Poor, poor Guy Avital

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Friday, February 13, 2009
Guy Avital probably woke up on the morning of February 11 thinking it was going to be a good day. He was publishing an article on Digital Signage Expo's website about using content in multizone layouts. Sounds like a helpful article, no?

Little did he know that he would then be picked on the like the fat kid in dodgeball.

Two prominent figures in the industry (one I've met, one I haven't) pounced on his article. It's my position that they were a bit harsh on Guy. I think it's good to have healthy discussions and disagreements about the digital signage marketplace but I'm defending Guy a bit on this one. I understand where he's coming from. I don't think his tips are "truly awful" as one put it.

With multizone layouts, you have multiple pieces of content playing on a screen at the same time. So yes, it can get busy if it's not planned out correctly. Plus, the size of the screen should factor into decisions made over the use of certain layouts. You should treat a 19" screen much different than a 65".

And I think you treat employee communications networks much differently than you would in a bank or other retail environments. With employees, they are seeing the screens every day and know where to look for information. Take this screenshot for example:

MediaTile Multizone layout

When I managed my network, I used this layout. My main messages were in the top section (#1) and the bottom ticker (#2) was filled with stock price info, weather, and an RSS news feed. I was responsible for the top and the bottom mostly updated itself. For company info, employee looked to the top. For everything else, they looked at the bottom. Pretty simple.

MediaTile has another corporate communications customer who's using this layout:

MediaTile Multizone layout

In section #1, they are putting their main corporate messages. On the right side (#2), they are rotating between weather, their stock price and other financial data. The bottom ticker (#3) is reserved for quick text updates and RSS feeds.

There's nothing wrong with this because both organizations properly planned out their content and have stuck to the layouts. Employees know exactly where to look for the information they want.

I'm not sure if the two industry experts or even Guy has managed their own network, but I know in my experience a multizone layout done properly can be a huge benefit for internal communications. If you don't need multiple zones on a screen, don't do it. There's of course nothing wrong with displaying messages full screen. But if have the right content in the right place, I don't see any harm.

I sure hope Guy's mom doesn't Google his name.

Comments for Poor, poor Guy Avital

Friday, February 13, 2009 by Chris Bias, Eli Lilly and Company:
As the "corporate communications customer" you spoke about above, I felt compelled to comment on the DailyDOOH blog with the following: With all due respect, I think what you're missing is the fact that your publication is strictly for out-of-home networks... whereas DSE's publication is also read by people who use digital signage in other environments. I use digital signage (using MediaTile) in a corporate environment -- at Eli Lilly and Company -- and the multi-zone layout is the only way I would ever go. Your comment that "most viewing will be done at a glance and there will always be myriad distractions in the environment" is exactly right. That's why, in the corporate environment, I use a three-part layout that features weather, stock market information, and Reuters news, along with my company news in the main area. By putting content on the screens that employees need in their daily life -- weather, current time, news -- they also catch company news. Guy ended with how important it is “to keep your audience in mind.” I couldn't agree more. P.S. I'm attending the Content Day all-day session at the DSE and I'm quite hopeful it won't be all centered around OOH networks... There are more than just OOHers that are using digital signage. If it's all OOH, I'll likely find myself back at The Paris, losing cash by the handfuls. -------- I only hope I don't stir up trouble...
Friday, February 13, 2009 by Richard Lebovitz, Digital Signage Expo:
As the new editorial director for the Digital Signage Expo's Web site and newsletter, I take full responsiblity for publishing this article and so responded on DSE's LinkedIn discussion group this morning. I also invited positive and constructive discussion on this topic, which I'm glad to see has taken place here. The Digital Signage Association, which recently published its "Best Practices for Digital Signage Content," touches on this topic but doesn't take a position, pro or con. The bottom line is the digital signage industry is wonderfully diverse, and a one-shoe-fits-all approach doesn't strike me as realistic. However, as our knowledge of human interaction with digital signage as a unique vehicle - not Web, not TV -- increases, I'm sure we'll see this foundation of best practices further refined, reflecting what Chris Bias and others are learning and sharing to help raise the bar on both digital signage content creation and its display.
Friday, February 13, 2009 by Chuck Gose:
Richard and Chris, Thanks for commenting on the topic. This is the reason why I started the blog. I want us to have healthy conversations about our marketplace. It's clearly okay to disagree but I hope everyone can get in there $.02.
Saturday, February 14, 2009 by Guy Avital:
First, I am impressed by the amount of attention this article received. I don’t agree with some of the conservative remarks which suggest that digital signage layout should be only a full screen. I believe that you should listen to your audience to reach your audience. Screen division is an integral part of digital signage and its here to stay. Full screen TV style is appropriate in certain venues, but will not accommodate customer interests and needs in others. Digital signage screens are not just a display for playing commercials. For many of our customers its primary use is to provide useful information. A good screen layout will accommodate their interest and gain their loyalty. We see it in education and corporate digital signage, where digital signage is gaining popularity. Our minds are trained to scan through a webpage to find the information we are looking for, and we like to come back and find the information next time we visit. You achieve customer loyalty and confidence in the information the screens provide. I think screen division will be a part of digital signage with respect to the venue and the audience. I believe we are going to see Screen divisions more as interactivity gains more popularity. We shouldn’t limit the capabilities of digital signage by creating strict rules that promote full screen as the way to go, but rather take advantage of all options in screen layout that accommodate your audience needs while distributing quality messages. The beauty of digital signage is your ability to create a content that is tailored for you prospective audience. Content is still a “King”. Let’s not Chop Digital signage wings by limiting it to full screen and take the advantage of digital signage features and apply them to the right venue. The article I wrote was about “how to divide a Digital signage screen, while maintaining the right ratio for the main media section” If you’re going to use full screen layout only, the article does not apply to you.
Saturday, February 14, 2009 by Chuck Gose:
Guy, Glad to have you join the conversation. I couldn't agree more with you and I hope that came across in my post. I tend to take a light-hearted approach to my posts, but I am serious about the use of zoned layouts for digital signage. You know that you have people on your side and that zoned layouts aren't as "awful" as other might lead to believe. I've used them before successfully and other customers will, too.
Saturday, February 14, 2009 by Adrian Cotterill:
We define Digital Out of Home as covering retail, captive audience and high impact - that latter sub-sector if you like is what the traditional outdoor media owners would term as roadside, transport etc. Captive Audience works as both a catch all for corporate and for the likes of the taxi, bus, QSR segments And the answer is YES, at least 3 of us in the DailyDOOH fold have run their own networks (indeed one of us continues to do so)
Sunday, February 15, 2009 by Chuck Gose:
Adrian, Thanks for checking out the blog and contributing. Thanks for letting the reads know that you've managed a network because I had no idea if you had or not. As you can see on the topic, there is much to still be debated on the topic. And it can be dangerous to use the words "always" and "never." One size doe not fit all.