Digital Signage for Retail

Helpful information on digital signage is available

Monday, August 30, 2010 by Chuck Gose

Years ago, it wasn't easy to track down quality research on digital signage. But iff you're just now getting into the technology, there's a wealth of information at your fingertips.

There are a host of great blogs out there, but many times corporations are fascinated by the almighty white paper. And fortunately, Digital Signage Today is a great resource for these more authoritative resources. Many are sponsored by vendors in the digital signage space (including this one on 3G/4G cellular by MediaTile) but they are all very well written and provide sound advice.

They are even broken down by market, so if you're looking for digital signage for healthcare, there's a white paper for you. Retail? White paper. Want to learn more the real cost of digital signage? White paper.

The point being that there is now a lot of information out there that can help you not only determine if the technology is right for you and your company but also provide you guides on making the most of your investment.

MediaTile Demonstrates HumanKiosk at Sprint 4G Event in Kansas City

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by Leah Kane

(Today's Guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile)

Sprint has included our 3G/4G cellular digital signage as a key element in their public 4G road-shows, the first of which is in Kansas City this week.

Our HumanKiosk will be prominently featured in Sprint’s 4G Retail solutions “vignettes”, showcasing the live, 2-way video chat using our MediaCast SaaS content management system and 4G Video Presence technology. With 10x more bandwidth over 3G networks, 4G eliminates any remaining variance between hard-wired, high bandwidth networks while providing all the advantages of a cellular solution: more secure, more flexible, easier to deploy, higher reliability and linear scalability. I’m excited to be in Kansas City as this 4G road-show kicks off.

Sprint has accelerated their marketing efforts around 4G, and is now offering 4G services in more than 30 US markets. We are very excited about the 4G opportunity, including the soon to be released 4G LTE platform from Alcatel/Lucent and VerizonWireless.

4G networks could very well be a tipping point for the entire digital signage industry, accelerating deployments and enabling new market opportunities. If you’d like to know more about the impact that 4G will have on digital signage, please visit Digital Signage Today and download the newly updated version of the "3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage" guide. This guide includes the latest 4G information and commentary by carriers, users and integrators.

Variety is the spice of the National Restaurant Association Show #nrashow

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 by Chuck Gose

I've never had the chance to attend the National Restaurant Association Show so yesterday was my first time. Our digital signage technology is tucked away in the AT&T booth (#5666) in the Technology Pavilion.

32" Digital Sign in a Box on display at the National Restaurant Association Show

Yesterday I was pleased and surprised at not just the sheer volume of attendees looking at digital signage for to improve communication with customers (including menu boards) but more importantly the variety of companies. There was everything from smaller "mom and pop" restaurants looking to jazz up their customer communication all the way to some of the largest food retail chains in the country.

But some of the best conversations I had was with colleges and universities, who are looking to use digital signage for menu boards and share nutritional information but to also have the signage in place for crisis communication if needed.

All in all, those I talked to liked MediaTile's approach to digital signage. They liked the simplicity of our Digital Sign in a Box (32" on display), as well as the robustness and ease-of-use our software provides. Clearly, this was not their first exposure to signage and past hiccups seemed to be the complexity of installs. We simply don't have that.

I heard over and over, "We just want it to work." Ours works.

Can Facebook be a source for digital signage content?

Friday, May 14, 2010 by Chuck Gose

Absofreakinglutely.

I admit. I'm a pretty active user on Facebook. I keep my personal account updated, post photos and videos, manage a few Fan Pages (including MediaTile's), and so forth. But it struck me today at what a great resource it can be for digital signage content.

Hear me out. Whether you're in retail or corporate communication, you're always trying to share your customers' stories, whether it's with other customers, your employees or hopefully both. But gathering these stories can be tough.

Well guess what? Facebook is awesome at this. I'm a fan of all of our digital signage customers' Fan Pages and see their updates in my news feed from time to time. One of our customers simply asked people what they liked about their service. This simple question received great answers.

They can now share these stories, not just on their digital signage, but across all of their platforms. The content is absolutely invaluable. True user-generated content is raw but also equally powerful. And it's content that customers and employees provide readily and freely if asked.

