Tag Archives: OOH

The Irony of “Sociable Media” is that it’s not Sociable (at least not to me)

I read an interesting whitepaper today written by Stephen Randall of LocaModa and a partnering agency, Posterscope, titled Sociable Media: Seven ways to connect online and offline social experiences to deliver engagement, advocacy, and brand affinity. In fact, I’ve read it four or five times, each time with a more detailed eye than the last. And I find myself scratching my head more than wanting to forward it to all of my colleagues.

The authors, and certainly both companies responsible for the whitepaper, are clearly experienced in mobile and (digital) OOH engagement and by virtue, seem credible enough. I’ve seen Stephen speak on various panels this year and he is a smart man leading the charge, one that I stand firmly behind. I have not met any of the contributors from Posterscope, but by the looks of their history, they know what’s going on in the space.

Unfortunately, this knowledge-base and experience might very well be the downfall of the whitepaper. My first question is, “who is the intended audience?” This is not a 101-type whitepaper. This is advanced theory, language, and practice – advanced enough that a good portion (if not a majority) of marketers, communicators, brands, and consumers will not know what in the world they’re talking about. Brands are having a hard enough time catching up to social media – using it in a way that creates and adds value to the ‘community’ and themselves. Much less a new, albeit interesting concept – sociable media. This is way ahead of the curve, and if I’m left scratching my head (I, at least, speak this same language and know/understand all of the practices and technologies mentioned), what is everyone else left doing? How does everyone else digest this?

From what I have seen in my extensive dealings with brands (big and small), the vast majority are not ready for interactive/experiential OOH right now. They want to play in the mobile space just to play in the mobile space, and as mentioned above, they are trying to put the infrastructure/process/guidelines in place for their social media efforts. But many of them are not there yet. Sure, there are the Nikes and Minis of the world who are out in front, but like geo-location applications themselves (the basis of many of the points in this whitepaper), adoption and proliferation of interactive/experiential OOH is a ways away. I want brands to get there quickly. On some days, I feel like we’re on the cusp, with technologies that span various channels like this, but on most days, I realize that we’re far from it. In fairness, I’m looking through this through an advertising/PR/communications lense, not through a lense that deals with this particular niche (mobile + OOH) everyday. But my lense grounds me in online and offline social, both of which are incorporated into 95% of what we do and have been doing for years. And while I appreciate the idea of “sociable media,” I am left wondering, “what else?”

From a brand’s perspective, social media is predicated on the idea of adding value to a conversation that is already happening, and then the goal is to grow it to the point of building trust. The most successful brands in “social media” are those who understand their story and their voice. Both are vital components in establishing a credible presence that adds value to the conversation and builds into a trust-based relationship over time. In an effort not to bang you over the head with social-media-speak, in short – the story is the thing. Even in “social” media where the brand “doesn’t own the story.” Look across any channel, be it digital, mobile, OOH, even social, and the most successful brands are those who know their story and merely use those channels as distribution mechanisms. Even in the case of “social,” the brand’s story is still distributed, just in a more open way. This right here, this interplay with channels and story and technology is where I’m struggling to shape into what I believe to be true. At the end of the day, which one of these drives a brand? Is it the technology? Is it the channel? Or is it the story?

I think all three are important and I have thoughts on each of them and their particular interplay, but they’re not baked enough to share right now. I would love to know what you all think??

Regardless, a connection that I did not get in this whitepaper’s “story,” was the connection of how this sort of engagement continues with brands, after the interaction with this screen, or person. How is the conversation continued? Much of it seems like a one-stop hit if it’s based on location, more specifically checking into a location. The engagement is sustainable if the brand’s story is brought to the forefront instead of the actual location. And then, continues beyond the location. Where is the brand’s value here, on these screens, in this social media discussion? It can’t be by just providing a place or a screen or a reward. Right?

