Digital Media-A wide open field.
Our current recession may affect ad business in 2009, but outlook for new media is still good. Ad Age interviewed leading industry execs about what they think a recession means for their business in 2008. Martin Sorell, WPP Group’s CEO summed it up as follows: “Looking at 2008, there’s the presidential election, there’s the Beijing Olympics, which will probably be the most spectacular Olympics we’ve seen … and there’s the European football championships. So ‘08 is not the issue; ‘09 is.” But the fears of recession are mainly expressed in relation to traditional media. Most of the new media, however, spearheaded by online advertising and digital out-of-home media (digital signage) shows no sign of a slowdown so far.

Digital billboards and digital signage networks in retail are driving the rapid expansion of outdoor/out-of-home advertising, rivaling the Internet as the fastest-growing advertising medium. What’s fueling this growth? The ability to reach elusive consumers while they are out of home — and especially while they are shopping. The ability to customize each message to audiences at any location and even at any area within a location is another unique value for marketers.

Digital ambiance is a way to use media to complete an in-store customer experience. Programming can be appropriate for the target lifestyle with content advertising in different locations at specific times…. scrolling message boards, LCD or plasma Display panels, electronic billboards, projection screens, or other emerging display types that can be controlled electronically using a computer or other devices, allowing individuals or groups to remotely change and control their content.

A Growing Integration Option.
People like digital, consumers have become inured to static displays. Eye-catching movement and integration of entertainment and information translate into solid benefits. When waiting in a space with digital displays, for example, people perceive that their wait time is reduced. Arbitron just released a report saying digital billboards are noticed by most drivers and appreciated as attractive and useful, particularly with younger and harder to reach audiences. (Highlights at www.digitalooh.org/digital)

-The Motor City Casino in Detroit is building a new facility, and digital signage is an integral part. Monitors can inform patrons of anything from two-for-one lunch specials to the $1,500 ackpot that just hit on slot machine 8 in row 12.

Businesses are just starting to get digital signage power. For example, a restaurant that has a jukebox touch screen control at every table and directories at office complexes that also provide afternoon traffic updates. And businesses even sell advertising space as an additional revenue source. In car dealerships, digital ambiance is using media to complete an in-store customer experience. Programming can be appropriate for the target lifestyle, type of driving experience, or even analysis of data.

-uWink, a digital entertainment company based in Los Angeles, which develops interactive entertainment software and platforms for restaurants, bars, and mobile devices.

-Smart Auto Management SAM taps into a vehicle’s On Board Diagnostic system and prints an easy-to-understand report that reveals existing or pending problems. Motorists save time and money by connecting their vehicle to a SAM self-service kiosk that provides vital information about their vehicle instantly.

At the recent Digital Signage Expo, there were a vast number of digital tools that will be a large part of our retail landscape in the foreseeable future. The technology and equipment being offered is extraordinary, visually catching your attention and then offering an interactive function that makes the experience memorable.

Putting cameras in billboards to measure how many people look at them isn’t a new idea, but it’s starting to get a little more high-tech. Several advertisers now using facial-recognition software to McDonald’s in Singapore and Ikea in Europe, and it’s now bringing the tech to the States, where it’s been deployed in New York in ads for A&E’s The Andromeda Strain mini-series.

At a large local liquor store in Westminster, the Virtual Bartender. This interactive kiosk features party tips, recipes and food pairings for beer, liquor and wine. Users interact with a “virtual” bartender and can print out selections and information (sales receipt size) to then go shop and purchase. The information can also be e-mailed to the consumer. The concept can also be experienced online at www.thebar.com.

Mini Cooper marketers get savvy with billboards that talk to cars. RFID technology in Mini Cooper keyfobs get picked up by billboards which then reflect that information in little messages like “Hey Bill” and “Nice convertible.”