital/interactive signage into them.  A Dallas-comrade, Steve Gurley, from Symon Communications here in Plano, is on the panel.  We’re going to get together for coffee afterwards.  I’m looking forward to meeting him and learning more about his company.  They provide all sorts of DOOH solutions, including multiple interactive solutions.

Session #28 – Integrating Multi-Channel Strategies: A Roadmap for Digital Cross-Platform Success -  This is the session that interests me the most.  Primarily because it is one of the sessions that I think is closest to my specific interests – making the 5th Screen (digital signage) into the 11th Screen (through the use of all sorts of enabling technologies).  I think they’ll probably discuss the incorporation of mobile into digital signage more than anything else.  But I’m also interested in it because Stephen Randall of LocaModa - the man behind the company that brought us Jumbli and LBS-integration-into-digital signage - is on the panel.  The other dudes on the panel are no slouches, either. 

Session #34 – Trends in Interactive Gestural and Touch Screen Applications – Now, we’re talking.  “You will learn how organizations such as the Official NYC Information Center and MIT SENSEable City Lab are using advanced touch-sensing and gesture control technologies to bring a whole new dimension to interactive user experiences.”  It’s going to be sweet.  Enough said.

Super Session – Digital Out-of-Home’s Future - I can’t go to the premier Digital Out-of-Home conference without attending the session where industry leaders discuss its future.  It’s the one that has the biggest potential of let down, though.  These types of sessions can be so general, especially in an hour.  But I’ll be there. 

Then, throw in a couple of coffee meetings, a few on-floor workshops (including one by Keith Kelsen, visionary in digital signage), and a “mixer” here and there, and my calendar is pretty much full. 

Oh, and there’s work, too.  That doesn’t stop. 

It will all be busy, but really good. 

Is there anything you’re particulary interested in learning about digital signage or the industry?  Let me know and I’ll do my best to get it answered.

Does everyone automatically have QR code mania?  It seems like they do in my world.  The last two weeks have been filled with questions and examples and tweets about QR codes.  I’m even planning an initiative with QR codes (more to come on that in the near future!)  Everywhere I turn, I’m hearing and thinking about QR codes.

I’ve seen some good examples, like the recent Detroit Red Wings program, that enables users to watch an exclusive  video from their mobile phones.  The call-to-action is clear, informative, and the Red Wings even play an instructional video during their games.  They’re seeing success and even thinking of ways they can extend fans’ experience beyond this initiative.

I’ve seen bad examples, like the Weather Channel on-TV code, that enables users to automatically download the Weather Channel app.  This execution falls short on a number of levels, most notably originating from a TV screen.  I think the beauty in these codes is that they’re able to extend a non-digital medium into a digital medium in a seemless fashion.  Aside from that, the call-to-action isn’t clear and the app is only available on Android devices.  And you would think that a television network would have ample opportunity and resources to share instructional videos on new technology that they want their audience to engage with, even more than a sports arena.

And I’ve seen future examples that I’m about to experience myself.  SXSW is including QR codes on name badges to instantly connect attendees with other attendees.  I will be interested to see an audience like this, completely up on technology, interact with it and each other.  I’m also interested to see how SXSW introduces them to attendees on-site and the resources that they make available for all of us.

On the surface, I’m happy that I’m in the midst of QR code mania, but like all emerging technologies, QR codes can easily be more ineffective than effective.  Especially in North America, where this technology still has not caught on, despite its acceptance and success overseas, particularly in Japan & Southeast Asia.  A huge barrier is our mobile phones and the various platforms and inconsistent reader applications.  One app can interpret the data as a V-card, while one can interpret the data as a text message, one only operates on the iPhone and one can work across most mobile platforms.  And, oh by the way, each one of these reader apps must be installed by the user before they can be used.

I think these particular barriers are all relatively minor for the potential return.  Installing the right reader application on my phone is not a laborious process.  It’s certainly worth it when I can simply take a picture of a code and experience some sort of deeper, personal engagement.  And QR codes, themselves, are so easy to make that anyone can really incorporate them into any initiative in a matter of minutes.

