Content is King: Part Two

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

Digital Signage Today’s Paul Flanigan went to the Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit in Las Vegas last week, and has broken down his insights, thoughts, and discoveries into two posts. Day One can be found on the May 27th post here, and on the Digital Signage Website. Day Two is featured on the Digital Signage Today website, and right here:

Day Two of the Content Strategies Summit seemed to be two things overall: First, a practical application of some of the best practices (Target’s Mark Bennett showed a dozen clips that emphasize his best practices) and a much deeper dive into theory and research.

It’s not point of sale, it’s point of experience.

In 45 minutes, Al Witteman, managing director of Retail Strategy at TracyLocke, showed me that the next step in understanding the impact of digital signage and DOOH is to leverage the incredible research behind shopper marketing. It is widely known that approximately 70 percent of all purchase decisions are made in the store. Mr. Wittemen’s argument is that the emtire environment is the sales pitch, not just a sign on a shelf. Instead of creating “Digital Signage,” he would like the industry to use the term “Digital Experience.” (This may be a late entry into Dave Haynes’s post about what to call ourselves.) The environment has morphed into a holistic engagement device designed to ensure that your decisions are certain, perfect, and will have a positive impact on your loyalty in the future. It’s not “point-of-sale” any longer. It’s “Point-of-Experience.”

What I learned: This is the next phase of digital signage/experience. The industry has spent the past several months grinding away at the basic foundation of what it takes to put the content in the environment, but has yet to really work on impact – what makes the customer tick, and how we can create interactive and engaging experiences. Al asked which one of us would go into work, apply shopper marketing insights, put a stake in the ground, and drive the industry to the next level.

I will. I hope others will too.

Target is spot on. (Pun intended.)

Mark Bennett, group manager of Media Production for Target, presented Target’s best practices for Channel Red, Target’s in-store multi-channel network. His points confirmed much of how we should conduct our process for digital signage (I echo several of his points in managing my own programs). But what struck me about Mark’s presence at the conference was not so much the presentation, but the fact that another major retailer is coming forward to learn and educate on industry best practices.

You can find a detailed account of his presentation on Bill Gerba’s site here, written by Christie Liu. The article opens with, “In a rare appearance…” I think Target’s presence will be much more frequent. Like Peter Müller-Brühl’s discussion on Mercedes-Benz during Day 1, major brands will help shape the future of this industry and lay a foundation that all retailers (even the small ones) can model after. I hope that Mark and Chris Borek will continue to drive the industry forward.

What’s more valuable? CPM or REM?

Paul Ryan, President of Retail Engagement Architects, in collaboration with Retail Media Consulting, presented a solid argument for understanding the value of a message. By creating a grounded process by which measurement is achieved (not just imagined), we can move from measuring reach (CPM) to Relevance, Engagement, and Measurability (REM), or Impact.

What I learned: Building the understanding of impact starts in the process, not at the store. By creating a process aimed at a measurable result, you not only get your desired results, but you will also set the standard by which other content impacts the viewer. Plan for measurement now, not after it hits the store. An important lesson, indeed.

The five items you need in a supermarket

Remember that I asked you to list those five things you need tonight at the market? I’ll take a stab at what you wrote: bananas, milk, juice, eggs, cereal. Those were my five. Here’s the question: How many of those are listed as brand name items (instead of “juice,” you wrote “Tropicana”)? Chances are you wrote very few, if any, brand names on your list.

Hearing Mr. Witteman speak about shopper marketing research opened the door for me to see where I think the industry needs to look to build impact and value with content. Christopher Gray, Psy.D., vice president, Shopper Psychology with Saatch & Saatchi X, signed, sealed, and delivered that message.

Dr. Gray explained how we have the potential with Digital Signage (Experience?) to fill in that brand name blank. With the shopping exercise, he was, “demonstrating that brand preferences are not guarantees once a shopper is confronted with all of their choices at shelf. The fact that we tend to write down categories of items rather than specific brand names is significant and suggests that on some level, consciously or subconsciously, we are not fully committed.  As a result, there is room for influence. How to do that successfully is where the real work begins.” When we walk in a store, we not only have a frame of mind about what we want, we spend a considerable amount of time “deselecting” extraneous brands and products. That deselection state is a death knell for brands.

