Blog: Lyle Bunn 
Lyle Bunn (bio)
Strategy Architect
BUNN Co.
Wednesday, 25 June 2014

InfoComm is all about the selection and development of media and the June 14-20, 2014 annual conference was inspiring. More than 37,000 delegates from 114 countries attended. 5700 education seats were filled and 947 exhibits presented a wide range of innovations.

Early in the week the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration reported on its study of roadside dynamic display safety, declaring that "Commercial Electronic Variable Message Signs" do not impact driver safety.

Is this a new descriptor (?) I wondered. Surely not for wide use, but it did point to an ongoing concern about what to name the media. "Digital Signage" seems dated, "Screenmedia" though increasingly used is commonly too broad a descriptor and terms such as "Dynamic Place-Based", "Enterprise Media" and others are applied. As the media applications broaden, we can assume that a wider range of names for this media application will emerge and be used.

"Who are these people(?)" I asked myself while touring the digital signage area of the show floor, as there were many new exhibitors.

For your consideration: The digital signage supply base continues to grow with providers of technology elements as well as supply partnerships and consortium. Numerous new patents have been filed and granted over the past few months including iSign for its ecosystem linking place-based display and mobile devices for commerce, impulseGuide for content management approaches and multi-choice/trivia authoring, VertiGo Digital Displays for outdoor displays for outdoor display/kiosk and Digital Factory for convection cooling. The fact that most of these suppliers did not exhibit, and nor did any of the larger digital signage providers such as Scala, Stratacache among other suggests that these providers are moving forward with day-to-day relationships and projects without the need for trade show floor exhibit presence.

Further, it would appear that the majority of AV/IT integrators that will add digital signage to their portfolio have already done so. As they have selected core products and continously scan for new and better products as needed, one could believe it is less important to await the InfoComm show floor while attending Digital Signage Expo or distributor events to gain the greatest benefit in supplier connection.

But, many of the top 25 AV/IT integrators do not yet have a corporate-wide offering as many branches depend upon their search/learn/apply approaches. These firms are encouraged to get their offerings to the next level if they wish to enjoy supply to larger deployments or be part of taking existing networks to the next level of value.

Digital signage education sessions delivered some of the best value that I've seen to date. Most went far beyond the "101" level as delegates were typically in the situation where they had already deployed and were looking to move the value and benefit from their installations to new levels.

For your consideration: Place-based message display and engagement media has been embraced by organizations in virtually every sector and use for patron, shopper, traveler, staff and student communications. The medium has proven its merits and end-users, as well as suppliers, are realizing that objectives, processes and the technology that served them at the initial levels of operation typically require refinement and change if improved economies of scale are to be realized.

Some other insights offered during InfoComm14 related to digital signage include:

  • Statistics about the digital signage sector that would describe its proliferation or growth are not easy to come by. NPD Displaysearch analysis based on the flat panel supply chain do not consider display size of less than 26 inches, which discounts the deployment of service counter, shelf level, elevator or other smaller form  factor displays. Intelligence on the installed base of DS, the number of users, total sector employment, etc. can only be achieved by extrapolating or calculating based on the available data.
  • Typical display size for deployment in increasing and is now generally 52 inch or greater based on the price performance. The narrowing of display bezel is enabling more visually effective video wall use.
  • 4K displays do present stunning imagery when the content and the media fueling approach support 4K resolution. The uptake of 4K in digital signage is expected to be slow as these elements develop further with the most immediate term applications being fashion display, museum and attraction exhibit.
  • Laser-based projection, with its 20,000-hour lamp life (versus about 600 hours on projectors currently), offers significant potential for large space dynamic media projection, which has so far been cost prohibitive due to mounting and maintenance needs.
  • Content drives business value. Never has this been so broadly understood and taken as a "given" in a large conference setting.

Lyle Bunn is an independent analyst, advisor and educator in North America's Digital Signage - Place Based Media Sector. He has assisted more than 300 enterprises and helped to train more than 10,000 professionals to benefit from the media. He has published over 280 articles and whitepapers and has been named among the 111 Most Influential People in the industry by DigitalSignageToday.com

Posted by: Admin AT 09:30 am   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Friday, 01 July 2011
Happy Independence Day and Canada Day weekend! Few people have time for sun tanning in the dynamic signage industry…at compound annual growth of 23 percent; the industry is going full-out. Retail deployments must be ready by Thanksgiving and others, such as campuses, are "back-to-school" driven. But training is the ongoing need!