So not only can digital signage promote your social media platforms, but these social media platforms can also be a source for content. I believe in the business world they call this a win-win.

Speaking today at the National Hardware Show

Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by Chuck Gose

When you start getting involved in this crazy social media world, you never know what's going to happen. Today I have the privilege of speaking this afternoon at the National Hardware Show (@hardwareshow) on a social media panel. (The hashtag for the event is #nhs2010.) The event doesn't have anything directly to do with digital signage but we are seeing more and more retailers starting to embrace digital technology.

Understandably, retailers have some concern over how social media will impact their business. There are examples of where it's helped and where it's done some damage. But in my mind, there's nothing wrong with concern. Concern means that risks are being evaluated. But concern can be dangerous when it interferes with real opportunities.

There are tremendous opportunities for retailers to take the user generated content that comes from social media sources like Twitter and Foursquare and turn it into relevant content for digital signage and improve communication with customers. Electronic signs also provide retailers a unique way to extend their internal branding efforts.

So we'll see how today goes. I was feeling very good about today's session until I went to their website and was confronted with this guy.

I hope people aren't walking around with sledgehammers. That could get messy.

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes (of digital signage)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by Chuck Gose

There's not a lot of readily available research being done in corporate communications so I take what I learn from the retail world and apply it.

At last week's Digital Signage Contest Strategies Summit in Las Vegas, I had the chance to hear Michael Twitty, Director of Shopper Insights for Unilever Americas, discuss the pros and cons of signage placement in retail stores. His focus, given that he works for Unilever, is primarily on consumer packaged goods (he called them CPGs - I had to look it up) but the advice he had is sound no matter what the installation is.

He said that in somewhat tight environments, you shouldn't put anything below somebody's waist or above their eyes if you want them to notice your message. This includes digital signage.

Now clearly there are times in the corporate communications world where you will want to put screens up high for "the world" to notice, but I do screens in break areas, elevator banks, lobbies, etc. that are put way up high and in the corner. I did it. It seems like a good place.

I fall victim to this at home. Whenever I hang a picture, I always put it up too high (I'm 6'4"). It's eye level for me. . . but not for many others.

So when you look at what the retail world is doing and they have revenue and profits tied to proper placement, don't you think corporate communicators should take heed? Placement may not be as important as content but it's still very important to get it right.

Michael Twitty knows what he's talking about.

MediaTile technology on display at #Kioskcom in the Walsh Wireless booth (#314)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by Chuck Gose

The exhibit hall doors opened just a few minutes ago for Kioskcom & Digital Signage Show. If you happen to be here today, stop by the Walsh Wireless booth (#314).

They have on display a very cool and practical application of our cellular digital signage for the retail space. The unit is a free-standing display that would allow a retailer to embed digital signage inside a portable display. Walsh and MediaTile partnered with In-Store Experience to create this product.

We provided the digital signage technology. Walsh Wireless provided the cellular broadband capabilities. And In-Store Experience contributed the physical structure. Great example of a partnership coming together to create a viable product for retailers.

But stand doesn't need to be confined to just retail and consumers. Thinkn about how this could enhance employee communications if you're looking to showcase information. Or for visitors to a venue. The opportunities are endless but the technology is here.

MediaTile, Walsh Wireless and In-Store Experience

Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit: Day 2 in Review #DSContent

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by Chuck Gose

Wow. You know when you go to conferences and you may not get much out of them but you're still overly complimentary? This is not the case at all. Day 2 of the Strategy Institute's Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit was awesome. And those aren't just my words, but the feedback from other attendees.

Aside from being a consumer myself, I don't have any experience in the retail world and truly am not aware of the challenges they face in the digital world. After yesterday, color me enlightened. Just follow the hash tag #DSContent and you can see all of the messages I shared from the @MediaTile Twitter account.

The day was a good balance of what the possibilities are with digital technology along with many of the obstacles that still exist. Here are a few of my observations...

