The Influence on Digital Signage

Yesterday, one of my favorite Tweeters, Aaron Danks, asked this on Twitter:

I want to try and answer. It’s going to take more than 140 characters. Here we go:

It’s the other way around. What new, unpredictable, market/industry will enter digital signage?

Mobile and Social Media.

As an industry, digital signage is driven by technology: a screen, or a computer, or software. It’s what you’re going to do with it that will make the difference. In reality, a TV is nothing more than a computer screen (or vice versa). And our culture is rapidly reaching a saturation point with screens. Nowadays you find yourself surprised when you’re in a venue without a screen. If the venue doesn’t have a screen, chances are you do, with your mobile device.

There are two things everyone has now: A screen and a camera. Everyone will want to make content for a screen.

Content is now being driven by social media. The ability to share information across an almost universal platform like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or YouTube enables real-time messaging, information, and engagement. Networks will facilitate this easy interactivity. You don’t follow Starbucks.com. You follow Twitter.com/starbucks, or Facebook.com/starbucks. That’s how Starbucks promotes themselves and engages with consumers.

Mobile presents a complement, a companion to digital signage in the potential for engagement. When Starbucks asks you to follow them. How are you following? Through your mobile device. When you see a screen offering to post your SMS, where is the SMS coming from? Your mobile device.

The term ‘Social Media’ is as inappropriate in discussing convergence of channels, platforms, and messages as the term ‘digital signage’ is to describe the multitude of available screens and locations on which we see the very messages we are putting out there.

But, in a general sense, the influence of social media’s best practices will be the driver of digital signage messaging. Coupled with the interactive nature of mobile devices, digital signage will be a complementary channel of engagement for both the network and the audience.

There. That’s my answer.

Agree? Disagree? Chime in. I’d love to hear what you think.

  • Softven

    Estoy totalmente de acuerdo de hecho en mi blog la semana pasada hice un comentario sobre las redes sociales y el digital signage aqui les dejo el link y lo puedan leer http://senalizaciondigital.blogspot.comnSaludos.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Thank you for the note, Tito. I’m using a seriously big brush stroke here, and I like that you see these platforms as ingredients. You’re right, they are not islands unto themselves in that respect. 2011 will be an interesting year to watch the convergence.

  • http://www.riseholdings.com/ Byron Darlison

    Absolutely agreed.

  • http://www.riseholdings.com/ Byron Darlison

    Absolutely agreed

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  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Thanks, Byron. But I have a question for you: Coming from the tech side, what do you think of this? Is tech ready to adapt to the needs of the platforms?

  • http://www.riseholdings.com/ Byron Darlison

    First off. You asked. Forgive the rant! ;-)nnLong answer.nnI’m going to turn that one around. Tech has adapted and is ready now. It is the driver of the convergence, not the other way round. nnYears ago I used to focus exclusively on digital signage for trading floors and all of the big companies then said that the trading floor would never be replaced by a web page, the “tech” just can’t handle it. On my small street in Toronto I have two neighbours who are day traders who make an incredible living sitting in front of 4 massive monitors displaying real-time financial data all delivered over the web. The trading floors they used to visit each day are gone and so are the displays that I used to sell them.nnFor us, the guys who deliver a message, a call to action, to so called “digital signage” we haven’t realized that all content has moved to the web. Everything. Now the web is moving onto your phone (see this Tweet from earlier today http://twitter.com/#!/RiseVision/statuses/24828142019411968) and onto your TV, and into your car, on your tablet and heck there are even bathroom mirror concepts that display heads up news and social info as you get ready in the morning. What’s holding back TV? Content providers who refuse to let go of control. What’s holding back news? Content providers who refuse to let go of control. Tech is not the barrier. Resistance to change is but this is like trying to stop a tsunami with a sand bag – it’s coming whether anyone likes it or not.nnCan tech handle convergence for digital signage? Better question. Can the digital signage industry handle the convergence that tech is making possible? Can digital signage realize that circling the wagons on “we do digital signage” and we use proprietary means to do it all, etc. etc. because the tech isn’t ready to handle open standards, read the web, for digital signage, despite the fact that everyone else on the planet has converged upon it is the question.nnI had a similar chat, albeit several threads in here, on just this issue on our forum here http://gsfn.us/t/20xpw read through to the meat of my point at the bottom if interested.nnShort answer.nnYes. Tech already has adapted. We as an industry are the ones who haven’t.nnOff the soap box I come and over to you. Cheers!