In this edition:
• InfoComm 2011 summary and 30 in-depth sessions
• Open letter to end user CEOs and COOs about dynamic signage
• Participate in the July 21 virtual, desktop Digital Signage 2011 event
• SPEED II from DSEG coming soon



InfoComm 2011 took dynamic signage to a new plateau in the integration and AV community as outlined in the 2-page executive overview. An InfoComm Digital Signage Showcase Theatre produced by Multi-Media Solutions included over 30 in-depth interviews, case studies and presentations. These edited, useful sessions will be viewable from the InfoComm website. I will let you know the URL. In the meantime, the following three very popular white papers will be very useful to you and your colleagues.

The CONTENT of Dynamic Place-based Media: State-of-the-Art
Campus Dynamic Signage Networks - Communications Value and New Revenues
Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail



I have issued an open letter to the CEOs and COOs of end user organizations about dynamic signage. It calls on their sponsorship of projects since initiatives typically cross organizational boundaries and can be challenging to plan. A 5-step action plan is included to help advance and direct projects. Project leaders and suppliers will find this open letter useful to advancing projects.



Plan to participate in the July 21 Digital Signage 2011 virtual, on-your desktop event. This is the 3rd in the series of these popular and informative events. The "page from my playbook" will help you, your colleagues and customers get the most from this event.



SPEED II Dynamic Signage Training Program will soon be available for download from the Digital Signage Expert Group. Each of the four one-hour sessions compliment DSEG programs by addressing key planning elements, such as defining objectives, project development, ROI, content, revenue achievement and others. Plan to learn more this summer. More to follow.

Thank YOU for all you do. Let me know if I can assist your efforts in any way.

Lyle Bunn
Principal & Strategy Architect
BUNN Co.
Independent Advisor and Educator
Dynamic Place-based Media





Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 08:36 am   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Wednesday, 03 February 2010
The “train” that is digital signage left the station in the post 9/11 economy when advertisers and marketers sought more productive ways of communicating. Since then it has been picking up speed at a double digit compound annual rate of growth and acceleration, and now has a full head of steam and is thundering down the tracks in just about every market and application area.

Digital signage continues to be installed at points of purchase, transit, waiting and gathering, at and near where people shop, work and study to inform, influence and increase safety.

Arbitron has reported that Out-of-Home video as a medium reaches 67 percent of Americans 18 years and older each month, and delivers a fairly representative cross-section of consumers. 76 percent of those seeing digital signage noticed displays in multiple venues.

A “critical mass” of displays has been deployed, which allows advertisers to reach targeted audiences based on demographic profile, Designated Market Area (DMA), geography and even the activity in which they are involved (shopping, transit, café, workout, attending a game, etc.).
 
More than 180 ad-based networks exist with 47 of these (as Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau — OVAB — members) accounting for almost 400,000 displays. DisplaySearch reflects that almost one million displays have been deployed in North America for dynamic media presentation to shoppers, patrons, staff and students. A Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in display deployment of more than 23 percent is forecast. This growing critical mass substantiates the value for marketers and other communicators to consider, plan and use digital signage/DOOH.
 
Twenty percent of the 1,200 firms that responded to the fall 2009 industry survey conducted by the Digital Signage Association indicate they will spend between $200,000 and $1 million per year on digital signage/DOOH. This represents 240 firms of the survey respondents themselves expecting to spend a total of $48 to $240 million. Forecasts by industry analysts place industry projections in excess of $1.2 billion annually.
 
To be or not to be…

So the question is not whether or not an end-user or supplier organization will engage with digital signage during 2010, but “how.” End-users, suppliers and integrators all have the choice to be part of digital signage or not, with consequences to those that do not, and benefits for those organizations that do.

End-users, such as retailers, service providers and others, will lose revenue and patrons to competitors that use the medium, or will enjoy the benefits of more effective communications spending, meeting the information needs of target audiences. We are increasingly a “visual” society and the effectiveness of digital signage as a communications device is being proven across a wide spectrum of projects.

A/V and IT integrators are ideally suited to provide the technology integration needed. Some have lost market positioning by not offering digital signage earlier, while other have seized on new clients, revenues and margins, while other parts of their business have declined.

Some are generating new, ongoing revenues from services such as network planning and design, network operations and content production. End-users are going to buy from someone, and the ability to respond to needs is the basis of ongoing supply relationships.  

