REPORTING FROM LAS VEGAS — While there were few new groundbreaking technologies rolled out at this year’s Digital Signage Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center Feb. 26-28, there also wasn't any indication that innovation in the industry is slowing down.
Improvements to HD video mean more vibrant, colorful displays with increasingly faster processors and better all-weather casings for long term, outdoor exhibitions. Digital signs are also becoming smarter than ever, using facial recognition software to collect demographic information on consumers. Advances in RFID and mobile technology make it easier for advertisers to extend the marketing experience and build a relationship through SMS, email and social media.
“Digital out-of-home media grew faster than any other ad medium in 2012 — including the Internet,” said Patrick Quinn, president and CEO of PQ Media and keynote speaker during DSE’s Advertising Summit. Quinn said he expected a surge in display ad sales as advertisers finally developed an analytics report model similar to their web counterparts.
Who does it best? Quinn said that China and the Asia/Pacific region led with both the largest and fastest-growing digital place-based ad network region. He said the U.S. was leading the Health Care industry with innovations in digital imaging while Europe was developing the most digitally connected transit and train system in the world.
This year’s conference marked the 10th anniversary of the show, which enjoyed 4,080 attendees and 211 exhibitors including major firms like Sony, Panasonic and NEC and many startup ventures looking to get into the space. Below are a few examples of new technologies on display at this year’s conference.
Multi User Experience
While interactive touch screens have been on the market for several years, manufacturers are beginning to develop platforms that allow multiple users the ability to interact with the display.
A new exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art built by Christie MicroTiles and Christie Interactivity Kit, part of a $100-million renovation, has created the first display that can be used by 16 people at once.
The Gallery One’s Collection Wall was the focus of a panel on interactivity at DSE. The museum’s 40-foot wide, multi touch screen display is made from two adjoined Christie MicroTiles video walls. Visitors are encouraged to explore the museum’s thousands of works, including Pablo Picasso masterpieces and can personalize and build their own collections, curating their own tours on the iPads using the museum’s ArtLens app. Fans can use their own tablet, or borrow one from museum staff.
“In the past, an HD projector would be used for this type of installment, but an LED screen eliminates the need to replace projector lamps and doesn’t degrade, color matching even for a display that runs all day,” said Doug Fortney, chief technology officer at Christie MicroTiles. “The components are modular, not very big, and everything can be repaired quickly.”
Fourtney said his company is looking to roll out the product for a number of shopping centers and entertainment properties.
“It takes interactivity a step further because it allows multiple users a chance to interact simultaneously with a video wall at the highest resolution and speed needed to support finger-based gestures such as flicking, pinching, rotating and scrolling,” he said. “It’s a system that you can plug in and use immediately. There are no drivers or manual calibration of sensors or cameras. Once installed, it’s ready to go.”
Signs That Talk
Improvements to Near Field Communication and RFID are making it easier for displays to seamlessly communicate with smart phones and facilitate a variety of brand-to-consumer interactions.
Silicon Valley firm Blue Bite is rolling out a product for airports, malls and buildings with heavy foot traffic. The company plans to build out a series of Smart Screens that will feature client advertising and calls to action for consumers. The placard delivers interactive user experiences such as movie trailers, eBooks, web-based games and applications, promotions and coupons.
Shoppers with NFC-enabled mobile phones will be able to receive content instantly. Consumers with phones that do not yet have NFC will still be able to scan a QR code to access the same content. Content will be location specific so advertisers can easily target campaigns by demographic or time of day.
Social Media Integrations
As social media continues to become a ubiquitous part of live entertainment, teams and venues are looking for new ways to take the social experience beyond the smart phone.
Companies like San Francisco-based Phizzle have begun to develop live event presentation solutions for television and other broadcast media including scoreboards and concourse digital signage.
Its new platform Broadcaster iX Social enables marketers to integrate social media functionality into digital marketing campaigns on in-venue screens. Broadcaster iX Social integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Foursquare and, when linked to picture sharing networks like Instagram, monitors and broadcasts pictures submitted by fans.
“There’s a strong demand right now from customers to integrate cross-channel marketing with real-time, digital screen campaigns for both in-venue display and televised broadcast,” said the company’s Chief Science Officer Michael Patrick.
The NBA’s Golden State Warriors use Broadcaster iX Social to power the team’s digital marketing initiatives. Recently, the Warriors hosted ‘Social Media Night,’ utilizing Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as social channels for fans to tweet questions to team players. Fans tweeted to the Warriors Twitter account with the hashtag #GSWSocial and then, in real-time, the tweets were broadcast on the arena’s Jumbotron.
Interviewed for this story: Patrick Quinn, (203) 921-0368; Doug Fortney, (512) 883-0321; Michael Patrick, (415) 843-3291