A single viewer is worth a thousand...
I write and speak often of engagement, the ability to enable a relationship between the digital sign and the viewer.
To get that engagement, you must make a connection.
Tom Martin recently wrote a post at Ad Age that address the idea of a connection, and I strongly agree:
About this idea — connection — the simple human need to connect to others. Powerful. Powerful because it causes people to do things, feel things and act on those feelings. Powerful because connection lives beyond the transaction and creates feelings and memories that last. Powerful because in a world of hyperconnectivity, consumers have never been less connected to brands.
If that ain’t the ultimate goal of digital signage, I don’t know what is.
Mr. Martin finished his post by offering advice to the minds behind building connections:
So the next time you sit down to write a brief or review concepts, ask yourself if what you’re doing is advertising or trying to connect. If it is the former, try again. Who knows, you might just get rewarded with a nice prize for your efforts.
I believe advertising is all about creating a connection. The challenge is in the delivery. If all you’re trying to do is stimulate the viewer, think about how you can build desire. Think more aspiration, less inspiration.
And write for every type of location. How you speak to someone at home during prime time is not how you speak to someone walking past you in Times Square. Think about how you can connect with those people in those places. Think about how you can get them to engage.
If you’re right, then you have made a connection.