How can Digital Signage help brands avoid the deselection phase?  Dr. Gray presented a compelling series of arguments on how digital signage can keep a brand at the forefront of the customer’s mind when shopping.

Echoing Mr. Wittemen’s statistic that 70 percent of all purchase decisions are made in the store, and with a time span of approximately three seconds for the shopper to move into that area of impact and make that decision, how can we utilize digital messaging to cut through the clutter? Thought provoking, to say the least.

Quite frankly, Dr. Gray’s entire presentation is a series of blog posts on its own. His insights on shopping behavior and how Digital Signage relates to those behaviors was nothing short of fantastic. I hope we hear much more from Dr. Gray, Saatchi and Saatchi X, and TracyLocke.

What I learned from this: With the need to understand evolving customer desires in an ever-changing environment, we must embrace the experience and expertise of marketing insights. We can then truly begin with the end in mind.

Oh, and I need to get Tropicana 100% Pure and Natural Orange Juice with Some Pulp at the market tonight. In case you’re wondering, that’s one out of 64 Tropicana Juice and Drink varieties I can choose from. My head hurts. A little.

Context comes first

Rob Winston, senior account manager for Arbitron Out-of-Home, explained that if content is king, context is emperor. Without context, you lose the efficacy of content.

Mr. Winston noted that our culture has moved from content consumers (watching ads on a program pre-TiVo) to content customers (actively deselecting those pieces of information we choose not to see/hear). It warrants a discussion on what we consider engagement. Mr. Winston believes that engagement is where the audience makes a commitment, not just a response.

All of this wraps into context, something that seems obvious, but in reality is very difficult to achieve. How many of us have hung a TV somewhere in a public space because we knew viewers wanted to see something cool on it, and how many times did we actually consider the space around it? I’m guessing all of us have been down that road before.

Mr. Winston provided a set of simple questions that we should be able to ask and answer in any given situation where we plan to provide the customer with a digital experience:

1. Who is your customer?
2. What are they doing?
3. What do you want them to do?

If you apply these questions not only to the screen but the environment around it, it’s easy to see Mr. Winston’s compelling argument that research lives inside context, and even the best creative won’t work without it.

What I learned: The paint on the wall is much more serious than just a color. It could very well be a deciding factor in whether or not you sell anything with your screen.

The summit – Final thoughts

This was the first slide of Mr. Wittemen’s presentation, and I understood it as soon as it popped up on the screen.

The industry has seen its fair share of “how to” white papers. I have read dozens of them myself. But I believe this summit called attention to the “why behind the buy,” and the need for the industry to leverage that information. Regardless of the presentation or source, every single person the stage brought more than just a pretty piece of video to look at. We heard insight on why content was created, why the customer needed to know something, and why something worked or failed.

What was refreshing was not hearing suspicions about the agency’s role in the process of content. Historically, agencies have been trying to find their place in the industry, and they (and we) are still working out the kinks. But having them at the same table as technology experts, retail experts and industry insiders makes me believe their role in the future of this industry is extremely valuable and growing.

There was a strong contingent of retailers and agencies in attendance, and a few production houses as well. What I saw was a common thread to understand that content can only be king when we have the following: Absolute mastery of the audience based on meticulous research and shopper insights; completely streamlined technology that allows us to create unique experiences and distribute to specific channels of interactivity; and common measurement metrics that work for both large and small environments alike.
And finally, that none of this can happen without everyone at the table.

Easier said than done, I know. But doable.

Paul Flanigan is the producer of in-store digital media for Best Buy and author of the Experiate blog.

This article in its entirety can also be found on Experiate.com.

Content is King, Pt. One

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

Digital Signage Today’s Paul Flanigan went to the Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit in Las Vegas last week, and has broken down his insights, thoughts, and discoveries into two posts.  Day One is featured on the Digital Signage Today website, and right here:

Last week I attended the two-day Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit in Las Vegas, and had the opportunity to hear arguably the brightest minds in the industry give their take on the adage, “Content is King.”