This is one of the barriers to the new OOH. It’s all around us, not just on billboards or posters or screens – everything’s a “screen,” really. Technology is blessing this medium in a way that enables it to be very powerful and “on” more often than not. It’s easy to be driven by the technology. And the channel. And the location. But do these enable the brand to tell their story in a more effective way? Or do they just enable the brand to just be there? Is it enough just to be there?

I have a hard time answering this, but I do believe that the most successful brands will be the ones who go beyond just being there. As is the case in the social channel, the goal is build enough trust to have a long-lasting relationship (loyalty). To that point, the paper talks about creating engagement (awareness), advocacy (preference), and affinity (loyalty), but in a way that leads me to believe achieving them revolves around location and channel, and not the brand story. The authors do point out that the paper is not “completely comprehensive,” and I have to believe that this is not their intention.

It is about the channel, I get that. That’s really the whole point to the whitepaper. But here’s the promise on the front page of the paper – “Seven ways to connect online and offline social experiences to deliver engagement, advocacy and brand affinity.” Those cannot be achieved without the brand story and I missed that whole section of this story.

There is much value to publishing whitepapers like this because the first to say is the first to own. I applaud them, and anyone else who publishes these. As a reader and absorber, though, I feel like there is a responsibility to talk to me in a way that can be understood, and most importantly, applied. I want to be able to forward these to my colleagues. I want to share the knowledge. But if I don’t even know what the “7 ways” are, how am I ever going to get what “sociable media” is and how/why it can make an impact with me and my business?

The “New” OOH, as Seen in my Mind

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I appreciate drawings. I’m a big visual thinker. And particularly at work, I draw more than write. I’m not a good artist, but I don’t think it takes a good artist to draw effective models – I like to think I make by pretty good. Anyway, I’ve been working on distilling my thoughts into something that is easy for people to understand what this space is all about. Here’s where I am:

Basically, I believe that all OOH solutions are made up of 3 main components:

1. Equipment

2. Place

3. Content

The Equipment really speaks to the “How” the message is delivered. It has 2 components: hardware and software. I know there are many other pieces included in those two (network, installation, maintenance, etc..), but in the end, you’ve got hardware and software that need to run the actual solution. It’s as easy as that.

The Place is the actual location the solution will be seen in – the “where”. From my standpoint, this is a strict media play – it’s either “Paid” media (you have to buy placement) or “Owned” media (you own the place where the solution will be seen). Again, I think pretty easy.

But the final component – one that is easy in concept, but hardest to execute in my opinion – is the Content component. Content is the “what” part of the solution and there are different pieces that make up the “what,” most notably Planning and Strategy. These two pieces are critical to storytelling because it provides the proper context in which to tell the story. Not necessarily what story needs to be told, but who exactly you want to tell the story to and how.

And around everything, there is an Execution piece. There will likely be multiple players in the game that are responsible for executing their component. This model helps identify what kind of players those are so you can create your own OOH solution.

Where this gets interesting, and I have to thank one of my partners-in-crime here, Matt Dickman, for seeing this – it’s the intersection of these components and what they really define. The result of “How” + “Where” is “Environmental Design.” What is this installation going to be in the place where it’s going to be seen? What opportunities do you have based on where it’s going to be seen? How much does that dictate what exact equipment is used?

The result of “Where” + “What” is the Consumer “Experience.” This is how the consumer is actually going to experience the solution. My experience is different if I’m in the middle of Times Square experiencing a billboard than it is if I’m in the middle of a tradeshow booth experiencing a kiosk. More, if I know where this story is going to be seen, I can optimize it to create the best “experience.”

And the result of “What” + “How” is the type of “Engagement” that the consumer is (or is not) involved in. This is where enabling technologies come most into play. What equipment do I need to absorb (and hopefully, literally, engage with) the story?

These results are the deeper components of the solution that I feel need to be thought about if you really want to maximize your OOH solution. These are the components that really define what I believe to be the power and potential of the “new” OOH.

So, that’s where I’m at. What do you think? Would love to hear opinions!