The field of the suppliers of technologies that comprise the technology “ecosystem” continues to grow. While some bring more cost-effective elements for media authoring, management, connectivity and presentation, many are enhancing their offering by bundling technology elements. 

Once the choice of whether to engage with or not is made, the important question of “how” needs to be addressed.

The following chart illustrates the framework for digital signage planning, supply and operations. It provides the context of the choices that end-users and suppliers must make as they decide how they will engage with digital signage.

No single organization can supply all elements of a digital signage network, and there are a wide range of more or less encompassing approaches used in both the sourcing and supply of the required elements. This presents opportunities while also making decisions about sourcing and supply both important and complex.

Digital signage projects start in the same way as the typical audio/visual project, however are typically much more complex in the definition of intended use, outcomes, Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on Objectives (ROO). A challenge of this phase is that the lack of understanding of what the digital signage technology can do often constrains the process.

A/V integrators, which typically focus on technology provisioning based on a defined specification, can often play a key role in defining the overall operational model and technology configuration which it might then supply.

Opportunities also exist for A/V integrators to provide services such as network operations, help desk, playlist administration and content development, as illustrated in the chart.
During this planning and assessment, the approach to technology sourcing/supply will be determined.

This feeds into the business model of “who supplies what” and “how.”

And in this process, some areas of ongoing operation emerge as key sourcing/supply issues. These include network operations, help desk, playlist administration, and content creation and sourcing in particular.

Some A/V providers are having success at providing these planning and operational services from within their organization, while others are sub-contracting or gaining a referral commission on these needed services, from which margins of 30-60 percent are typical. 
So consideration for the enabling technology in terms of functionality/benefits/costs relative to ROI and ROO is needed. The iteration and refinement of communications goals and the technology will result in a balance of outcome versus investment.

Throughout the process, end-users as well the integrator and suppliers must each decide on the nature and degree of their involvement in each phase of the system deployment life cycle and the sourcing of required technologies and services.

New digital signage projects will be advancing in 2010 across the economy. And, as the communications objectives become broader in scope and the technology infrastructure of existing networks is refreshed, new sourcing requirements and supply opportunities exist.

So, 2010 is a year of choices. Correct decisions by end-users will result in successful projects with ROI/ROO from the sourcing and use of digital signage. Correct decisions by integrators and suppliers will result in new revenues and profits, the retention of existing customers and expansion through new ones.
Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 01:20 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Wednesday, 30 December 2009

An estimated 1,080,000 unique advertising spots play on Digital Out-of-Home displays across North America during 2009, based on calculations using conservative parameters.

The Digital Signage /Digital Out-of-Home (DS/DOOH) industry in North America has emerging rapidly (25-50 percent CAGR) over the past six years in particular and despite reductions of an estimated three percent in overall ad spending, ad spending on DOOH continues to grow from its 2008 level of $1.4 billion (according to PQ Media) by nine percent annually. DOOH has found itself in the “communications continuum” with other credible advertising medium such as TV, radio, Internet, print, billboard, etc. and is positioning as a “trigger device” to motivate engagement through a handheld and mobile interactivity.

The Digital Out-of-Home area of the industry, which is based on third party advertising revenues is comprised of almost 200 networks, which allow advertisers to reach targeted audiences based on demographic profile, Designated Market Area (DMA), geography and even the activity in which they are involved (shopping, transit, café, workout, attending a game, etc.) in presenting messages at points of purchase, transit and gathering.

The following provides sample characteristics of networks while indicating total industry ad volume. The estimates used are generally conservative.



DOOH advertising is sold by a wide range of organizations including:
  • Most Digital Out-of-Home networks have an internal ad sales capability.
  • Many network operators are members of the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau (www.OVAB.org) or the Canadian Out-of-Home Digital Association (CODACAN www.oohdigital.ca). These associations increase the profile of DOOH to accelerate overall ad sales success.
  • Adcentricity (per www.Adcentricity.com) represents over 80 network partners with over 140,000 place-based and retail screens covering 16 main venue categories and over 70 sub-categories.
  • SeeSaw Networks, (per www.SeeSawNetworks.com) “reaches more people in more places than any other digital video network. Combining over 50 digital signage networks across 30 different types of locations, SeeSaw is the most extensive national digital video network currently in 26,000 venues nationally and growing. SeeSaw delivers over 50 million weekly gross impressions – more than primetime TV spots at a fraction of the cost”.
  • rVue (www.rVue.com) acts as a sales agent for about 20 networks.
  • Ad display on DOOH are often included in campaign proposals blended with TV, cable, radio or static billboard ads by ABC, CBS, NBC, ClearChannel and others.
  • As existing media providers (i.e. cable, print, etc) deploy DOOH networks, ad display opportunities will be bundled with “core business” ad proposals.
  • Personnel responsible for sponsorship, patron programs, merchandising and co-op programs typically add Digital Signage to their proposals when display capability is added to their facilities.
  • Other ad sales capability could be expected as media organizations seek to leverage their ad sales capabilities and infrastructure.
Given the proven results in sales lift, message recall and awareness, reduced perceived waiting times and improvement to the location experience that result from the proper use of Digital Out-of-Home, as well as the continuing growth in the number of displays, advertisers and ad sales representation, the future continues to be positive for Digital Signage/Digital Out-of-Home – “the sharpest instrument in an advertiser’s tool chest.”