The focus on understanding the value of content was paramount. I sat next to a gentlemen who asked me, “So how would I go about getting digital signage in my stores?” Needless to say, many colleagues, myself included, gave him a notebook worth of thoughts on the next steps.

There were so many salient points that I have broken this up into two posts, each covering one day. Look for Day 2 Friday.

DAY 1

The show started with hearing the agency perspective, providing insight into creative storytelling. Conor Brady, SVP and chief creative officer with Organic, summed up the idea of creative workflow by saying, “the message is convergent; the experiences are divergent.” I think that was a terrific introduction to the entire conference, explaining how we work to go from one-to-many messaging to one-to-one engagement.

If content is king, distribution is King Kong

Peter Müller-Brühl, Business Development Leader for fisherAppelt, tv media in Germany, explained that content can only succeed when the right channels for deployment are in place.

In describing the distribution challenges Mercedes-Benz faced with sending content to all the local showrooms, Müller-Brühl and fischerAppelt partnered with dotflux Group to distribute HD content in a segmented fashion to locales that do not have high bandwidth.  Müller-Brühl states, “We as the agency produce about five to 15 gigabytes of full HD content every month, and [dotflux] distributes this over the existing dealer network-connection (many of them have less than 1 megabit for their entire dealership). They use some kind of grid-computing approach, so no infrastructure investments are necessary, neither locally at the dealer, nor centrally at a play out center. Usually the network costs go up exponentially when you use full HD quality at more then a dozen locations.”

What did I learn from this? I learned that while content may be important to me (the retailer, or end-user), distribution is at the forefront of many minds, especially advertisers and agencies. The pretty pictures are nothing if they don’t get there.

A template for customization

The highlight of Müller-Brühl’s presentation was his description of providing HD (yes, HD!) content to the dealerships with text fields for variable messaging. This allows the dealers to customize the message for their environment.

Müller-Brühl described how Mercedes-Benz dealers around Germany installed televisions to watch the World Cup matches in 2006. Once the tournament was completed, all these showrooms were left with TVs and no content. It was a challenge to Mercedes-Benz corporate because a network had literally popped up from nothing, and now the dealers wanted content for their TVs. The process of creating and deploying content became a major initiative, but proved successful.

The text field is designed into the creative, with the correct font and layout, so that the message, no matter how custom, feels like Mercedes-Benz made it just for that dealership. As Müller-Brühl confirms, this is “…very important because of the premium brand image.”

Watching a major brand like Mercedes-Benz execute this is important because this is exactly where retailers must go to create a customized and localized feel. I have done some of this with the network I operate, and the feedback has been tremendous.

What did I learn from this? There are right ways and wrong ways to create messaging customized for local use. If you don’t give the local showrooms an avenue for their messaging, they’re liable to create some of their own, and that could easily be “off-brand.” Instead, build a kit of parts for them to use based on brand, corporate marketing, and initiatives. And when you partner with a technology solution that eases the workload and efforts at the local level, you’ll find much more cooperation from them. And beware retailers that take it upon themselves to hang a TV. Sooner or later, they’ll come to corporate for help with content. This has happened to me at least a dozen times. It helps to have perspective on best practices for handling these cases.

The NYC sign…loophole?

Steve Bumstead, founder and president of PixelFire Productions, said that if you hang a monitor outside a window in New York City, it is designated a sign. If it’s hanging inside the window, it’s not. Loophole? Maybe. But if you’re planning any type of signage in NYC, this might be something to consider…

What did I learn from this? I have built programming for both sides of the window, but never thought about this in terms of freedom of creation. Would it make more sense to move the screen to inside the store? Maybe…

While you’re at it, can you make my program, too?

Part of the first day was devoted to a workshop where we teamed up to create a network and playlist for another sector of the industry. In my case, I was on a team assigned to create a network for an outpatient cosmetic dental care facility; a stretch from consumer electronics, but I was lucky. With me at the table was an industry all-star team, among them Steve Nesbit from Reflect Systems (technical infrastructure), Al Wittemen from TracyLocke (shopper insights), Peter Müller-Brühl from fischerAppelt, tv media (business development), Bob Stowe from Wendy’s Restaurants (retail/QSR), and a gaggle of creative minds.