Kevin Flatt and Mark Renshaw, Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide, showcased the future of what digital can be in the retail world, using a great analogy of who's driving the bus. Apparently agencies are the drivers who know where they want to go but often get lost and NEVER ask for directions.
Paul Flanigan, The Preset Group, led a panel of Michael Twitty, Unilever Americas, and Jim Lucas, Draftfcb. The information spewing out of Michael was amazing. I practically couldn't type fast enough about how brands are viewing digital in the consumer packaged goods world. This will lead to future blog posts.
And we finally had our first Foursquare mention with Stephen Randall, LocaModa. Stephen did a great job showcasing how digital signage and social media content can play quite nicely in the same sandbox. His point that "you must view that your digital signage message has a range of 20 miles, not 20 feet," really hit home with the audience.
And then there is Bob Stowe, Wendy's. Bob added an important element to the conference, highlighting the challenges faced when working with large corporations. Many wonder why quick service restaurants have been somewhat slow to adapt to digital signage. Bob outlined all of the players that get involved and the challenges with each. Though I don't think he'll be getting the key to the city of Detroit anytime soon. He mentioned that one of their stores stays open 24 hours solely due to security concerns. Yikes.
Rudy Dearborn, MGM Mirage, outlined the history that his casino has had with the technology along with some of the unique content challenges. What was peculiar is that they use Mac Minis to drive displays and had to have custom mounts built, along with a custom digital signage software application. BUT they do a great job of utilizing existing resources and data to keep content fresh and relevant.
And last but not least, our very own Simon Wilson and David Ozer, iPOWOW!, presented on the importance of getting instantaneous viewer feedback of what they are seeing on the screens. The audience didn't appear to be a big hunting crowd, so the example of how Hunter Specialities is using touch-screen technology in endcaps to promote their products. All kidding aside, the digital signage has given them a 30% sales uplift. That's no laughing matter.

So, all in all, a great show. But during the networking lunch, one of the attendees asked me how much of our business was in non-retail. Quite a bit in fact. He was curious why there was no attention paid to corporate communication networks.

I told him that's my challenge. That's why I do what I do. That's my crusade.

"Content is easy. But good content is the challenge." Day 1 at the Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by Chuck Gose

Day 1 at the Strategy Institute's Digital Signage Content Strategies Summit was a good one. Even though I am very corporate communication focused, attending events like these are very helpful. It gives me a chance to learn what the retail industry and agencies are doing or have tried in the digital signage space. The first day was very agency-driven but that's not a bad thing. These are the people we need to have engaged in the market.

The comment that kept bouncing around in my head was mentioned by Pat Hellberg at The Preset Group. He led a panel of creative designers and while they were getting set up, he said, "Content is easy. But good content is the challenge." This sentiment applies to not just digital signage, but every medium.

I'd really like for corporate communicators to take note of this phrase. Digital signage software makes it easy to simply throw up content on to screens, but that's not what you need. What you need is really good content up on your network.

This is no different from an employee newsletter or intranet. You load them with crap and nobody is going to pay attention. Plain and simple.
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The chairperson for the event is Keith Kelsen, former CEO of MediaTile and author of Content Strategies for the 5th Screen. This is the first book dedicated to digital signage content and was launched at Digital Signage Expo. I'm proud of the work Keith put in writing the book and hope he has continued success with it.
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On a side note, I was surprised not to hear one mention of Foursquare, Gowalla or any other geolocation social media tool. I am far from an expert, but I think there is a huge integration possibility between these tools, digital signage and the retail industry. Maybe the digital signage shows how many check-ins there have been, who the mayor is, or what (if any) discounts you can get.

Free webinar: Creating Effective Content for Digital Signage Networks

Monday, March 22, 2010 by Chuck Gose

As I wrote last month, the MediaTile sales team is committed to providing free educational opportunities and we're doing this through a series of free webinars. The next is this coming Thursday. Here's this month's topic.

Digital signage is an effective and increasingly common way to reach buyers. After making the investment in the right technology, brands need to take a closer look at the content on the screens to make sure that the investment isn't lost.

Successful digital signage has what we at MediaTile like to call "contextual relevance." Is the message reaching the right person at a time? Can we find a way to cause an action from the consumer? In that magical moment, brands have a huge opportunity to sway an audience.

