UK firm Remote Media is planning to roll out a Digital Poster Network across 100+ sites, "as part of a drive by TUI-UK to remain the UK’s largest travel company and market leader in the UK inclusive holiday market, a position it has held since 1974.
"The rollout will initially be within 100 of Thomson Retail shops located throughout the country, which in terms of sites matches the scale of Tesco’s in-store TV network. Thomson has over 750 retail stores including the award-winning flagship Superstore in Leicester.
"This marks an important move forward for Remote Media pioneers in Digital Poster technology. [They] are now able to prove that the concept works on a large scale, is simple to manage and best of all a cost effective solution with no required capital investment. This is the first time Remote Media have introduced Media Sales where airtime ‘slots’ will be sold to third party advertisers.
"Thomson has always been aware of the benefits of Digital Signage and was looking at ways to dynamically update content simply and easily.
"One of the key factors was to minimise capital investment. Discussions led by Remote Media resulted in offering a solution based on Media Sales. This enables Thomson to benefit from Digital Signage whilst generating a steady revenue stream at the same time. So much so that that the income should more than cover the cost of the Digital Poster Network and bring in additional income each month."
The rest of the article (which is pretty interesting) can be read here.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Remote Media rolling out 100 site digital sign network
Immedia launches in-store advertising channel
"[Immedia] has launched an in-store television advertising channel, in an attempt to boost the fortunes of his media company, listed on the Alternative Investment Market.
"[Bruno] Brookes, usually remembered for his husky voice presenting the Top 40 countdown on Sunday evenings, started Immedia Broadcasting in 1999 and floated it on Aim 18 months ago. It broadcasts in-store radio such as Dixons Live and earlier this month signed a deal to broadcast in the 400 largest HSBC branches.
"However, while turnover at the company has climbed steadily, Immedia has yet to break even and the shares have fallen from 110p when it floated to 44p. The company is now valued at £5.15m."
Perhaps owning the channel will improve Mr. Brooks' fortunes? Not likely, but hey, it's worth a shot. Read the rest of the article here :)
Avanti Screenmedia to install digital signs in UK shopping malls
Digital signage seems to be making significant inroads in the UK, as further evidenced by the latest Avanti Screenmedia deal:
"Twenty-two shopping centres are to be installed with screens in a deal between their owner The Mall and out-of-home TV specialist Avanti Screenmedia.
"The centres, located mainly in major English cities and towns including London, Bristol, Preston and Norwich, will all be fitted with a mix of 3m displays and plasma screens by December.
"Avanti will provide everything from technology, content, advertising sales and research under a three-year contract valued at £3m."
Read the rest here.
Hughes Network Systems wins award for Tesco TV
"The [Retail Solutions] award for 'Most Innovative Use of In-Store Technology' given to TESCO and HNS, recognized the outstanding achievement of TESCO TV, which won from a short list that included Thomson's Virtual Holiday and The Officers Club's Store Portal Solutions.
"TESCO TV is a ground-breaking, in-store advertising and information network, a brand new way of communicating with customers at the point of sale, where buying decisions occur. Media rich content is delivered via HNSE's DIRECWAY service to each TESCO store, where it is then displayed on customer- facing plasma and TFT screens. Targeted promotional content is played on up to 50 screens per store in different store zones, thereby enhancing the customer's shopping experience. With over 5,500 screens deployed across 100 of TESCO's largest stores, TESCO TV now reaches millions of UK households every two weeks. It is informative, relevant, and timely, and delivers business benefits for TESCO, its suppliers, and its customers. TESCO is the UK's leading retailer."
Go ahead and read the full press release.
Management and direction change at AdSpace
News from the PR front:
"AdSpace Networks, Inc., the leader in place-based digital video signage and owner of the AdSpace Mall Network, has hired three marketing and media industry veterans -- Dominick Porco, L. Jeff Jensen and William P. Ketcham -- to lead the company's next phase of growth and expansion.
...