There was no award or contest here, only the opportunity to step away from our normal business to gain perspective on other sectors that can benefit from compelling digital signage.

We were given 30 minutes to take the value proposition and create a playlist based on available resources. Every team came up with a comprehensive playlist that would be easily successful in the sector they were assigned to execute.

What did we learn from this little exercise? Begin with the end in mind and bring your experience to it. None of us at the table had personal experience with a cosmetic dental care facility, or that demographic of consumer, but by asking three basic questions – Who is the customer? Why is he/she there? What does he/she want? – We were easily able to apply our knowledge to a solution.

Even working in consumer electronics, I found myself easily transported to handling a different public space because of my awareness of the industry around me. The business proposition, the creative development, and the distribution of the network would be straightforward because all of us at the table – two had over 30 years in the industry while one was a complete novice – had the business background to develop a network based on consumer desires. As one colleague at the table said, “I haven’t been this excited about marketing in several years.”

Now I know how to peel a banana

Kent Hodder, president and executive creative director of Met|Hodder, handed out a bunch of bananas at the start of his presentation, and showed all of us the easiest way to peel a banana. If you’re like everyone the room, you’ll be surprised.

Hodder’s allegory is that even in a room full of experience and expertise, we are still learning every day, and many of those “aha” moments of innovation come when we least expect it. He presented several stories based on the “aha!” moment of understanding, even bringing some of the less-than-stellar occasions to show how we learn. One quote that stood out was, “Experience is a marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.”

Before Friday’s post, I have a little test for you. Get out a pad and a pencil (or open your word processing program on your other monitor). Here’s the test: Imagine that you need to stop by the market tonight and you need to pick up five things. Write down/type out those things right now. Go ahead, do this.

See you Friday.

Paul Flanigan is the producer of in-store digital media for Best Buy and author of the Experiate blog.

This article in its entirety can also be found on Experiate.com.

Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada Honored With Business Excellence Award

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

From MSN’s Money Central website comes this press release from Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc:

MINNEAPOLIS, April 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:RNIN), a Minneapolis-based digital signage provider, announced today that its Windsor, Ontario, Canada office was honored with the Product Innovation Award by the Windsor/Essex Chamber of Commerce at its 19th Annual Business Excellence Awards held Wednesday, April 8th.

“We are extremely proud to have been recognized by our business community with this prestigious award,” said Alan Buterbaugh, senior vice president and general manager of Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada. “This is a great moment for our employees and is a great way to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and innovative thinking that exist across our entire company.”

Wireless Ronin Technologies provides RoninCast(r) digital signage software and service offerings to markets such as quick serve restaurants, retail, automotive, public spaces and gaming for centralized control over content displayed on networked digital signage. Wireless Ronin’s Windsor office recently implemented a 29 screen digital signage network at the new Windsor Spitfires Hockey Arena (WFCU Centre) which broadcasts live game coverage, facility information and provides space for advertising to create additional revenue for the arena.

The Windsor/Essex Chamber of Commerce has been recognizing the achievements of businesses and individuals making contributions to the growth and prosperity of the area’s economy since 1991. The awards recognize the integrity, creativity and dedication of businesses and bring together leaders in business, government and industry to recognize their ability to succeed despite today’s tough economic times.

About Wireless Ronin Technologies

Wireless Ronin Technologies (www.wirelessronin.com) is the developer of RoninCast(r), a complete software solution designed to address the evolving digital signage marketplace. Wireless Ronin provides clients with a complete, turnkey digital signage system which allows the ability to manage a digital signage network from one central location. The RoninCast(r) digital signage software suite allows for customized distribution with network management, playlist creation and scheduling, and database integration. Wireless Ronin offers an array of services to support RoninCast(r) software including consulting, creative development, project management, installation, and training. The company’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “RNIN.”

