Imagine if everyone actually watched all the ads. Holy brightlightsbigcity...
As the industry matures, so too does the need to understand synergy between the screen and the viewer. It is paramount that resources be applied to understanding this synergy, discovering the challenges and exploiting the solutions. This continues to be the brass ring of out-of-home messaging.
That was a hoity-toity way of saying: Viewer engagement is difficult to achieve.
I see the current model of programming for digital signage networks unable to live up to its potential of viewer engagement for three reasons:
The content model of Digital Signage is the opposite of television.
Advertising is the programming feature on almost all digital signage with little to no emphasis on entertainment. Because ads are abundant for broadcast, it’s easy to re-purpose them for the digital sign. No one, no one, ever watched a screen just to watch the ads. Television as a cultural phenomenon was designed to entertain, inform, and educate, not sell, pitch, or swindle. (Sorry, Mr. or Ms. Agency, but arguing this is like saying you read Playboy for the articles. Yeah…right.) The Digital Signage programming model is antithetical to a consumer’s mindset when watching the screen.
Viewer control over the content.
TiVo has forced advertisers to be more creative in their approach. You now see production value and storytelling that rivals the top television programs; advertisement now is entertainment. That’s why the Super Bowl draws 30 million viewers. We all know that great advertising, regardless of product, is fun to watch.* The problem is that these good storytelling ads are hard to re-purpose for digital signage environments. A 30-second ad will never be fully absorbed in an environment where the viewer is always moving, like a storefront on a sidewalk. The story cannot be told. The ads are not versioned for a different audience and a different mindset. In addition, trying to say the same thing on a digital sign that the customer made every effort to avoid in her home borders on disrespect for the viewer’s time and attention. They don’t want to see you.
(Strange irony here: TBS does a yearly show highlighting the best commercials of the year from around the world. They have dedicated a site to it. I do watch that show, but I have to TiVo through Kevin Nealon’s mid-ad skits. He’s about as funny as a moldy watermelon.)
There is no such thing as a captive audience.
Advertisers are in love with the idea that a digital signage network provides a “captive” audience. Under no circumstances are viewers forced to watch the screen. Even in a movie theater, people will ignore the pre-show ads, talking with each other until they see the dancing filmstrip dude who asks all of us to hush up for the movie. Mobile devices have made escape even easier. The best a network can hope for is a captivated audience. The differences in strategy among the networks to create that type of interest is extreme. Because advertisers have yet to see any tangible return on their investment, they are reluctant to provide customized advertising to so many outlets.
In all three cases, the common variable is viewer engagement, the ability to get a viewer to stop, notice, linger, and engage with your message. Tough stuff. But understanding the potential pitfalls is key to building a solid strategy. The industry has come to understand that viewer engagement is the objective in compelling messaging. Remember, television has had 60 years to figure this out. We’re trying to get this solved in less than 10 with a brand new medium.
The out-of-home industry has entered a new realm of measurement, research, and understanding. It is extremely important to build a strategy that serves the ultimate purpose of your digital signage: to engage your viewer. Hopefully we can get there faster than television did.
*My dad worked in television for 30 years and knew good advertising when he saw it. I remember vividly as a child watching television with him and seeing an ad and him saying, “Nice ad.” I emulate him today when I see good advertising. Of course, back then the Miller Lite ads were the bomb and made everyone laugh. Maybe that’s why there was always a cold 12-pack in the fridge. And to answer your question, no. I never drank beer with my dad. Honest.
Broad Thinking. Narrowcasting. Brilliant Writing.
I have to imagine that Ken Goldberg was the kid who liked to take stuff apart to see how it worked. Only that Ken could put it back together, not have any pieces left over, and make the thing run better than it did before.
Who is Ken?
Ken is the CEO of Real Digital Media, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions provider. They make the NEOCAST Media Management System.
Like my first Bloggers Unite! subject, Bill Gerba, Ken plays the role of service provider in the industry. But, his insight goes way beyond the fans of hardware and ones and zeroes of software.
Ken’s partner in the blog is Jason Broom, Real Digital Media’s VP of Marketing. Like Ken, Jason’s pedigree is deep and his value to Real Digital Media is directly a result of his background in software management.
What Do They Write?
Ken and Jason write the blog Broad Thinking, Narrowcasting. Until 2009, the blog had sparse entries. But this year sees more posts than 2005 through 2008 combined. This is a direct reflection of the industry’s activity. (Heck, I started writing in January myself.)