"AdSpace currently has 220 screens reaching over 300,000 consumers annually across the country, primarily through its strategic partnership with The Westfield Group (ASX Code: WDC). In a recent study conducted and published by Arbitron on the impact of the AdSpace Mall Network, it was proved that there is a statistically significant increase in ad recall and purchase intent for advertised brands among consumers."
The whole release is here.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Nestle tries digital signage in the UK
"Nestlé is expanding its branded network in British cash-and-carry stores – no-frills outlets aimed at bulk purchasers, particularly from the catering business.
"The company has trialled screens in five cash-and-carries in the Landmark group and now plans to extend it to other “key accounts” within Landmark, according to Nick Robinson, spokesman for IQ Group, which provided hardware, software, installation and content production and continues to oversee network operation. The timeframe and extent of the rollout could not be confirmed.
“The test depots have considerably outperformed the depots without screens,” said Jim Hansen, business manager at Nestlé. “The screens are the ideal way to highlight new products, event activity and brand information in the cash-and-carry environment and we are finding that they substantially increase awareness and sales.”
Read the rest of the article here.DynaScan cylindrical digital signage solution
From aka.tv:
"Taiwanese display manufacturer DynaScan is leading its charge into the digital-signage market with a proprietary retail media network in its own back yard. Using the company’s flagship cylindrical and 360-degree-viewable LED units, DynaScan has already established a presence in 11 malls in four Taiwanese cities, with five more locations set for installation by the end of 2005.
...
"The technology which allows the same content to be viewed from any angle involves a strip of rapidly rotating LEDs, which change color as they pass over a pre-programmed pixel location. Due to a phenomenon known as persistence of vision, the viewer sees a single, consistent image rather than a whirring kaleidoscope of colored dots."
You can find the full article here.
Canterbury Park tries kiosks and digital signs
And here I wasn't even aware that there was a Minneapolis home for horce racing, but there must be, because:
"The Minneapolis home for horse racing is now stepping into the digital age with a new approach to marketing; promoting this classic sport with new age technology.
"Canterbury Park , a gaming and racetrack facility located in Shakopee, Minn. has entered the first phase towards the implementation of digital signage by installing two kiosk displays at the Minneapolis International Airport (MSP). These displays will be used to promote upcoming events at Canterbury Park featuring video clips and information for visitors about their facility's services.
"Canterbury Park is now in the second phase of their installation which calls for additional monitors, ranging in size from 42 to 50 inches, to be installed at their facility in Shakopee, Minn."
You can read the complete article here.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Carnival Cruise Lines deploys interactive digital signage
"Three vessels operated by Carnival Cruise Lines -- the Carnival Miracle and Carnival Valor, as well as the new 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty -- have installed Actalyst digital signage from Smart Technologies.
"Each ship has around four 42-inch plasma screens, said Smart, customised with its touch-sensitive overlay.
"Content at present is purely informational, mixing unchanging material such as deck plans with variable details of onboard events and ports visited, updated in real time by crew."
The original article can be found here.
Tesco And ASDA win awards for digital retailing
From aka.tv:
"Two TV networks run by British retailers were recognised at the European Retail Solutions Awards presented last week in Birmingham, England.
"The award for Most Innovative Use of In-Store Technology went to supermarket leader Tesco for its Tesco TV network, a project on which it worked with companies including Hughes Network Systems Europe, JCDecaux, Panasonic, Scala, and aka.tv’s parent Instrumental Media Group.
"Tesco’s IT director Colin Cobain was also named Retail IT Professional of the Year.
"Tesco’s main rival ASDA and Hughes Network Systems were recognised in the award for Best Use of Technology for Employee Development, given for ASDA’s 24/7 TV service aimed at its 140,000 staff."
Read the rest of the story here.
Digital Display System Draws Customers To Apparel Boutique
Competing for eyeballs in Las Vegas is hard. Digital signage can make it a little bit easier, according to one company who has tried it out:
"'We selected the digital display system because we believed it would give us a dynamic presentation at the point of purchase that stands out from static signage,' [Tadashi Shoji, president and founder of Los Angeles-based Tadashi Shoji Associates] says. 'According to POPAI [the Point-of-Purchase Advertising Institute], 71% of brand- purchase decisions are made at the point of purchase. We wanted to be as attention grabbing as possible.'