CONTACT: Wireless Ronin Technologies
Media:
Holly Heitkamp
(952) 564 – 3560
hheitkamp@wirelessronin.com

IndoorDIRECT’s BITE Network to Air In 324 Hardee’s Locations

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

Digital Signage Universe has posted a press release about the partnership between IndoorDIRECT and Hardee’s:

IndoorDIRECT’s BITE Network to Air In 324 Hardee’s Locations

Leading Flash Media Solution Providers Fast-Forward Media Player Development

DALLAS, TX — Indoor Direct, Inc., announced today that it has signed an agreement with Hardee’s Food Systems, Inc. to provide its in-store entertainment programming to 324 Hardee’s locations beginning this year. The agreement with Hardee’s provides advertisers with further exposure to the popular burger chain’s 18-34 young and hungry male audience.

IndoorDIRECT produces theBITE Network, a combination of entertainment and advertising tailored to reach the 202 million Americans who visit quick-serve and fast-casual restaurants each month. TheBITE features a new 60-minute lifestyle program every week with four dynamic hosts reporting on news, entertainment, music and sports.

“Hardee’s is a company that attracts millions of Americans who crave great burgers, but also are seeking a little entertainment at the same time,” said Bill Myers, indoorDIRECT’s Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer. “With the addition of Hardee’s, indoorDIRECT will give advertisers further exposure to an important target audience in an environment where they aren’t distracted by other media.”

IndoorDIRECT’s recently announced venture funding of up to $22.5 million to complete the roll-out of its in-store network infrastructure to 1,000 quick-service and fast-casual restaurants nationwide. With that expansion, indoorDIRECT has an initial national media platform of more than 10 million viewers a month in top DMAs.

Known as the company that first raised the quality bar for fast-food hamburgers five years ago with its revolutionary line of charbroiled, 1/3- and 2/3-lb., 100% Black Angus beef Thickburgers®, Hardee’s has established itself as a leader in the quick-serve industry on taste and quality – not simply on size and definitely not on price.

“Hardee’s prides itself on giving our customers delicious meals superior in taste and quality that they would expect at restaurants with higher price points,” said Steve Lemley, Hardee’s vice president of field marketing. “With indoorDIRECT’s network in hundreds of our locations, we will exceed our customers’ expectations by delivering quality and varied entertainment programming that they weren’t expecting when they walked in.

Panasonic Lowers Price of Full HD Plasma Display

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

From TechShout.com we find an excellent article about Panasonic’s new pricing for its 103-inch full HD plasma display:

Cost-efficient customers come one step closer to owning a 103-inch full HD Plasma Display.  Panasonic has lowered the price of its 1080p display device from $69,999.95 to $50,000.  It was the initial price when it first debuted in December 2006.

The company claims that its Plasma displayl is the industry’s leading large-format display.  It can be used for commercial or home theater applications such as digital signage, high-end home theater and higher education.  More than 6,000 of these devices have made its way into the customers’ homes and offices since its release.

The full HD Plasma display makes watching sports, action movies and video games a delight.  It produces smooth and crisp pictures on its 7-1/2 x 4 feet viewing space.  Also known as the TH-103PF10UK, it boasts of superior panel longevity with a 100,000-hour service life.  The display also comes with a 3 year warranty and ProPlasma Concierge Service.

Andrew Nelkin, President of Panasonic Professional Display company, explained, “The combination of advancements in Plasma production technology and the tremendous worldwide success of the Panasonic 103-inch Plasma HD Display over the last two plus years have enabled us to increase range of customers at a lower price point.  When our 103-inch Plasma first debuted, it was a made-to-order product.  It soon became obvious that in ultra-large screen sizes, nothing comes close to the Panasonic 103-inch Plasma in delivering crisp, clear, blur-free images in 1080p High Definition.  D emand for the 103 exceeded our initial expectations, and its popularity continues.”

Along with its other properties, the device is also able to support up to 5 x 5 video wall natively.  The display incorporates new video processing capabilities which help achieve clear and sharp images.  Picture clarity is also observed while displaying low resolution content or zooming images in video wall applications.  With the Portrait Zoom function, a horizontal image can be displayed across three vertically placed 103 inch plasmas.  This gives users wonder visuals of more than 90 square feet.

The 103-inch Plasma display is widely used for high visibility commercial applications in the U.S.  Some of these places include CBS network’s The Early Show set, NBC  network’s Sunday Night Football studio, and 2009 Beijing Summer Olympics studio.  Other places include New York’s City Hall,  Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, and Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.