Ken writes from just about every angle of the industry, reading all kinds of stuff and taking it apart and telling you what you should know. The detail is closer than the usual 30,000 foot view – his posts average around 900 words, a little more than “my .02” – but not quite microscopic. His insight is more than an opinion. I don’t think Ken has been around the block. I think he threw a little mortar in his day.
Why Should I Read This Blog?
Each post yields something interesting, and I’m happy I read it when it comes through. Ken’s not afraid to give his opinion, worrying less about the politics and more about the truth behind the matter. (See the post on Wal-Mart DVD fuss. I have yet to see an apology.)
Overall, their insight is valuable to those who wish to see the digital signage is much more than just a screen, and computer, and a customer.
Three To Read
Digital Signage and Kiosk Apps: A Future of Coexistence (November 16, 2009)
Ken gives a high-level comparison between digital signage and kiosks, and, more importantly, he shows the main reasons these two disciplines are having a hard time integrating more cleanly, and he’s spot on.
Can We Take It Up A Notch? (October, 26, 2009)
“But it would help everyone if people redoubled their efforts to act with integrity and honesty.” Like all industries, we have the good, the bad, the ugly. Ken does a splendid job of showing the bad and the ugly while being a good guy about it.
Kicking Off The Crystal Ball Season (September 4, 2009)
Our entire world is in love with the “Top 10” something-or-other approach to bringing in the new year. Ken wrote seven predictions to start the season of conferences and big press releases; he didn’t need 10. I read this right before we launched The Preset Group. The man is clairvoyant, I tell you! I can’t say he’s a bettin’ man, but something makes me want to hang out with him in Vegas in February for the Digital Signage Expo.
Do you read a blog I should be following that is worth showcasing here? Send me a link. If I like it, I’ll write about it.
All this to find out you don't have a Tickle-Me Elmo? No thanks.
A while back I heard a retailer explain that most of the customers that walk through the door usually have two questions:
“Where is the…?”
“Do you have…?”
Yet, the retailer has not executed digital signage that can answer these questions. The ideal place for this digital concierge is in the store’s “landing zone,” or the first 20 feet or so inside the doors. Some retailers prefer to keep this area free from a lot of noise and promotion as a way to allow the customer to decompress and transition from traveling to the store to the experience inside it.
I believe this is the very place where customers expect to be directed. Customers enter and orient themselves with the new surroundings. Those that are short on time do not walk to the back of the store and then ask, “Where is the…?” They would prefer to ask up front and get their shopping finished.
In February, 2009, Herb Sorensen wrote “Deconstructing the Shopping Trip (so far!).” Mr, Sorensen states that these questions are actually an effort by customers to break down barriers erected by the brands and retailers. The two questions he sees (closely related to the two above) are:
Where is the . . ?
Which one of these . . ?
“The first of these plagues the shopper when store layout does not match the shopper’s natural navigational practices and the second when it is unclear which of many options is the right one for the shopper.”
So why is it that retailers have yet to fully embrace this as an opportunity to assist the customer’s path to purchase?
The holiday shopping season is rarely the enjoyable treat we see played out by so many retailers in their holiday campaigns. Instead of jingle-bell laden happy music, fluffy snow, rosy cheeks, and beautiful store employees, we have bad weather, empty shelves, muzak, and employees who would rather hit the local tavern than help the umteenth customer find the batteries. This is a terrific mixture for stress.
This year will be another “make or break” season for some retailers, and they are pulling out all the stops to make sure they don’t push daisies next spring. One plan is not adding employee head count in the store, the part-time seasonal workers that come in to help with the customer traffic rush. This is an easy way to avoid costs.
Providing a solution to the most basic questions a customer has would solve two challenges: It would alleviate stress on the shopper to search and discover the item of choice was out of stock; and it would reduce the stress on an employee to help every single customer that walks through the door, instead focusing on customers that need detailed help. The ideal state finds the navigational interactive device tied to the local POS system to indicate whether an item is still in stock.
Interactive navigation is ideal in situations where customers can shop on their terms, and the holiday shopping season provides no better time to execute this type of digital interactivity.
Maybe that’s why the internet is so attractive for holiday shopping. You can search for something and find it without leaving your comfy chair as the fireplace crackles, the fluffy snow mounts outside your window, and your iPod rattles the ornaments with “Winter Wonderland.”