"The boutique's display technology package includes several custom plasma screen light boxes, housed in all-welded extruded aluminum enclosures with an anodized powder-coated finish. It also encompasses the mPulse! system, which is contained in a device attached to the store's back office PC."
You can read the full article here.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Holographic display projects picking up speed
"HoloDeem, Inc. of Kirkland, Wash., recently introduced the HoloDeem Coupon Machine, a three-sided kiosk about the size of a refrigerator. Shoppers walking by the front of the machine see 3-D holographic aerial images and video. The images appear to float in space. The company calls them holo-ads and holo-mercials. Computer touch screens mounted on both sides of the kiosk give shoppers an opportunity to learn more about the holo-advertised products and receive coupons.
"The HoloDeem company claims that when used in tests, the Coupon Machine increased the sales of participating products by as much as 35 percent. The company believes the timing is right. Shoppers have experience using ATM kiosks and photo kiosks. And supermarkets use kiosks for self-checkout, deli ordering and coin-counting."
Read the full article here.
Clear Channel enters electronic billboard market
"Clear Channel Outdoor is to enter the U.S. digital-signage market with the deployment of a pilot network of seven digital LED boards, installed adjacent to major roads throughout the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio.
"The
"The LED billboards will replace existing Clear Channel static billboards in each location, and the company says it has worked with all the individual cities in which the signs are located to obtain the necessary permits for the move to digital content.
"According to Clear Channel, content on the LED network will initially comprise public-service announcements from local nonprofit institutions such as the Animal Protective League, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Museum of Natural History, with commercial advertising content scheduled to begin at the beginning of July."
Read the full article here.
PRN Renews Wal-Mart In-Store TV Contract
According to aka.tv:
"Premier Retail Networks (PRN) has confirmed that it has renewed its contract with U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart to operate its in-store media network known as Wal-Mart TV. In an interview with aka.tv, a spokesperson for San Francisco-based PRN confirmed the accuracy of a report in Inc. magazine stating that the contract between PRN and Wal-Mart, which expired in March, had been quietly renewed in April. The Inc report quotes Troy Steiner, Wal-Mart's senior director of media, as saying that the new contract contains 'no big changes' from the previous deal.
"Wal-Mart, which is currently undergoing a technological upgrade to its 2600-store digital-signage network, last year accounted for 87 percent of PRN's revenue, according to the magazine."
You can read the full article here.
InfoComm 2005 shows strong demand for digital signage
From HiddenWires:
"Reflecting strong demand for AV communications technologies in business, education and government as well as retail, healthcare, entertainment, worship and residential markets, attendance at the end of the first day of the exhibition exceeded total attendance in 2004 by 10.2 percent, with 25,240 preliminary registrations for 2005, compared to 22,894 total registrations in 2004. AV professionals from more than 80 countries attended to see the latest technologies in display, projection, audio, collaborative conferencing, control and networking applications.
"'InfoComm 05 mirrors the fast pace of innovations and growth in the AV communications industry,' said Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., ICIA Executive Director. 'We introduced new courses and exhibitors this year to address the demand for digital signage, presentations technologies and the residential market as well as audio, collaborative conferencing, streaming media and lighting and staging.'"
Read the whole article here.
Digital View and VGS Team Up on Digital Signage
Digital View Group, a leading global provider of digital media networks and display technologies, has formed an alliance with Visual Graphic Solutions (VGS) to provide advanced digital signage for the foodservice, hospitality, convenience store and Quick Serve Restaurants (QSR) industries. VGS, based in New York, is a leading manufacturer of signage in the architectural, foodservice, hospitality and retail industries.
...
VGS and Digital View previewed some of their preliminary joint initiatives at the recent National Restaurant Show, held last month in Chicago. These products included a slim line kiosk, a customized menu board and a counter topper, incorporating state-of-the-art digital signage and supporting technologies.