What we have to consider though – the thing that makes the difference between ineffective and effective – is the complete experience.  The devil’s in the details, so they say, and they can either make the Red Wings experience or the Weather Channel experience.  To be effective, the user needs to know exactly what to do.  They need to know what to download on what type of phone and once it’s downloaded, what exactly to do then.  It seems simple, but the call-to-action must be clear and concise.  These types of experiences are not website-like experiences where users know what to expect on a click, and even then, users need to be encouraged to click that particular box or image or text.  This is a new experience.  Most people don’t even know what QR codes are.  But they can accept them and will even interact with them if they’re given clear instructions and expectations.  The payoff has to be there on the other end, too.  That’s another element of the experience that can make or break these initiatives.  What content is the user going to see or interact with once they take a picture of that QR code?  Is it a video?  Is it a pre-drafted tweet?  Is it an app?  Or better yet, is it something that is only offered in this particular way through this particular channel? 

QR codes can enable immediate interaction with meaningful content in a unique way.  They can enable extremely rich experiences and in doing so, can help build trust between brands and their audience.  But to be effective, they must be used the right way.  They must be thought through.  And in the end, they must not be done just to be done, just because they’re the mania of the day.

What QR code executions have you seen that are most effective?  What are the least effective solutions you’ve seen?  Let me know!

With three little ones, we often frequent venues that allow us to consolidate our tasks into one physical space.  Super Targets and malls, especially malls with play-areas-for-kids, are high on our list.  Malls are a fascinating place to me, although I don’t like spending lots of time in them.  What fascinates me, aside from the people and the over-saturation of “things” is the lack of technology that exists inside them.  I still see the static, Dewey Decimal System-like mall directories (that’s what I always think about anyway) that were around when I was a kid.  I can’t believe those things still exist?!?  Those scream touch screens with wayfinding + behavioral targeting + mobile couponing + social engagement – they’re really an endless well of multi-channel technological usefulness.

But by an large, these don’t exist.  Digital signage is slowly becoming a standard in malls, but interactivity with that signage doesn’t even seem to be on the radar.  So, I was giddy when I saw a digital signage solution that encouraged me to interact with it.  (NOTE – I did not capture the best content to represent my experience.  Next time, I’ll know exactly what to get for the set-up and pay-off to tell the best story.) 

In any case, these digital signs were scattered throughout the mall, not as a digital directory, but as a vehicle to deliver moving, engaging content, be it movie trailers or dynamic store advertisements.  On one of the “pages” of the scroll, there was a contest that encouraged users to take a photo in front of the sign and post it on their Facebook page.   

So, I took my mobile phone, positioned myself in front of the screen, and smiled:

Then, when we got home, I uploaded the photo on their Facebook page:

And I was happy.  As it ends up, I didn’t win, but I had lots of fun doing it, and appreciated a brand driving me deeper in the experience through digital signage and enabling technology.  This is a good example of DOOH being made interactive through this sort of technology.

With a few tweaks, I think this could have been a better, more effective initiative, but they deserve kudos for utilizing the digital signs in this way.  I hope to see more of this sooner rather than later because I think it’s one of the easiest, most natural extensions of incorporating multi-channel technological usefulness into the spaces around us.

Now, I am not a world-wide mall-goer.  These are my observations based on the malls I have gone to primarily in Texas.  If you have seen any other examples like this, particularly in malls, please send them my way.

In my opinion, the term “Digital” Out of Home, or “DOOH” is becoming widely overused.  So much so that I think it dilutes the space, minimizes the impact of what can truly be done through technology outside of the home, and ultimately, confuses people – advertisers, marketers and brands alike. 

I look at the term through a simple lense.  Digital Out of Home (DOOH), to me, is nothing more than adding display technology to an otherwise static OOH installation.  So, let’s take a billboard for instance.  The standard OOH installation is a static billboard.  The digital OOH installation is created by simply adding some sort of display technology onto the the static billboard.  This can be through LEDs (as is the case with billboards), LCDs, plasmas, or projection.  It’s a finite list, but apply any of them to any static OOH installation and voila, you now have a digital version of said installation – Digital Out of Home. 

I think it’s important to make this distinction, especially with the introduction of other technologies that make our surroundings, including these billboards, come to life.  As mentioned in a previous post, I call these sorts of technologies enabling technology.  Right now, I think it, too, is a finite list, but it’s a bigger list than display technology.  RFID, for example, is an enabling technology.  GPS is an enabling technology.  Mobile, albeit more broad, is also an enabling technology.  But within mobile, I think you start to see a subset of enabling technologies like Augmented Reality, QR Codes, MS Tags, and Bluetooth.  Then, you have touch screen technology (single and multi-touch, even gesture-based) that is on the list, too.   The point is – these technologies enable personal interactions with an otherwise digital installation.  At this level, it is not Digital Out of Home to me.