NYC or Bust – for Digital PR Talks & Awards

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I’m headed to New York for the Digital PR Next Practices Summit and Digital PR Awards (brought to you by PR News) tomorrow. I’ve got a special place in my heart for NYC – my wife and I lived there 2001-2005 when she was going to graduate school, we have many friends there, and our daughter was born there – so it’s always nice to go back. I haven’t been back in over a year. Anyway, we’ve (our Dallas office) been selected as a finalist for 4 different awards (Influencer Communications, Social Networking Campaign, Digital Marketing Campaign, and New Website) and I’m the representative to attend.

Awards are a funny thing – they are a tangible piece of recognition for doing great work and for that reason alone, I think they are purposeful. (I believe strongly in recognition! But it doesn’t have to be an award). But if someone/groups/companies are driven by winning awards, then I have questions. In my opinion, awards shouldn’t be the purpose that drives ideas and solutions. It’s not whether or not this idea or that idea is “award-winning,” it’s whether or not this idea or that idea achieves the predetermined goals/objectives and ultimately impacts the client’s business. And sometimes, things just play out in a way that a random judging committee thinks they are “award worthy.” Such is the case here. I’m grateful and excited and I think it would be awesome for our group and our clients to be recognized for all of our work.

More than the awards, I’m excited to attend the conference. I’m new to the “PR” world, but not new to the digital and social strategy/development world. So, it will be interesting to hear perspectives from different PR/communications leaders through my digital experience filter. There is a solid lineup from brands to agencies to entrepreneurs. I like the set-up, too – it’s a 1-day conference filled with 7 different sessions. The only option is whether or not to go.

It’s going to be insightful because these sessions are centered around what I’m faced with every day, much more than what Out-of-Home component makes sense for a particular initiative. It’s crisis management and “emerging” online social tools and measurement and influencers – look at the agenda and you’ll get a snapshot of the issues I think about on a typical day. These are components that impact who, why, and how we communicate on a daily basis. This is the real driver of our solutions, not any particular channel, like OOH or mobile. But this is one of the things that I get so excited about with OOH, especially Interactive Out-of-Home – by touching people where they’re out and about, on the places and things around them, we have an opportunity to be more relevant and effective communicators. Every touch point is a chance to strengthen or weaken a relationship. The goal, though, is to touch the “right” people in the right way at the right time (how many times have you heard that?).

So, tomorrow, I’ll get a chance to peak inside other people’s heads, which is generally a good thing. These are talented practitioners, so by and large, it should be a good thing. We’ll see. I’ll be blogging the entire day – stay tuned in if you’re interested.

Friday 4-1-1, Twitter Style #friday411screen

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Happy Friday! 2day’s 411 is all about Twitter- what I’ve tweeted this week, inc. character limit. like my new #tag? happened accidentally

1. How Popular Is the iPhone, Really? [INFOGRAPHIC] – not every1 has 1 & not every1 loves/wants 1. For DS, good that 1/4 of US phones R smart.

2. Word-of-mouth still largely an offline phenomenon – ppl still talk face 2 face. Alot of this happens OOH. DS is great connection.

3. How 2 build relationships w social content creators -$179/124 rate 4 blogs/tweets. In future, evryone will be creators. DS opp – aggregate/connect.

4. How Social Media Marketers Can Convert Attention Into Action – um, 1 phrase for you “social media marketers” – digital/interactive signage.

“Uh-huh” – State of LBS & Mktg – great, comprehensive post by 1 of my colleagues here. Only thing missing here & key-DOOH/IOOH integration/connection.

“Duh” – New App Rewards Shoppers 4 Scanning Barcodes – anothr 1 in the mix. For iPhone users only (see #1). Confusing 2 consumers? When’s “2 many?”

Thx, as always for reading. I really appreciate it! Would love to see this #tag used on Fridays (I know it’s long)!!