RoninCast Digital Signage for the Health/Beauty and Tanning Industries

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

Join Scot Sinnen, Regional Vice President of Wireless Ronin Technologies, as he shares valuable insight into digital signage for the tanning and health/beauty industry.

Select a date and sign up today:

Tuesday, May 26th

3pm to 4 pm CDT

Thursday, May 28th

11am to 12pm CDT

Don’t see a date that will work for you? Contact us today for a personalized presentation.

With digital signage you can update pricing and messaging in a matter of minutes. Centralized, networked control allows you to maintain brand consistency, while providing store managers local control to communicate messages specific to their location. All of this is communicated through a beautiful flat-screen display that reflects the cutting-edge nature of your brand and products with compelling video and animation. Impact customer’s perceived value of your brand the minute they walk in your door.

Join Scot Sinnen, Regional Vice President of Wireless Ronin Technologies, as he shares valuable insight into digital signage for the tanning and health/beauty industry. With an extensive background in mapping effective solutions for well known industry leaders such as Sun Tan City, Scot will arm you with the knowledge needed to implement a digital strategy for your business and bring your environment into the digital age. Wireless Ronin’s software will display your message, while the Wireless Ronin team supports your project from all sides – content development, project management, installation and support.

Use your digital signage network to:

• Display a menu board of product and service offerings
• Showcase promotions, packages and new products
• Maintain uniform messages in all of your locations
• Enhance the environment of your salon to match the cutting-edge nature of your tanning equipment
• Provide your staff with a compelling sales tool to reference when assisting customers

KaneffGolf Selects ScreenScape for its Premier Location, Lionhead Golf and Country Club

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

From PRWeb Press Release Newswire comes this timely and relevant – it’s golf season, after all! – article about Lionhead Golf and Country Club’s decision to use ScreenScape’s digital signage solutions in their Brampton, Ontario, facility:

May 10, 2009 — ScreenScape Networks announced today that Lionhead Golf and Country Club has deployed ScreenScape’s venue networking solution in their world class golf facility in Brampton, Ontario.

“ScreenScape is providing Lionhead with an innovative and cost effective service which allows us to showcase all of our products, services and events on LCD display screens in our clubhouse. ScreenScape is a real time-saver for the staff and is extremely easy to use,” said John Dickie, Director of Sales and Marketing for KaneffGolf. He continued, “Previously, we ran a closed network signage solution that required the staff to manually update each screen at each location. ScreenScape now allows us to easily manage the content via the Internet from our corporate office. The ScreenScape platform can also scale to accommodate all of our other locations throughout Ontario when we are ready to bring them online. Better yet, at the click of a mouse we have the ability to bring in 3rd party content from partners, sponsors and even golf equipment manufacturers.”

Lionhead Golf and Country Club chose ScreenScape for their ability to deliver a consistent message throughout all properties while having the flexibility to customize their message for an individual location as required. Currently, Lionhead is using their screens to draw attention to their golf related services and to highlight their clubhouse and all of its amenities which are ideal for corporate events, banquets, seminars, private parties and weddings.

“We couldn’t be happier about Lionhead joining our network. The Kaneff name has been synonymous with quality and commitment to excellence for over 50 years. Their selection of ScreenScape is a tribute to our ability to assist them in their mission to consistently enhance customer service for their guests and corporate sponsors,” said Kevin Dwyer, President and CEO of ScreenScape. “We look forward to helping Kaneff with the deployment of ScreenScape across their other world class facilities over the coming months.”

About KaneffGolf

The KaneffGolf Group consists of six golf facilities that are situated in the Golden Horseshoe between Mississauga and Niagara. Lionhead, the flagship, consists of two top-ranked, award-winning courses, the Legends and its sister, the Masters. Other facilities include Streetsville Glen, the most established site in the group, newly renovated in 2001, located just south of Lionhead on Mississauga Road. Carlisle and the completely renovated Century Pines are located in the Guelph area. Royal Niagara, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is the home of the 2003 TELUS Skins Game. And the newest member, Royal Ontario, features a spectacular new clubhouse, built in 2003.