Lyle Bunn is a consultant, commentator and educator in North America’s Digital Signage / Digital Out-of-Home industry.
Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 01:22 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Friday, 09 October 2009
Digital signage and digital out-of-home is not in itself a technological breakthrough, but rather the ongoing incremental improvement of technology integration that exploits "digital" in a supply chain that includes digital content creation, management, connectivity, playout, display and measurement.

This incrementalism, which continues its rapid acceleration, means that neither ad revenue achievement or "infrastructure" come first, but are concomitant — both effected by, and effecting each other simultaneously. The presence of either of these elements supports and triggers the other.


It was never an option for a single DOOH firm to "cross the chasm" with others rapidly following as is characteristic in technology breakthroughs. Instead, a critical mass and momentum by a larger number of firms has had to be achieved almost simultaneously over the past several years, which in itself has fueled growth.
Digital signage is a vortex, accelerated by the internal forces of enabling technologies, better technology integration and scalable operations along with the external forces of the increasing pressure for communications and marketing cost effectiveness.
 
The growing numbers of networks and displays reflect the broadening at the top of the vortex, while the vortex seeks to gather up and integrate technology elements and processes with integration into other systems for better message targeting, impact measurement and other points of operational optimization and cost savings.

The growth in the number and locations of displays motivates increased advertising which enables greater infrastructure investment, resulting in an upward spiral, rather than a "chasm crossing."

The great benefit is that all end users, location providers, technology providers, system integrators and operators, and content providers "win" through participating in this upward spiral.

The genesis of DOOH has not triggered an exodus from TV or other advertising devices, but enabled the revelation that media more optimally applied means more effective communications spending. Digital signage has found its place, incrementally, into the communications continuum and is on its path in wealth creation, in the same way that every other high-value application of managing light has found its economic success since the beginning of time. DOOH allows demographic targeting at points of purchase, long dwell times and high traffic.

The expanding infrastructure of digital displays proliferates message presentation in the "digisphere," the global environment of digital addressability and connectivity where media and messaging serve people, organizations and society.

People live on the lithosphere of earth, as part of its biosphere in its atmosphere while looking up into its troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere. The digisphere enables human success through connectivity in all these areas.

Within the digisphere, communications can be increasingly granular — in the case of digital signage and digital out-of-home, improving the message targeting to audiences and individuals by location, interest, demographic and intended action to improve the level of relevance and engagement leading to the outcome intended by the communicator.

Lyle Bunn is a highly regarded independent advisor and educator in North America’s digital signage/digital out-of-home sector.
Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 01:23 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Thursday, 23 October 2008
We’ve all seen them when entering a retail store: the small displays placed at ceiling level at the store entrance that show security footage, letting all who enter know that they are being watched. But while screens designed for loss prevention can deter theft, unfortunately, they can also be insulting or set an inhospitable tone for patrons.


Through the use of digital signage, displays used for loss prevention can also be used to run content that creates brand loyalty and encourages sales lift through, promotions, digital merchandising and cross-selling.

In essence, one screen is used for multiple purposes. First, running dynamic and relevant content will serve traditional digital signage roles such as welcoming patrons and serving as advertising space. Interspersed with that content is live security footage designed to curb theft.

The technology could be a welcomed one for the retail industry. Total retail losses are approximately $37.4 billion annually, with shoplifting conservatively estimated to account for 30 to 40 percent of total retail shrink/losses, according to University of Florida and Hayes International surveys.