You can read the full press release here.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Pep Boys Unveils 46 Newly Remodeled Stores fitted with Digital Signage
The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE:PBY), the nation's leading automotive aftermarket retail and service chain, today announced that each of its 46 stores in the greater Philadelphia region will celebrate grand re-openings beginning June 4. The stores, which have undergone a significant internal and external transformation, showcase Pep Boys' commitment to revitalize its unique offering of automotive parts, tires, repair and maintenance services - and more - to its customers in the Company's own hometown of Philadelphia...An ultramodern interior design, which reflects the new red, white and blue Pep Boys corporate colors, includes multimedia displays, dynamic signage and customized areas for new product categories. The store facades and exterior signs have also been updated.
You can find the full press release here.
Update on Tesco digital signage deployment
Mediaweek.co.uk has a very in-depth article about the current performance of the Tesco in-store television network, one of the largest in Europe. Some key quotes:
"[H]as Tesco TV lived up to expectations in its first year and what does this mean for the rest of the sector? The short answer is that while the in-store channel is still on course, it seems to be encountering a few speed bumps on the way.
"The number of advertisers on Tesco TV is still lower than many had predicted and a few weeks ago JCDecaux, which holds the sales contract, was forced to slash its rate-card prices."
...
"'What's been interesting, 12 months down the track with Tesco TV, is who gets it and who doesn't,' [Spencer Berwin, group sales director at JCDecaux] says. 'It's not entirely surprising that advertisers themselves understand their brands, how they're set up on the shelf and how customers use them – they're very much used to the in store experience and understand how it works for them. It's more challenging for more mainstream agencies to get to grips with it.'"
"Within the past few weeks, supermarket chain Sainsbury's has launched a six-month trial of digital TV at three of its largest stores – in south London, Ipswich and Edinburgh. Each store has about 120 TV screens, with 150 screens dedicated to specific product areas.
"Sainsbury's says 70% of the output relates to customer information, helpful consumer tips and the company's own brand products, with the remaining 30% advertising branded products, including Heinz, Coca-Cola, Müller, Goodfellas, Kingsmill and Bernard Matthews."
I recommend you read the whole article, which can be found here.
Big LCDs Shine In Digital Signage, Retail in-store television displays
From CRN:
"Using a big-screen display in a conference room or digital signage solution once required a projector and a pull-down screen. Today, however, there are numerous flat-panel displays from which to choose. Many of these units are huge in size and can mount on a wall. Plasma displays are not recommended for digital signage or related situations where the screen image doesn't change much over time because they experience screen burn; but LCD displays don't suffer from the same malady.
"NEC's new 46-inch LCD display is one of the largest on the market. It costs more than a similar plasma unit but is better suited for digital signage applications. Samsung's new multipurpose 24-inch widescreen display offers solution providers the opportunity to configure custom computing solutions, conference room displays, digital signage, home and commercial entertainment systems and more."
You can read the full article here.
Digital signage company Limelight Media Group acquiring InTransit Media
From bizjournals:
Limelight Media Group Inc. will purchase all the assets of InTransit Media, the exclusive provider of digital signage management and marketing services for PATHVision.
PATHVision is a digital signage system that provides information to over 6 million commuters annually traveling between New York City and New Jersey via the PATH subway. The system encompasses 277 digital displays on platforms in 13 rail stations, providing up-to-date news, rail schedules, weather, and related marketing messages.
Read the full article here.
Digital signage network firm Magic Media set to acquire Be Media
Magic Media Networks, Inc. (OTCBB:MGCN) announced today that it has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire 100% of the shares of privately held Be Media - http://www.bemedia.com - of El Segundo, California, one of the nation's fastest growing systems integrators.
Magic Media intends to acquire Be Media in an all share transaction, with a definitive agreement expected in 90 days. Magic Media, through its wholly owned subsidiary Destination Television - http://www.destinationtelevision.com - owns private television/ digital signage networks Bar TV, Gym TV, and Hotel TV.