Honda’s 3-D Times Square Billboard Gets the Thumbs Up

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Thanks to Honda, Times Square introduced its first 3-D billboard experience today.

Launching a car is near and dear to my heart. I’m currently working on a launch for one of our clients and I can tell you this – there’s nothing more important than getting people to interact with the car. They need to touch it, feel it, and as much as possible, drive it. New York and Times Square isn’t the best place to hold test drives, but it is the best place to create a spectacle. And that’s exactly what Honda did. For having a hoopla in Times Square, they did it up right. There were actual cars for people to see, there were video games (racing games) for people to play, there were models and 3-D magazines, photo booths for people to take the moment with them, N-E-R-D, and of course, the 3-D video, larger than one can imagine, coming at everyone in 3-D. Now, I don’t know that if I would have pushed for the actual execution of many of these pieces, but I am impressed that they went for it on this scale, and it looks like they pulled it off. I am a little disappointed that I didn’t/haven’t seen many social media tie-ins to this event, but maybe they were just thinking that the event itself would create the amount of buzz that satisfied them. I thought it was a missed opportunity. At the very least, throw a #hashtag out there for people to create conversations around.

From an OOH standpoint, they used the real-estate and technology in a way that has never been used before, which you have to give them credit for. Now, guess how many brands are going to do the same thing in the same place. The 3-D glasses are a bit of a drawback, but I’m sure someone will create a mobile app sooner or later so the experience can be had in a less-goofy way.

I appreciate everything that goes into something like this and from my perspective, they were successful. Could they have been more successful? I think the answer to that is most always yes. They utilized various channels, but is their story consistent and evolving over those channels? I honestly don’t know. But here’s the thing – while creating a spectacle in Times Square is nothing new, they pulled off 1 thing that hadn’t ever been done before. So for that, they do get the thumbs up.

Foursquare, Booyah, and AKQA Talk Location

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I watched a good panel discussion last week from CAT in New York. The panel talked about “Location,” specifically as it relates to mobile geo-location. Members of the panel were from Foursquare, Booyah, and AKQA. Interesting panel make-up, all with good perspectives. The one thing missing from all of them – how mobile, specifically “location-based advertising,” fits into the larger brand marketing ecosystem. The discussion was all around mobile as its own silo. They all talked about how important it is for brands to create deeper, meaningful engagement with vs. “advertising” to their customers, which is definitely hitting on something larger than a single silo. But they really weren’t purposeful about talking how effective their apps (Foursquare and MyTown) could be cross-channel, particularly with OOH (the “new” OOH is much more than a canvas to broadcast messages to masses). All in all, though, it’s good to hear other perspectives and get a glimpse into how companies (providers and agencies) are thinking about location-based/behavioral targeting and advertising. We need one of these on OOH!! (The video is a little long ~20 minutes, but worth a listen!)

The “New” OOH as Shown by a Tree

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First, it was a talking, feeling, thinking bike, now it’s a tree. Thanks to Happiness Brussels, we are now able to hear and see this tree’s thoughts and feelings. Aside from the fact that this is yet another example of how (enabling) technology can turn any real-world object into an engagement mechanism (this is true 11th Screen stuff here), the purpose behind the initiative is meaningful – to create a discussion around climate change. This, just as Nike’s Precious Bike did, illustrates the power of anything and everything “Out of Home” as a conduit to drive consumers deeper into a brand/discussion. As I’ve maintained here, the “new” Out of Home is not Digital Out of Home, it is utilizing the things and spaces around us to engage consumers and drive them deeper into the brand experience. While this execution is technically a “push only” execution on the surface, it is designed to facilitate discussion across multiple social channels, and it is in those channels that 2-way (push/pull) communication occurs. OOH is just one channel in the communication mix. Facebook, Flickr, Vimeo, Soundcloud, and Twitter are other ones. .com is another one. They’re not hard to make work together, it just requires forethought and planning. If you’re able to do that, these are the types of solutions you can make. Complete. Not silo’ed.