  • http://www.jonalford.com Jon

    It IS resistance to change. My immediate thought is just as we use only a small percentage of the human brain we only leverage a small percentage of the potential of the internet and mobile space.

  • http://twitter.com/imvinet IMVINET

    Excelent view. I agree with it. nnSocialMedia, Mobile and Digital Signage will start to integrate more and more with time, allowing engagment between them and providing a logical solution to information at the point of sale.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Great thoughts. I would like to note, for the record, that none of this succeeds without tech, of course. The commoditization of technology only means that everyone has it, not that it works well or must evolve to keep up with the demands of the user. There is a supply/demand double-whammy here: Technology and Content. Both are moving quickly, and both need to work together.nnInteresting to say that “we as an industry are the ones who haven’t.” That could mean a lot of things. But I hope it spurs action instead of reaction.

  • Steve Gurley

    I agree with you Paul.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Ahhh…the point of sale. That’s where it will get interesting. Asking rhetorically, where IS the point of sale? Is it on the mobile device in the store, at the POS counter? That will change, too. Thanks for chiming in, IMVINET

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Cool. But I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as you bring the depth of mobile to this. Mobile will be absolutely crucial to the success of any network. Perhaps social media becomes an even bigger bond as platforms become universal across technologies much more easily than before?

  • Jason Cremins

    Totally agree, media strategy needs to be considered across all available channels in a cohesive manner and not as disparate unrelated channels. nnOpen standards and internet connected digital signage is enabling a new wave of convergence where screens are interactive through both touch and mobile devices.

  • Lawrence Dvorchik

    Paul:nnWhat a great discussion, and one that I think too many “buyers” don’t think about, orrather don’t think about early enough in the process. In their exuberance to deploy technology, they fail to focus on the real issue(s). They need to be focused on how technology can be used to engage customers, on the strategy of the action you want the customer to take. The specific technology will identify itself once that strategy is determined.nnWhether looking to reach shoppers, diners, travelers, employees, patients, students, faculty, or the general public, it’s the strategy and the message that needs to be the focus. The technology itself is there, and in many cases has been there for years. Think back to the boon of the internet, when pundits were calling for the demise of brick and mortar, and how wrong they were. The internet, just as digital signage, self-service, mobile and other technologies are the conduit for the messaging, prompting buyers to take action through these mediums. Technology is the conduit for the messaging.nnIt’s our own inability to change and encourage buyers to focus less on the “boxes” and more on the strategy and overall picture of the program that has held things back.nnJust my 2 cents, but for those who don;t know about CET World, allow me to share that this is the key focus of Customer Engagement Technology World (www.cetworld.com), and why our attendees have been called by exhibitors “the smartest buyers they have seen at shows to date.” Join us in San Francisco April 27-28 to see firsthand.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Agreed, Lawrence. Generally speaking, the flow of execution is Strategy -> Software -> Hardware. The emotional will direct the physical.nnFrom the hardware/software side, I believe that vendors are very aware of the situation. Too many times I have gotten phone calls from software and hardware vendors who have clients that need help with strategy.nnThe challenge is the pace of adoption varies depending on the vertical. Someday we’ll all need to be on the same page. Someday soon.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Yep. What I hope to see is the technology do two things: 1. Keep up/keep pace with the demand from the user, and 2. take a lead in directing the potential.nnIn some cases, I think that technology is reactive, and it may pigeonhole some users into execution that really isn’t a solution.nnSo we’ll see, but I’ll be there. (I know you will too, Jason.) :)

  • Anonymous

    Nice work as well, the mobile will be absolutely crucial to the success of any network.
    Internet
    Marketing Blog

  • Mr. Review

    I’m a big believer in Text Message Marketing.
    If your a business – Go check it out.
    I think you will too.

  • http://TextingistheFuture.com TextMarketing

    I see text message marketing as the new frontier of business to consumer marketing.

  • http://TextingistheFuture.com/ Cheatfailure

    Great posts. Social Media will be overtaken by SMS Marketing.

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