After closing the transaction, Magic's headquarters will be moved to El Segundo, California and Destination Television and Be Media will be wholly owned operating subsidiaries of Magic Media.
Read the complete press release here.
Friday, June 10, 2005
RTV rolls out digital signage to Swedish supermarkets
From aka.tv:
"Encouraged by the success of retail media networks in the United Kingdom, Swedish media company RTV has commenced rollout of a four-channel in-store television network to around 70 Vi supermarkets in and around Stockholm.
"According to Mathias Segelman, RTV’s chief executive, VivoTV will be installed in stores contributing two thirds of Vi’s total turnover by the end of July.
"The rollout comes after a pilot of the network at three Vi locations, which began in early November 2004, and will coincide with RTV’s initial installations of a separate network in Sweden’s City Gross hypermarket chain."
Read the whole article here.
ViewSonic unveils digital signage bundle
From CMPNet Asia comes this news of a hardware-based digital signage solution from ViewSonic:
"In a move that support several key trends in the display market, ViewSonic yesterday said it would begin offering a bundled package to integrators creating solutions for the point-of-sale and signage arena.
"The bundle includes ViewSonic's WMA 100 Wireless Media Adapter, Wireless Media Gateway, 17-inch N1750W LCD display and scheduling firmware.
"The move comes as more technology products originally created for the consumer market are finding the way into commercial environments. It also reflects the need for integrators and vendors to develop full value-added solutions that offer higher margins than selling stand-alone products.
"ViewSonic is initially targeting about 180 of its audio-visual partners to sell the solution, expected to hit the streets sometime during the fourth quarter but also will roll it out to IT solution providers once the company chooses distributors to support it, Volpe said. 'This solution plays right in the middle of the IT and AV guys,' Volpe said. 'They're excited about it because it's easy to install, reliable and affordable. It's an enhancement to both of their businesses.'"
Find the whole article here.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Digital signage screens secure bigger foothold
The UK's MediaWeek has some very bullish things to say about digital signage:
"The OAA is predicting a 'conservative' increase of 44% to £28.2m in 2005 and so far has recorded revenue of £5.4m for the first three months of this year, a 35% increase year on year.
"The news came as ScreenFX signed a major deal with shopping centre giant Westfield to install and manage touch-point information kiosks and plasma screens showing news, sport and advertising in seven malls.
"Meanwhile, research from in-store TV company Avanti Screenmedia suggests planners likely to buy screen advertising than they were three years ago.
...
"The OAA figures show that advertising revenue from digital screens – which include everything from Maiden Outdoor's Transvision screens in mainline railway stations to JCDecaux's Tesco TV – grew from £10.8m in 2003, to £19.6mlast year."
Key findings from the Avanti Screenmedia research
● 77% of the planners and buyers surveyed expected to purchase airtime on screen media in future, rising to 85% for those targeting 18 to 34-year-olds.
● 59% of respondents expect to purchase airtime on bar screens, rising to 72% for respondents targeting 18 to 34-year-olds.
● Gyms look set to be the fastest growing sector with 15% of respondents having previously purchased airtime, compared with 46% expecting to purchase.
● 60% of advertising decision-makers agree that screens should be considered as part of the marketing mix.
Read the whole article here.DynaTek premiers digital signage software at InfoComm
DynaTek Media, the premier developer of hardware, software, and advanced sensor technologies for networked digital signage systems announced today it will demonstrate Spot(R)ACCESS, their advanced portal solution at the InfoComm show in Las Vegas, June 8th-10th. Spot(R)ACCESS proprietary software is the next generation digital signage content management tool. DynaTek Media will demonstrate Spot(R)ACCESS along with its Spot suite of hardware and advance sensor solutions in booth # 7829, and DynaTek's content production and capabilities in Samsung's booth, # 2318. Samsung is DynaTek Media's Co-Marketing Partner.
DynaTek Media has emerged as a leading digital signage technology Development Company. DynaTek offers innovative products, services and business opportunities in the exciting and rapidly growing digital signage industry. The company's proprietary research and development targets the emerging integration of sensory technology and the interactive features of mobile digital devices with networked digital signage.