Talking Tree – Making of from Tom on Vimeo.

The Coaster That Doesn’t Miss an Opportunity

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I’ve been meaning to get around to this since my vacation in July, but I’m just finding the time. I’m always looking for examples of brands utilizing offline materials (places & things) to drive deeper engagement “online” (not necessarily on a computer). I’m most fascinated when this online experience occurs on something other than a standard computer screen (ie. the places and things around us). Mobile, however, has really changed the game. This offline/online convergence doesn’t always drive experiences back to the world wide web; as mobile shows us, this convergence is often enabled through apps and simple tools like SMS/MMS. So, it was in July, when my wife and I were sitting in a bar in St. Augustine, and I looked down at the coaster sitting on our table.

Mobile promotions like this are standard fare. So standard, in fact, they might be overlooked more often than not. We can debate the effectiveness of coasters like this driving conversions (opt-ins), but here’s the thing – this is such a “no duh” utilization of pieces like this in the brand’s advertising mix. Coors Light is going to print coasters regardless. Why not plan to print something that drives a deeper brand engagement on the coaster vs. just putting a logo and artwork on it? Same thing can be said for posters or magazine ads. How many posters do you see that enable you to have a deeper brand experience beyond the “paper”? Magazine ads? Not many.

I have been surprised at how many magazine ads I’ve seen this year (some featured on this blog) where brands have experimented with things like QR codes/MS Tags, JagTags/etc.. And while I still don’t know how effective they are (I don’t see many brands paying it off that well), I have to give them credit for at least opening up the gate to go deeper into the brand. That’s what I mean by mobile changing the “OOH” game. Brands don’t need a “digital” origination point to drive interactivity. Out of Home initiatives, whether traditional or digital, can always be made interactive, in large part due to mobile capabilities.

In the end, it’s important to understand that all of the “channels” (Out of Home being one of them, coasters being a delivery mechanism for OOH) in a brand’s advertising mix are just part of their ecosystem. The brand’s challenge (and agency’s partnering with them) is to make sure their story is a) consistent and b) evolving across all of the channels and mediums. Often times, initiatives are developed, implemented, and activated in silos – OOH, DOOH falls within their own silo – and regardless of how big or neat or (even) effective they are, if they’re only happening in 1 silo, many opportunities are missed. So, next time you see something as simple as a coaster or a poster or a magazine ad that capitalizes on the opportunity to drive you deeper into the brand, take a minute and go through the experience. Try not to judge the experience, just appreciate the fact that they’re not missing an additional opportunity to take you, as a consumer, deeper into their brand via this standard-fare, see-it-everyday, ho-hum, gotta-advertise-on-it-anyway gateway.

Friday’s 4-1-1, Mobile-Style

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It’s Friday and time for the 2nd Friday 4-1-1 series. This installation is all about mobile, particularly the specific enabling technologies associated with mobile that have an opportunity to make brand interaction richer & deeper when coupled with OOH/DOOH/IOOH. If you’re a new reader, I think there is a difference between what makes “digital” Out of Home and “interactive” Out of Home – “digital” is made possible through display technology, “interactive” is made possible through enabling technologies. These technologies enable deeper interaction with a brand and its OOH/DOOH installation. You can think of it like this:

Enabling technology (and there are many of them) + OOH/DOOH = IOOH (Interactive Out of Home)

Display technology + OOH = DOOH

My premise is “Digital” Out of Home cannot be made interactive without any of these enabling technologies. So, today, I’ll focus on 3 mobile enabling technologies – augmented reality, geo-location, and of course, QR codes. Here’s the 4-1-1:

1. Facebook Places Propels SCVNGR to 100,000 Downloads in 48 Hours – reality check, first of all – the “general” consumer doesn’t use geo-location apps like FourSquare, much less a new app like SCVNGR. The penetration numbers for “digital” users who use geo-location apps are low (~4% according to Forrester). However, I believe there is loads of potential for geo-location apps like FourSquare, Gowalla, FB Places, and SCVNGR (and the others). These apps really enable a feature that I believe is core to a brand’s success in the new “Out of Home” space – reaching consumers where they are (out of home) and driving deep(er) engagement with the brand. There are few brands who have really figured out how best to do this, but there are many who are experimenting. As far as SCVNGR goes, their platform is really based on the idea of a Scavenger Hunt – users go around to different places (called “Treks”), when there, they have to complete a challenge, get rewarded via points, and then ultimately get rewarded with badges. For brands, this platform is significant because it’s a built-out mobile platform, specifically intended to provide challenge-based scavenger hunt game-play experiences. Yes, you can pretty much do the same thing with FourSquare (you have to work through FourSquare) and Gowalla (users themselves can set up “trips”), but they weren’t built for this very thing (neither of them are based on “challenges”). In my opinion, it’s a better way to reward consumers who are loyal enough to your brand to go through a challenge-based scavenger hunt (again, outside of their home) vs. just checking in repeatedly at a single place.

2. Four Seasons Joins Geo-Social Gold Rush With California Campaign – I’ve put together a number of campaigns with Gowalla – it’s not the Austin-based connection that I am high on with them, it’s really the experience they provide vs. FourSquare. (In fairness, if I could put together any geo-location-based campaign, regardless of budget/time constraints, I would probably look at using both of them, but Gowalla is easier/more accommodating to work with. FourSquare has sheer numbers, Gowalla has a more engaging experience, particularly on the brand side, in my opinion.) So, it was nice to read about a brand like Four Seasons hopping on the geo-location bandwagon. Again, this is yet another example of a brand driving engagement with consumers while they’re out and about, going through their normal day-to-day activities. Who would have ever thought that just by “checking in” some place through your mobile phone, you could get rewarded with a hotel-stay voucher.

3. Toys “R” Us Unveils Multichannel Mobiel CRM Tactics – here’s my QR code example this week. Only problem with this is that it’s launching in Hong Kong only. At least right now. Solid concept though – targeted at their loyalty card holders, those loyal consumers can unlock exclusive content through these “R” (what Toys R Us is calling them) codes and from the sounds of it, with each scan, can earn more “loyalty” points, which is of benefit to them with real-world merchandise. QR codes are commonplace in that part of the world, so I suspect this is going to be widely used. Hopefully, the campaign will make its way here and even more hopefully, US consumers will actually know what to do when they see this weird code in front of them.

4. Augmented Reality Campaign for Lustucru Pasta in 500 Supermarkets – pasta + a martian + tomatoes + Augmented Reality = AWESOME. Forget about checking into places, whoever thought they could play a game with a martian just by purchasing a box of pasta? Augmented Reality has come so far in a few short months. Now, instead of needing a black-bound box that serves as a marker and a webcam, all you need is an AR application on your mobile phone. It’s really unbelievable. For this, though, I guess the question is, “does this drive more sales?” Don’t know. After I play the game, would I want to play it again? Does it build? Is there anything deeper? If so, it could be the reason that I’d want to continue buying this pasta when I need pasta. If not, on the surface, it’s a good engagement, but what does it do to achieve longer-terms goals? It makes me smile, though. Check it out:

“Uh-huh” – Reggie Bush hit the Holy Grail by combining geo-location (FourSquare) with social media (Twitter/Facebook) and the real-world (with StickyBits). This is the perfect combination of driving Reggie Bush-brand engagement through the use of various mediums/channels, including a strong OOH play. Basically, Reggie used FourSquare like a scavenger-hunt service (should have used SCVNGR!) so that fans could find autographed footballs around the city of New Orleans in anticipation of last night’s opening NFL game. They could then attach messages to StickyBits for Reggie. Great cross-channel program.