Often times, shoplifting and theft directly by or enabled by staff can be a bigger problem for retailers than shopper theft. Surveyed companies apprehended one in every 27.9 employees for theft, based on 1.85 million employees. On a per-case average, dishonest employees steal approximately 6.6 times the amount stolen by shoplifters ($851.44 vs. $128.71).

Fight crime with content

No good examples of multi-purpose displays for loss prevention yet exist, although several large retailers are investigating possible approaches. The potential that exists to use one system to support the goals of the other, as well as optimize staffing, store layout and merchandising, is yet to be realized.

But even before integration of the technology infrastructure, the content alone can provide an improvement.

Even a one-second message integrated into the loss prevention display could gain attention, (probably more than the security view alone), to welcome customers and enable the transition into shopping and buying mode. The message could be the store logo, brand tag line or short promotional ad. In addition to welcoming the customer and potentially delivering ad revenues, such messages could serve to complicate thieves' attempts to determine camera angles and unviewed areas of the store.

Content on digital signage displays can help achieve loss prevention goals, in particular with the inherent ability to daypart and schedule message presentation. 

Before store opening, staff can be targeted with messages aimed at reducing internal theft. Content could aim to reinforce their awareness that security cameras and recording devices are used at check-out, in aisles and stockroom areas to reduce theft and to remind staff of actions that could follow detection.

Patrons could be reminded to be cautious with their purses or other valuables to prevent theft by other patrons. Or customers could be encouraged to report suspicious behavior or reminded that shoplifting increases the cost of goods. Digital signage displays in store areas of high shrinkage could remind patrons of what loss prevention staff are looking for, such as merchandise being hidden or not presented at checkout, prices being changed, packaging being damaged, etc.

Lyle Bunn is principal and strategy architect with Bunn Co. and is a regular contributor to Digital Signage Today.

Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 01:27 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Thursday, 09 October 2008
The word concomitance means "co-existing" or "affecting while simultaneously effected by." As such, the word is an apt descriptor for the expanding relationship between digital signage and cellular technology.

The positioning of out-of-home digital signage has this concomitance generating keen interest, indicated by the planning and spending of ad agencies, brand managers, network operators and wireless carriers.
 
With one billion mobile devices being shipped annually, they constitute the largest segment of the consumer electronics device market, according to Stuart Carlaw, vice president and research director of ABI Research. That means cellular and other wireless merits consideration by the digital signage industry.
 
The benefits of triggering a download or mobile transaction provide brands with the high levels of engagement that accelerate brand-building. Communicators are catching onto this fast.

Mobile: the future of advertising
 
Jupiter Research reported the North American mobile commerce revenue in 2007 to be $505 million and forecasts it to grow to $1.9 billion in 2010. This is fueled by increased adoption of mobile Internet.
 
Comscore TKG projects growth to 92 million users in 2012 from 32 million in 2007, with highest usage, at 45 percent, being the Millenials demographic of hard-to-reach 18-24-year-olds. The next group, 27-40-year-old Gen X-ers, represents 27 percent of users, and 41-50-year-old “Baby Boomers” represent 17 percent. 
 
The IBM Institute for Business Value Analysis reported that the highest compound annual growth rates (CAGR) for global advertising spending are being realized in mobile advertising at 41 percent, followed by 20 percent for Internet and 19 percent for each of interactive TV and in-game advertising.   
 
Wireless carriers are taking note of the high value that they can bring to digital signage while it simultaneously returns the favor. Concomitance of the two media means a co-existing "win" for every part of the supply chain, from network suppliers to operators to advertisers to viewers.
 
"Cellular and mobile broadband use for media networks leverages the network reach, reliability and security built into networks, like the Nationwide Sprint network, that successfully carry millions of digital transmissions daily," said Steve Rowley, director of indirect distribution for Sprint. "Digital signage will increasingly take advantage of what cellular offers."
 
Walsh Wireless, a Sprint reseller, is one provider that is looking specifically at optimizing and using cellular technology to enhance digital signage.
 
"End users of digital signage want to focus on their core business of retail, hospitality or services, and benefit from the ease and confidence that gaining a complete, turnkey display network can provide," said Chick Walsh, chief strategy officer of Walsh Wireless.
 
Three benefits of cellular/digital signage concomitance
 
There are three benefits for carriers seeking more average revenue per user (ARPR) from digital signage-cellular integration.
 
1. Taking advantage of cellular networks. The first key benefit is using cellular networks to connect digital signs. Using cellular connectivity offers speed and ease to deploy, location flexibility and a lower cost of operating a network.
 
