No, I’m not referring to an obscure version of the Chinese calendar (by the way this is the Year of the Rabbit), but rather looking at what aspects of digital out-of-home (DOOH) will be emphasized this year. An emphasis on content is nothing new; we've heard it for years that "Content is King" and that content relevance is an absolute requirement for effective digital signage. So why do I feel that 2011 is unique and not just an echo off the industry walls from years gone by?

First, there is the huge wave happening with mobile and social media. Can you imagine what it must be like to be Mark Zuckerberg? I can’t. Facebook, as with social media in general, is a phenomenon that is reshaping human interaction and defining relevance down to the individual level; when you couple that with the mobility offered by smart phones and tablets (the two big buzzes at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show) you have an incredibly rich communication medium that is with you wherever and whenever you want it. This undoubtedly extends to digital signage, where viewers’ eyeballs, and more importantly, their attention will be gained by content that understands their need state and overall state of mind. Digital signage networks that do not deliver relevance to the viewer will be ignored and not deliver on any viable business model.

Second is the maturing of digital signage technologies. The leading DS software providers are offering sophisticated yet easy-to-use systems that intelligently target content to the right place at the right time, based on who is watching. Sophisticated back-end systems will utilize meta-tagging, location attributes and business rules to automatically distribute content, target its display and generate playlogs and performance analytics. In addition, these providers realize that digital signage is part of a DOOH ecosystem as they create very smart ways to integrate it with mobile and social media applications.

This “targetability,” or narrowcasting as it is often called, brings about a huge demand for everything from original and licensed content to dynamic content driven by RSS or other data feeds (like POS, inventory and loyalty programs) and viewer-generated data such as SMS and interactivity (touchscreens, QR codes, etc.).

So will we see agencies develop content using a traditional creative and production process? I don’t think so. I believe that a new breed of content design and production will emerge that takes into consideration the soaring demand for highly targeted, quickly produced and cost-effective content. Examples of such companies include AccuWeather, CustomWeather, Eventful, Locamoda, Never.no, Saddle Ranch Productions, Screenfeed and others. Please forgive me if I left anyone out, and I welcome your comments below to help create additional awareness.

I have been generally disappointed with the lack of leadership from content design and production companies in this space. With some notable exceptions, this group has been relatively silent and willing to ride along without putting their hands on the wheel. Most of the thought leadership in this area has come from software providers, network owners and consultants.  

Well, 2011 is your year. Get involved. For starters, if you are not a member of the Digital Screenmedia Association, join today. If you are and you are not actively involved, then start having a voice. Also, this spring at the Customer Engagement Technology World (CET World) show in San Francisco there will be a dedicated pavilion for content companies to show their wares. These are low cost mini-booths equipped so you can just show up and plug in your content. There is limited space, so make sure you sign up quickly.