I sense more and more that the industry and many of the players in it call everything Digital Out of Home just because it occurs outside of the home through any sort of technology.  But unless we start talking about it in consistent terms, how can we expect it to catch on and even grow?  Do you agree?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I am humbled, although not surprised, by the human condition and the outpour of support for all of the people of Haiti.  Just like other major catastrophes of the decade (9/11, Thailand Tsunami, Katrina come to mind), people from all over the world are contributing in all sorts of ways.  It’s awesome to witness how new technology – social & mobile – has enabled immediate outreach and support.  Red Cross’s text message campaign has already raised $10 million plus.  Say what you will about FarmVille and Mafia Wars, but their maker, Zynga, has utilized them as a platform and already raised $1.2 million plus.  And Paste has partnered with musicians to offer up a library of exclusive MP3s to support the relief effort.  Not to mention all of the companies, including mine, encouraging their employees around the world to contribute, and matching dollar-for-dollar those contributions.  These are only a handful of examples that not only exhibit good will that I believe is inherent in people, but also exhibit the power of technology and how it can be used for productive, meaningful outreach and (global) connection.  I’ve often told people that I wish there were a news channel dedicated to good news 24/7, particularly for events like this.  Touché, there is such a thing, yet another example – if you follow the right people/sources, that is what Twitter has become for me.  :)

The 11^th screen is a multi-piece puzzle.  But to me, there are two key pieces.  The first key piece is what I previously talked about – bucketing technology into “screens” based on HOW we consume and engage with media.  The second key piece is just as important and that is WHERE we consume and engage with media. 

HOW + WHERE = 11^th screen

My WHERE focus is Out of Home (OOH).  The easy way to think of this is the literal translation – outside of your home.  For those that this does not make sense to, let me give you my definition of “Out of Home”:

Any experience that occurs outside of the home that does not require the audience to own the device, medium or platform from which the experience originates.

When I talk about “OOH”, this is what it means to me.  My basis for everything here will be grounded in this, specifically this part:  does not require the audience to own the device, medium or platform from which the experience originates.

If we look at the examples in my previous posts, you’ll see what I mean:

Mini served up messages to people driving on the highway (out of their home) on digital billboards (platform that they didn’t own).

Microsoft created experiences in retail stores (outside of the home) on interactive tables (device that users don’t own).

Now, to me, there’s another key piece to this puzzle and that is the piece of personalization, which really gets to the core of my focus.  The way this personalization happens is through the use of technology, specifically through the use of what I’m going to call enabling technology.  Like RFID.  Like touch screens.  Like mobile phones.  This is where the lines start to blur, which we’ll experience more and more, but the point is – this sort of technology enables an otherwise static experience to be “personalized” on some level.

So, to personalize their billboards, Mini used RFID chips that were “assigned” to individuals and when that individual drove by an otherwise “digital” billboard, they received a personalized message.  Technically, the audience owned the RFID chip.  They had to have that in order to receive the personalized experience.  But they didn’t own the digital billboard from which the experience originated.

Let’s look at the Spore/QR code example, though- here’s where the mobile phone piece of this puzzle comes into play.  There are more and more OOH initiatives that are personalized through the use of mobile phones as the enabling technology.  On this example, the audience didn’t own the poster from which the experience originated.  But because there was a QR code on the poster, they were able to interact with it through the use of a device that they owned, and as a result, received a personalized experience. 

On the other hand, users interacting with the MS Surface don’t own the device, nor do they need to own anything else to experience that level of personalization.  Personalization, to a certain extent, is inherent in multi-user touch screen devices.

I think this one of our first big challenges – to understand the difference between “Traditional” and Digital OOH that is made interactive and true Interactive OOH.  Specifically, the impact that this difference has on us and the brands that we represent as engagement agents.  We know people are spending more and more time outside of their home.  They’re engaging with media (and their surroundings) in a way that they have never engaged before.  So, it’s important to engage with them in meaningful ways while they’re outside of their homes.  But is there a more effective way to do this over another?  Is it more effective to engage people through Traditional or Digital OOH made interactive or Interactive OOH? 

Aside from creating an experience where the audience doesn’t have to own anything to have a personalized experience, I don’t think it does.  What’s the one thing that all of us won’t leave home without?  Our mobile phones.  So, if we’re using mobile as an enabling technology, what’s the difference? 

Perhaps the real question is, is the brand driving individuals as “deep” as they can through their OOH initiatives, whether it be through a “native” Traditional, Digital, or Interactive experience?  Are they creating personalized experiences?  Are they putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together?

What examples have you seen that effectively put all the pieces together and create personalized OOH experiences?