Companies such as MediaTile, Adshift and NEC are providing cellular-enabled "digital-signage-in-a-box" products, and system integrators such as Walsh Wireless are bringing the two technologies together. 
 
"The use of cellular connectivity for digital signage underpins the rapid path toward more flexible deployment and lower costs of operations," said Keith Kelsen, chief executive of MediaTile.
 
2. Using screens for a mobile call to action. A second benefit is found in mobile phone downloads that can be triggered by digital signage content. The words "text to download" provide viewer engagement and dramatically extend the value of digital signage.
 
The download could be a schedule, procedure, information, coupon, wallpaper or ringtone. Reference has been made to digital signage being a "middle media" that explains this communications supply-chain positioning of digital signage. 
 
3. Digital signage as a mobile merchandising tool. The third benefit is in the mobile Internet browsing sessions and mobile transactions that can be triggered by digital signage. 
 
Optinion Research Corp. said that one out of three U.S. mobile users are currently accessing the Web with their mobiles, and 50 percent of those people are doing so three or more times per week. 
 
Hossein Mousavi, EVP & co-founder of mporia, an m-commerce provider, reports that merchants of all sizes are moving to mobile Web to enable mobile commerce, with a 300-percent adoption rate of merchant subscriptions per quarter.
 
Communications supply chains are a continuously growing and optimizing entity. As digital signage is increasingly geared toward information provisioning, cellular and other forms of wireless, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, WiMax and satellite, will optimize the application while reducing deployment and operating complexity and cost. Cellular will both offer and enjoy benefits – "concomitance."

Lyle Bunn is the principal and strategy architect of Bunn Co. and a noted authority in the digital signage industry.

Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 01:28 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
Friday, 18 July 2008

It should be no surprise that the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) would sponsor one of the first books to explain the business of digital signage. Out-of-home digital displays offer a powerful extension of or a cost-effective alternative to television advertising.
 
The great benefit is in the degree to which “Digital Signage: Software, Networks, Advertising, and Displays: A Primer for Understanding the Business” (NAB Executive Technology Briefings) by Jimmy Schaeffler, describes digital signage. Also beneficial are explanations on how it fits into the marketing and communications mix, and what to consider when investing, deploying or using this medium.
 
No matter what it is called — dynamic display, retail TV, narrowcasting or electronic signage — digital signage has accelerating momentum as a powerful marketing, staff and patron communications instrument.
 
While I am pleased to have been one of the people mentioned, the book includes references to many, many of the people, suppliers, networks, advertisers and organizations that comprise the billion-dollar industry.
 
Digital signage is described in a holistic perspective. Schaeffler describes the medium as a business and business-enabler in communications industries such as broadcast, print publishing and Internet.
 
It describes various business models for digital signage in a wide range of applications including retail, transportation, hospitality, banking, education, automotive, houses of worship, medical, consumer services and staff, visitor and patron communications. It also references deployments around the world with a focus on North America, Asia, Europe and South America.
 
The history and emergence of digital signage are addressed by reflecting on the use of videotape runway shows used by New York fashion houses in the late 70’s. The current state of deployments and ad spending presented in the early chapters help to clarify the megatrend toward out-of-home dynamic display.
 
The characteristics and inherent capabilities of digital signage are well articulated, along with trends and key reasons that are driving the exponential growth of digital signage.
 
Ways in which digital signage fits naturally into communications campaigns are presented in case studies. Numerous examples of digital signage are provided, including the Mayo Clinic, emebaVet, Gas Station TV, Clear Channel Outdoor and others. These examples point to areas of unique value provided in the planning of networks.
 
The technology infrastructure and key considerations for network design, integration and deployment are explained implicitly, but the focus is on describing the business of digital signage, the “what” and “why,” rather than the “how.”

As digital signage grows, system integrators, content producers and network operators are getting on the bandwagon. This book is a “must read” for such companies and those seeking to leverage existing offerings, organization or infrastructure to serve or diversify into this new market.
 
The book is well-written for and applicable to brand managers, communications professionals, advertising agencies, media planners and media buyers for whom digital media and display are part of their future.
 
“Digital Signage: Software, Networks, Advertising, and Displays: A Primer for Understanding the Business” (NAB Executive Briefing Series) by Jimmy Schaeffler is published by Focal Press. It can be purchased by clicking here.

Lyle Bunn, Principal & Strategy Architect of Bunn Co., is a noted authority on the digital signage industry.

Posted by: Lyle Bunn AT 01:29 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  
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