Before I get into this week’s “Duh,” I’ll say this – I think that “OOH” as a media channel has changed drastically in the past few years. My definition of “OOH” is “anything that the user doesn’t have to own to have an experience with.” In these cases, a user needs a mobile phone, but the point in which that experience originates is always OOH and from something that they don’t need to own – checking in at a location doesn’t require you to own the location, using a QR code doesn’t require you to own the QR code, and even playing a game from a box of pasta doesn’t require you to necessarily own the box of pasta. Lines are certainly more grey than they used to be in terms of “OOH” and it’s in this grey area that I believe lives the 11th Screen.

Now, my “Duh” – it’s not an example this week, it’s a piece of advice based on a few experiences that I’ve had this week. Slow down. Life and work move very fast and most often, we make decisions in split seconds. Those decisions can have a profound impact on other people and your own work (substitute “life” with “work” if you want to). There is nothing wrong with slowing down, taking a deep breath, having a think on it, and then moving forward.

I hope you guys have a great weekend. Would love to hear anything you’ve got to say about any of this. Just shout!

“Turning on Digital Signage” Webinar Recap

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Today, I attended the Digital Signage Federation’s first “learning series” webinar – “Turning on Digital Signage” brought to us by the guys at Brawn Consulting. In short, it was a great session with lots of helpful information, all presented in 1 quick hour. It was very much a 101-type session on digital signage, placements, “components” of the network and even selling, which makes sense coming from someone who leads a consulting group. From my POV, it was really geared to companies who would sell services of the digital signage network “components,” specifically hardware and software providers (makes sense because they’re AV guys, too). There were mentions sprinkled in about content, and I appreciated that they were sprinkled in in the right context (working together with the components and identifying ways digital signage can be used in various locations). I think anyone listening, particularly those who want to learn the basics of this thing called “digital signage,” walked away with learning something. Here are the specific nuggets of the session that I walked away with:

The “industry” doesn’t talk about “digital” signage and “interactive” signage as separate terms. “Digital” signage can become “interactive,” but in the end, it’s all digital. I either have to accept this or continue pushing this. To me, there is a big distinction and it’s important to differentiate the two. (“Digital” signage and “traditional” OOH are about 1-way messaging. Both can become “interactive,” therefore becoming conduits for 2-way interaction. Push/pull messaging vs. just push.) But what this does is exacerbate the problem of people talking consistently about this space. Although there were mentions in text of “interactivity,” everything today was talked about as “digital signage.” I believe the opportunity for this “OOH” medium is the possibility for interaction, driving deeper into brands. Not just an efficient way to “display”/push messages out. I’ll keep talking the way that I talk, but I am becoming more and more aware of how everyone else talks about it.

I’m big into models. The Brawn guys have created a model that identifies 7 Key Elements to Digital Signage: Hardware, Software, Connectivity, Content, Operations, Design, & Business. I want to get a copy of this deck so I can absorb everything involved in each of the elements. Overall, though, this is a “simple” guide.

I loved how they put consumers before makers/distributers/sellers in terms of identifying value. They were talking about identifying what’s “valuable” before you implement any digital signage solution and they started with the audience (consumers). This is music to my ears. If it’s not providing value to the people who are ultimately going to use it, it’s no good. (They also presented a “value triad,” which was another model that I thought was effective and simple. Want to see it again, though.)

There are ~350 companies out there selling digital signage software. Wow. And I know first hand about this, because I spent the last four years of my life creating a custom piece of interactive signage software. I understand and appreciate nuance differences, but 350 different solutions? How can one navigate the space well enough to know what software is best for them? I know the end user (consumer) doesn’t care about this, but as someone who would need to ultimately buy (or create) one of these, I wouldn’t know where to begin. Actually, I would….now I understand what the guys at Preset & Brawn do :)

As I said when I first learned about this series, education sessions like this are needed. They’re the “right” way for an organization like the Digital Signage Federation to take responsibility and own education. Many people need to be hearing about this and listening in on these sessions. I would love to know who participated today and what they got out of it.