"We are proud to present our disruptive technology solution Spot(R)ACCESS, and the suite of advanced hardware and software technologies at Infocomm. This solution clearly offers digital signage operators and integrators new levels of opportunity in revenue models and technical capabilities never before attainable in the digital signage industry," said DynaTek Media Networks President, Gary C. Quasebarth.
The original press release can be found here.
Frost & Sullivan announces growth in digital signage market
I'll just cut and paste the whole press release (taken from BusinessWire), since it's pretty interesting, and very relevant to the digital signage market:
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 2005--The booming retail industry is witnessing new positioning strategies among retailers. Realizing the futility of competing on price, retailers are looking at alternate means to differentiate themselves.
Consequently, there is a renewed emphasis on providing customers with better in store experience. By delivering relevant messages using compelling content and reducing perceived wait time at checkout counters, digital signage promises to enhance customer experience.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.it.frost.com), North American Digital Signage Markets, reveals that digital signage advertising revenue totaled $102.5 million in 2004.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants an overview of the latest analysis of the North American Digital Signage Markets, then send an e-mail to Mireya Castilla, Corporate Communications at mireya.castilla@frost.com with the following information: your full name, company name, title, telephone number, e-mail address, city, state, and country. We will send you the information via email upon receipt of the above information.
"There is a lack of influential media avenues at the point of purchase and a decline of mass media effectiveness, that remains a pressing issue in the digital signage market," notes Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Vineeta Kommineni. "Similar to the more than 500 ad forms that are baffled media planners in the early stages of online advertising, the digital signage industry has a glut of ad specifications based on factors such as display size, aspect ratio, and presence of sound."
Digital signage is a "marketing by glance" medium and dictates that the messages are brief with minimal audio as to be non-disruptive to both customer and employee.
Current television spots are cropped to ensure optimum attention and retention spans. Owing to its primary nature as promotional marketing rather than as a branding medium, sales promotion agencies may be more suited to designing the content when compared to ad agencies.
As the medium continues to grow, the future of digital signage hinges on the emergence of a new discipline related to creating content tailored for the medium. Studies analyzing store traffic flow, time spent in the store, time spent in each zone of the store and customer linger points need to be correlated to determine placement of display, length and nature of message.
In addition, agencies are cautious in evaluating the role of digital signage in the media mix. Being a fledgling channel, digital signage lacks measurements and buying standards and the medium is considered "unaudited." Hence, media buyers perceive digital signage to be more complicated than the routine of TV, radio or magazine buys to which they are accustomed.
In the medium term, an industry association such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau in the context of digital signage may set the stage for developing standards and guidelines. Development of a currency to trade in digital signage will spur media planners to alter their spending and embrace the medium.
"The entry of media conglomerates such as Clear Channel, Viacom, ABC Networks, Liberty Media and others have justified investments in the industry and have enhanced the perception of digital signage media," adds Kommineni. "Such conglomerates not only have the access to capital resources to fund a large scale network, but also the advantage of selling ads on digital signage networks as part of a bigger package comprising other media slots."
There is a grand void in managed service solutions that encompass foot traffic analysis, ergonomic studies, network design, hardware and software selection, installation content creation, liaison with advertising agencies and media planners, and network maintenance into their solution.
North American Digital Signage Markets, part of the Kiosks subscription, examines key drivers in the digital signage markets, looks at the challenges and provides recommendations to overcome them. The study also sizes, forecasts and scrutinizes pricing trends and identifies market leaders, challengers, contenders and emerging participants in each of the digital signage advertising, display and software markets.
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit www.frost.com.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
New digital retailing article at the Dynamic Digital Signage and Interactive Kiosk Weblog
Does POP advertising really impact 75% of in-store purchase decisions?
