When is a TV not a TV? When it’s DOOHTV of course

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
As digital signage practitioners, we all spend a lot time and energy explaining to our customers why digital signage is “not TV” – yet the brand marketers, network operators, or corporate communicators all seem to naturally call it “[something, something] TV." [Insert Brand Name, Store Name, School Name, Company Name etc.]

Digital signage networks differ from broadcast or cable TV for a long list of reasons.  For digital signage:
  • The audiences are not captive;
  • The content must always be relevant and localized;
  • The business objective for the digital signage network will be tailored to each location and type of network;
  • Programming must be synchronized with traffic flows and demographics of each location;
  • Attention spans are short and sensory competition is high.

The list goes on, yet everyone still likes to call it “………….  TV”.  Some examples include When a name sticks it is hard to dislodge – especially when it is simple and quickly conveys the essence of something.  Don’t fight it I say – keep it simple – but be ever vigilant for the customer or operator who wants to treat it like TV rather than just naming it TV.




Comments for When is a TV not a TV? When it’s DOOHTV of course

Thursday, September 3, 2009 by Paul Flanigan:
Simon, Pointed post, but I would argue that one of the areas we industry folk trip over ourselves is in worry more about what it's called rather than what we do with it. As our culture slowly shifts the demand for televised information from in the home to out-of-home, it will be nearly impossible for us to convince anyone that "it's not TV." It is TV. I dig deeper into my argument in my blog post here: http://bit.ly/iSkKz