The magical moment of contextual relevance is where brands can affect the ROI. Understanding the audience is a good first step. MediaTile has invited Neal Keilar from Met|Hodder to share content methodology. Join us for this free digital signage webinar on Thursday 3/25 at 2 PM EST.

The message will be very retail-, brand- and agency-focused, but sometimes those are the best way to even learn how to craft internal communications messages. See how the "big boys" are doing it and then mimic. In a weird way, they are competition for your employees' attention.

Who's watching me now?

Thursday, February 25, 2010 by Sean Michael Kelly

Here's an example of a digital signage promotional campaign gone awry at a local veterinary hospital:

Someone clearly spent some marketing budget on a digital sign that they intended to promote their product at the shelf for an up-sell opportunity in the waiting room. Naturally I am instinctively drawn to see what is being promoted by whom and how in a scene like this, but I was disappointed to find the unit powered off - you can see the rectangular supply laying atop the counter without a power cord.

While there are any number of plausible explanations for this scene, I was immediately stricken by some distinct possibilities that afflict other electronic sign options. The first (most obvious and common) was that the unit was unplugged by an employee of the facility or their cleaning service and it simply was not plugged back in. In truth it could be any reason, but regardless, it boils down to two questions: why was it unplugged, and why hasn't anyone noticed?

To the former, sometimes it's simply that the additional power outlet was needed for something else. But sometimes it's more sinister: employees are annoyed by the audio, or "feel bad" about leaving it running when they close up shop for the night. Through its native remote management and scheduling automation, the Mediacast System addresses these issues by permitting the display network operator to make adjustments to volume levels as well as to schedule operational hours so that the display visibly turns itself off, thus lessening the temptation for employees to pull the plug on the unit.

(As a side note, while the appropriateness of audio in content is always a consideration for effective business communication in any given deployment, if audio is necessary, it is best to follow-up with the employees at the establishment to ensure that it is not irritating which could leave a lasting, negative impression of your brand!)

Another possibility is that the content became out-dated - perhaps there was a recall on something being promoted, or the product was discontinued, or there was some other rights issue with the media... any of a dozen reasons that the media has to stop playing, and now. For other electronic sign platforms, there is no way to remotely manage the content at all; they require an operator to physically come to the site and change out a memory stick or disc, etc. So until they can come out to the site to change out the media, when it comes to issues like those mentioned, their only recourse is to pull the power.

From day one the Mediacast System has provided a purely remotely managed store-and-forward content distribution method with the assumption that our customers have better things to do than constantly visit their display locations to change media. Using the web-based Mediacast Digital Signage SaaS, you upload your content to the portal, then remotely distribute it to the Internet-connected display network - take control without stepping foot into the remote sites.

The other nagging question is why, after several months (and missed opportunities) of sitting like this, has nobody noticed that the display is offline? The answer in many cases is: because nobody is watching. The Mediacast system provides a flexible alert notification system that dispatches emails to selected individuals if a display goes offline. The idea is to dispatch a technician or other field representative to the site so as not to prolong a simple problem.

The automated monitoring also keeps an active status on the displays so that even if the email is missed initially, operators logging into the portal system on a regular basis as able to see displays that have a problem.

(As an annecdotal side bar, we once had a display go offline for a customer running a network in a major consumer electronics retailer at the end-cap of one of the aisles. The assigned technician phoned up the appropriate department and inquired about the unit; when the store employee checked on it, they found that another employee had disassembled the end-cap display and was preparing to install a different vendor's display in the same location. This turned out to be miscommunication internally on the part of the retailer and the end-cap was properly restored, but it shows the value of expedient response; had the materials been boxed up and sent off to the back of a warehouse in a busy environment like that, they might never have been located and recovered.)

As you can see, it is only a matter of time before this vendor's counter top becomes general purpose storage because the dead screen doesn't look like it needs to be visible. The only thing I'm left wondering is how much time is needed for the sorry thing to finally decompose and disappear like so much dust in this otherwise quiet and solemn environment.

Hatian Relief PSAs now available for digital signage networks

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by Chuck Gose

We've seen Americans respond in positive and dramatic ways to help Haiti and her people attempt to recover from the devastating earthquakes. And getting the word out more and more only helps.