One of the statistics that it seems like everybody in the narrowcasting industry likes to throw around is the notion that 70-75% of all purchase decisions are made by the shopper as he or she is actually walking around and shopping. I've seen this claim made by industry analysts, digital signage systems integrators, and competitors...and even I myself have pointed it out on more than one occasion (though often in the context of "hey, does anybody know if this is true?"). So when I came across yet another article mentioning this golden stat a few days ago, I decided it was time to do some investigation, and see if I could find out once and for all where this information actually comes from.
It's easy to understand why so many people want to believe that it's true -- especially in our industry and related ones, like retail POP displays, out-of-home advertising, and store fixtures & merchandising. With such a huge number of dollars at stake (75% of in-store retail purchases would have been about $975 billion in 2004 in the US alone, according to some very dirty extrapolation of these market statistics from Jupiter Media), anybody selling something to influence in-store buying decisions can make a strong argument about ROI. But I've seen the 75% number thrown around without any attribution far too many times to believe in it wholesale. That, and I have trouble believing that any arbitrary group of human beings can exhibit the same behavior 75% of the time.
So who is really the source of this stat? Several webpages, including this one from Q-Matic, suggest that it was first discovered in a European Consumer Buying Habit Study conducted by Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI). After poking around the POPAI archives, I haven't been able to find any studies by that name, nor have I found anything that makes a direct case for the 75% number. Oddly, though, I did find a few articles in their free research overview that are a bit more enlightening. The first is this overview of some of the group's more recent research efforts. Here are a few of the salient points:
Conducted by Prime Consulting Group, the study goes further in measuring reach and frequency in the drug store environment. Findings show Retail Marketing delivers 6.5% in incremental sales while reaching an average 5,850 people per week. Other findings:
- 3 to 4 times greater sales lift when advertising is part of the promotion program.
- 31% of the brands study experienced over 20% sales lift
- At-retail advertising drove additional sales 70% of the time
Serving as the last three feet of the marketing plan, P-O-P advertising is the only mass medium executed at the critical point where products, consumers and the money to purchase the product all meet at the same time. It is no coincidence that with 74 percent of all purchase decisions in mass merchandisers made in store, an increasing number of brand marketers and retailers invest in this medium (emphasis added).
One final source that I was trying to track down came from this article on Bell Canada's digital signage ambitions. In it, the author suggests that the J.C. Williams Group is responsible for the 75% number, quoting John Torella, a senior partner at the firm. I've sent a few emails to several contacts there who have not yet been able to confirm any sources of the information, but hopefully this will change soon :) I'll keep you posted on my findings, and certainly let us know if you come across any further sources of the industry's golden stat.
New Remote Display Network Boosts In-Store Marketing
ODBN, a leading company in the digital signage industry, has developed a new point-of-purchase marketing program that involves using a dynamic billboard network that plays advertising loops in stores.
Robert Costa, the owner of VC Distributors, reported immediate sales increases and better customer interaction after implementing ODBN’s new program.
According to Costa, there are already reports of an increase in sales for the specific titles being promoted on the digital LCD, or plasma screens.
“We know it works,” said Steve Fecske, president and founder of ODBN, Inc., the company that provides the turnkey service.
Find the entire press release here.
Lightouse says digital signage LED screens in high demand
Lighthouse Technologies, a leading manufacturer and global supplier of state-of-the-art light emitting diode (LED) modular video panels, has reported growing interest in its family of LED screens for digital signage, recognized as one of the fasted growing segments of the LED marketplace.
ADVERTISEMENT
To address the unique demands of the digital signage applications, Lighthouse continues to launch new LED visual display products, including the P-12ER, P10 and P12, as well as the industry's first portable, self-contained LED screen, the PopVision, debuting next week at InfoComm in Las Vegas.
The new PopVision screen as well as Lighthouse 10mm R10 and 6mm R6 panels are being showcased at Booth # 7701 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Based on its proprietary M4 uniformity control technology, Lighthouse 6mm screens deliver high definition images and reduce low-level noise. The result is extra crystal clear images in very low brightness, producing strikingly high resolution to captivate audiences for spectacular close viewing capabilities.
You can read the complete PR here.
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