Find out more about the other KaneffGolf locations or the Kaneff Group of Companies at http://www.Kaneffgolf.com or http://www.Kaneff.com.

About ScreenScape Networks

ScreenScape is an Internet Service and Community that offers a smarter, simpler and more cost-effective way to use dynamic screens in your venue. Members of ScreenScape form a community of venues interconnecting to establish a shared resource and a marketplace for exchanging content.

Learn more about ScreenScape by visiting http://screenscape.net.

STRATACACHE announces service to track and document consumer traffic patterns

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

From Digital Signage Today comes this excellent article about in-store consumer traffic pattern analysis:

DAYTON, Ohio — STRATACACHE, provider of the digital signage platform ActiVia for Media, has launched a new service providing in-store/in-branch consumer traffic pattern analysis for new digital signage customers.

In-store consumer tracking technology uses highly intelligent IP cameras to analyze the ongoing consumer traffic pattern within the retail store or branch location. This technology counts patrons, tracks their flow and dwell through the retail environment and helps companies select optimal locations for digital messaging based on the consumer’s in-store/in-branch behavior. The data generated by the system provides valuable intelligence for retail environments and bank branches to analyze placement of digital signs and their success.

With this intelligence, retailers and bank branches can improve customer service, respond to consumer shopping or traffic trends, and determine which promotions and products are most effective at generating interest and stimulating action. Traffic analysis offers banks and retailers a competitive advantage that can make a critical difference in their digital signage project, dramatically improving the customer experience and increasing message effectiveness.

STRATACACHE’s new program leverages the traffic tracking technology and pattern analysis both pre- and post-digital signage installation to optimize the placement decisions being made for digital displays within the retail environment. The traffic pattern technology remains in place post-digital signage installation (two to four weeks) for continued analysis of consumer traffic to help determine changes in flow triggered by the digital signage as part of the consumer experience. When used in concert with ActiVia Audience Measurement, the system can determine not only where customers travel within the store or branch and how they get there, but also what digital messages they focus on during their visit.

STRATACACHE’s ActiVia for Media is a highly optimized solution for retail digital marketing that manages the entire digital signage lifecycle for multi-layered playlist creation, distribution, audience measurement and monitoring of large-scale digital signage networks. ActiVia is massively scalable and capable of managing networks containing up to 250,000 concurrent media devices.

ActiVia combines STRATACACHE’s patented content delivery platform with state-of-the-art digital media technology. ActiVia can be purchased as a customer-deployed solution, through a Software as a Service (SaaS) arrangement, or as a managed service via STRATACACHE or STRATACACHE partners worldwide.

Oslo Airport Uses Digital Signage for Security

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

From AVinteractive.com comes this very interesting post about digital signage in the Oslo airport:

Oslo Airport has installled a digital signage netwok consisting of 17 screens and three channels to communicate information about updated security regulations to passengers and employees. Screens featuring custom content are placed before the airport’s main security checkpoints and a separate employee checkpoint.

After noticing confusion among travellers about changing security regulations, the airport staff sought out a better way to communicate this information.

Digital signage company Ferd Consulting AS (Oslo) installed the system and suggested Scala software to power the network because it would give airport staff the ability to simultaneously schedule different messages on multiple screens.

Ferd coordinated the setup and installation of 14 Samsung screens in front of the security checkpoint. Four of those screens feature content about new regulations. They are located near tables so travellers can reorganise their hand luggage to comply with the regulations. Three separate screens and a different channel are reserved for employees using the staff security checkpoint, allowing management to communicate additional information internally.

Harrods of London Embraces LG Digital Signage

Posted on May 8, 2009 by Jane Goodwin at 12:05 am

Harrods of London, one of the worlds most famous clothing stores, has embraced digital signage throughout the entire store. LG has installed digital signage screens between each floor and elsewhere, too!

The entire store is decked out with LG screens used for wayfinding and branding. The famous Egyptian escalator features digital signage in between every floor and large screen at each landing. In the electronics retail area Harrod’s has installed a gesture-based LG-branded floor screen that changed content about every two minutes.

Retail Customer Experience.com has the video.  Check it out!