Through a partnership between the Ad Council and MediaTile, PSACasting.org has three different Hatian relief PSAs that are available to download for any digital signage network.

It's important to note that you do not need to be a MediaTile customer to take advantage of these PSAs or others provided by the Ad Council. You just need to log in or sign up on PSACasting.org to download the videos.

So whether you're running a digital out-of-home network in retail, banks or for employee communications, please consider downloading these important PSAs and adding them to your content playlists.

Questioning the role of digital signage in retail?

Friday, October 30, 2009 by Chuck Gose

I'm not. But several other digital signage bloggers are commiserating over a recent study that reports on the alleged lack of impact digital signage is having on buyer awareness and behavior. The report (available as a PDF) cites what appears to be overall ineffectiveness for the technology.

Now much could be debated over whether it's the fault of the technology or the placement. Is it the content or the lack of coverage. It's tough to know without talking to the people in the survey at a greater depth, but many factors are at play to just simply label it as ineffective. I'm not a retail expert so I'll leave it to them continue on.

But I will tell you one area in retail where digital signage can have a tremendous impact: employee communications. I'm working with a very large national retailer to install digital signage to help them deliver timely communication to their dispersed retail employees.

Think about it. You have employees scattered about the country in malls and strip centers. They have no real connection to the corporate entity so engagement has to be a tremendous challenge. And since every one of the stores is in a different environment, finding one common communication vehicle can be tough. And when you're trying to cover coast to coast, going digital is a must.

Fortunately, digital signage has it covered. They will be able to inform and entertain from a distance. They can provide training tips, employee recognition opportunity as well as general corporate information. AND it can all be controlled from one central location, thus ensuring the integrity of the brand and the message.

Pretty powerful stuff. Consumers may not yet appreciate what the technology can do in retail but I guarantee you the employees will.

Digital signage that's "more than meets the eye"

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 by Chuck Gose

As a child of the 80s, I labeled myself a G.I. Joe man, but I did watch the Transformers every day (this was of course Transformers pre-Megan Fox) and even had a few of the toys. Though I'm still a bit peeved that I never had the original Optimus Prime. That wound is still fresh.

The cartoon's beginning had a catchy little tune that went a little something like this:

The Transformers, more than meets the eye,
The Transformers, robots In disguise.

Last week, MediaTile announced a new digital signage product that, too, is "more than meets the eye." Though to disappoint a few, it's not a "robot in disguise." Nor will it wage a battle against the Decepticons.

We call it "the Human Kiosk." Essentially it allows to consumers to interact with a digital display and connect with a real person on the screen. Now I'm not a retail industry expert, but I am a consumer. I think this is pretty cool. It would enable a retailer or brand to provide consistent support for their products whether or not they had a real person on site.

And what's even more amazing is that it will all operate wirelessly (aside from a power plug) through the new 4G/LTE cellular networks. This is where ngConnect comes in. We partnered with them on the Human Kiosk. 4G/LTE has the bandwidth for on-demand video whereas the current 3G networks just can't do it well (if at all in some cases).

This takes cellular digital signage to a whole new level and changes the game for what retailers and brands will be able to do.

What will this new and improved bandwidth do for corporate communication? That's yet to be seen but I have a feeling we'll be there.

And I couldn't close out the post without including that jazzy Transformers intro. Enjoy.

4G and partnering with Alcatel-Lucent's ng Connect program

Saturday, October 10, 2009 by Leah Kane

We at MediaTile are PSYCHED to announce the first "HumanKiosk" prototype. This is an interactive, two-way video conferencing mechanism, enabling consumers and retailers (among others) to communicate directly with one another, in-store- no middle man.

Imagine the possibilities - you're in the store, comparison shopping, you have a question but the store staff doesn't know anything more about the product you're holding than the info which appears on its packaging. No problem- connect to a product expert and have a face-to-face conversation via HumanKiosk.

The excitement surrounding the HumanKiosk release is that it is based on ng Connect's 4G/LTE technology. (LTE = Long Term Evolution). If you're unfamiliar with ng Connect, it is a program "conceived and founded by Alcatel-Lucent, bring[ing] together infrastructure, device, application and content companies to create an end-to-end ecosystem with all the resources and expertise required to rapidly deliver next generation services and applications to service providers, enterprises and consumers. " (quoted from the ng Connect website...)

4G essentially is 3G on steroids. It has the bandwidth to support live and streaming video uploads/downloads - and to support the increasingly interactive nature of successful digital signage deployments.

Every retailer and brand manager hopes to improve communication with its consumer- traditional advertising is limited in this regard. HumanKiosk takes digital signage to another level of relevancy- it provides a purely interactive experience and accomplishes what pre-recorded content, whatever the medium, cannot hope to achieve.

Check it out- we can't wait to hear your feedback!

Panel discusses digital signage at Digital Hub non-Conference (#dhi09)

Monday, September 28, 2009 by Chuck Gose

Digital signage panel, photo courtesy of @marybethonline

I had originally intended this post to be more of a "Day 2 recap" of sorts. But since MediaTile is a digital signage company, I felt I should focus on the panel that discussed what we do - digital signage.

The session was good, but also disappointing. But the disappointment didn't have anything to do in particular with the panelists but more so with the limited time. The session was scheduled to last 45 minutes and we got a late start. It's just too big of a topic to even provide an overview in 45 minutes or less. (That's me in the far right of the photo, Twittering away in the session.)

Tim Burke, of Electronic Arts and also known as @kioskguy, moderated the session and did a great job of keeping the conversation moving. Here's the goods and not-so-goods of the session.

Goods:

Bill Collins, DecisionPoint Media Insights, gave a brief yet informative "digital signage 101" discussion.
The panelists all agreed that companies should be using commercial-grade digital signage hardware and not the consumer-grade stuff that might appear cheaper in the short run but users will pay over the long haul.

Not-so-goods:

The beauty of digital signage is that it delivers dynamic and relevant content. Yet the samples in the room weren't networked and one screen showed old weather for Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska? We're in Cincinnati. Now I'm sure this is because some signage doesn't work unless you set up an expensive IT network. Maybe somebody should look at cellular digital signage. Hey wait, I think I know somebody...
Bill Collins is a smart man, but I was a bit offended when he described corporate communication networks as "vanilla" and ad-based networks as chocolate. He said they're vanilla because they aren't as exciting. I beg to differ. I had a lot of fun managing networks. I like vanilla. You can add all sorts of great toppings to vanilla ice cream. I'll give Bill a pass on this one.

I was glad to see digital signage included in the Digital Hub non-Conference, but 45 minutes just isn't enough. Maybe we can do more in 2010. One idea might be to focus on a small successful case study for each vertical market (retail, transportation, hospitality, corp comm, etc.).

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On a side yet important note, I wanted to personally thank and congratulate all of those responsible for putting on this year's Digital Hub non-Conference. Without a doubt, it was one of the best comms-related conferences I've ever attended. They pulled together a phenomenal group of speakers and session leaders and everything appeared to run smoothly despite all of the rain. I'm looking forward to bigger and better in 2010. Get to work! :)
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Photo credit, marybethonline

The Next Big Thing

Thursday, September 10, 2009 by MediaServices

Digital signage content suffers from the same ailment that web browsers did in the early 1990's... a complete lack of agreed upon standards with which new technologies and content can/should be created. A lack of standards creates an environment where each technology provider is working in a vacuum resulting in industry uncertainty and significant migration issues.

We need a organization like W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) to develop a set of standards for digital signage so that we, as an industry, can work toward enhancing content rather than developing yet another new way to approach digital signage technology. While there isn't a W3C of digital signage with an established set of industry standards, there are a number of groups that are beginning to make significant headway in this regard.

POPAI, the global association for marketing at retail, has taken it upon themselves to become this consortium. They have brought technology providers together to publish standards on hardware and protocols, and recently they have begun working on software standards. I commend the efforts POPAI has taken, and it will certainly help the industry mature.

Additionally, the Digital Signage Association (DSA) has established the Content Committee to be a guide for "Best Practices" for creating content. Both of these groups are making big strides toward building a foundation for digital signage technology and content.

The most important action a digital signage company can take is to be involved with the standards process, because as we begin to see adoption of hardware and software standards across the industry content will become much easier to create and manage. We must get to the point where a single piece of content can be created and used on multiple networks, and digital signage technology becomes as transparent as web technology. We still have quite a long way to go.

Thank you for reducing my perceived wait-time.

Sunday, September 6, 2009 by Leah Kane

The other day, I made a visit to a big-box electronics store to make a return. (I'd mention the company's name, but as they've only recently edged another big-box electronics store out of business, they hardly need my plug... pun intended.)

A woman at the store's entrance helpfully pointed me to the 'Returns & Exchanges' area of the store, and when I got there, I took my place in line behind the 5 or 10 others with a bone to pick.

While waiting in line, I watched TV. A few minutes passed before it even dawned on me that there I was, queued up inside a store, watching TV. The content was fresh, quirky, funny. It was carefully crafted for store visitors with a bone to pick- this content was created for me.

This was not a mounted TV set running episodes of some syndicated Chuck Norris drama in hi-def, this was retail digital signage, designed to entertain, amuse, and reduce my perceived wait time.

True enough, while I waited, (only 2 or 3 bone-pickers to go now), the time flew by. I was entertained, learned a bit more about this particular big-box store, and left with an appreciation of its customer service.

The phrase, "reduce perceived wait time" is one we strategically bandy-about in the digital signage industry, because, in truth, pre-occupying one's customers 'while they wait' is not the same as shortening their time in line. But then, perception is everything.

Kudos to the big-box store for leveraging its electronic signage to make my visit more enjoyable (or at the very least, less painful). I'm likely a bit conditioned, as a digital signage professional, but left the store, whispering to myself, "thank you for reducing my perceived wait time..."

Then giggled, thinking, "who says things like that?"

Second verse, same as the first

Wednesday, September 2, 2009 by Chuck Gose

You may only get one chance to make a first impression, but you get a second chance to listen to a fantastic webinar.

If you missed Best Practices in Digital Signage content webinar from a few weeks back, fear not. You can listen to a recorded version of the session. It was hosted by our very own Keith Kelsen and featured a panel of Michael Chase and Paul Flanigan.

It was largely focused on the retail environment but many a lesson could be gleaned for other networks, including corporate communication. Check out the post I did after the webinar and make sure to listen to the webinar this time. There are great examples of content from both Dunkin Donuts and Best Buy.

Clicks that click: 08.28.2009

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Chuck Gose

I read a lot of blogs. And when I write a lot, I mean A LOT. But that's what they say you should do if you're writing your own blog.

And since I read a ton of online content and am a self-proclaimed corporate communication nerd, I will from time to time share the stuff I find interesting. Some will be related to digital signage specifically, while others may deal with corporate communications writings. Here;s my current brain scan.
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Paul Flanigan, of Experiate.net, writes about the three rules for digital signage audio in a retail environment. Paul provides a great tip of playing your content without sound and see if it makes sense. Audio is a bit of a controversial topic for internal networks. Check out this post I did regarding audio last year.
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Harriet Meth is at again over at Messaged to Deaf with today's post. The content focuses on the key elements of why some videos go viral. You've seen the Blendtec "Will it blend" series on YouTube? Harriet points out that one of the keys to a viral video is storytelling. To me, this is an undervalued skill in employee communications. Hmm, I smell a future blog post.
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For those of you who big Twitter supporters (I know I am), here are 10 sobering Twitter statistics. It took quite a bit of work, scouring several stories and sources to come up with the list. But I think we're just on the cusp of what Twitter can do. At least I feel that if I keep believing that, then I won't have wasted all of this time.
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Does freedom of speech extend to internal communications? Jeremy Robert suggests that companies letting their employees use social media are insane. I suggest that Jeremy may be taking this to a bit of extreme. Companies are taking a bit of a risk, but I don't think it requires these companies be committed. (I will warn you that the language is a bit rough in the post.)
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Brandswag's Kyle Lacy gives us five cures for blogging fatigue. Many might think this post is a sign of fatigue but it actually helps get the juices flowing. You just wait and see, with an emphasis on the "wait" part.