Wal-Mart redesigns their network. Is it sans-PRN?

Ages ago, when PRN announced that they were going public, we surmised that it was on the strength of their deal with Wal-Mart, whose in-store TV network they had been running from its inception. Later, when Thomson acquired them for about $285 million, we guessed it was because their access to Wal-Mart gave them an inside track on a deal to re-build the network later. Well, if this article by Bill Collins (who was apparently wrangled into writing for DailyDOOH - no doubt Adrian has incriminating pictures of him or something) is anything to go on, PRN may not be as involved as they were before, as Wal-Mart seems to be building out the second (third?) generation of the Wal-Mart TV network on their own. Collins posits that a second generation network would have to:

1. Bring screens down to eye level
2. Build screens into endcaps, fixtures and shelving
3. Abandon the 2001-2002 “hang and bang” model where flat screens are hung nilly-willy around the store, mostly in locations that are difficult for shoppers to see
4. Control audio so that the soundtrack of these networks is welcomed by shoppers and store employees alike
5. Pack merchandise around the screens and speakers, so that the sound-and-motion media serves a useful purpose for both marketing and merchandising just as conventional Point-of-Purchase displays do

In other words, follow lots of the best-practices that we've all been talking about for years :)

And it looks like metrics company DS-IQ managed to work their way into the deal, as, "in his February 2008 presentation, Wal-Mart’s Mike Hiatt gave repeated plugs to DS-IQ, explaining how DS-IQ’s IT system proved conclusively to Wal-Mart executives that when quality content is screened on the network, sales of the products that are advertised on the network increase in real time."

While I'm glad to see Wal-Mart investing in retail media even during these tough economic times (especially given that so much of their revenue base is in the US), I do hope that PRN will continue to provide some management oversight, if for no other reason that they've been at it long enough to really understand what works (and what doesn't) in-store.

Tags: digital signage, in-store TV, Wal-Mart, PRN

Wal-Mart offers local businesses chance to advertise on in-store TV network

Wal-Mart's in-store TV network has been the focus of many articles that try to show what a big -- really big -- digital signage network can look like. We've seen it go through a number of physical changes and content changes, and with a recent announcement that Wal-Mart is stepping up its in-store digital media with even more screens, it looks like the world's largest retailer continues to believe in the benefit of retail digital signage.

In a new effort to both appeal to local businesses (in combination with its expansion into more urban areas, which are still dominated by smaller retailers), and make good with the locals (and maybe to find new ways to monetize the Wal-Mart TV network in the future), the Chicago Tribune notes that Wal-Mart will begin testing a service where local businesses can buy ad time on Chicago-area Wal-Mart stores to promote themselves. From the article:

"[Wal-Mart] is offering to pay for local newspaper advertising to showcase the independent stores on Wal-Mart's in-store TV network and donate funds to the local chambers of commerce. The catch: The program is only offered for economically disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods.

"Chicago is the first of 10 urban markets slated to take part in the program. The remaining nine cities will be announced in February, said Todd Libbra, vice president of operations in Illinois for Wal-Mart, at a press conference Thursday at Grandma Sally's restaurant on Chicago's West Side.

"'What we're looking to do is increase jobs,' said Libbra. 'We're looking at creating economic opportunity surrounding our store.'

"Critics, however, are skeptical of the retailer's intentions and describe the community investment as a publicity stunt to burnish its ailing reputation."

Clearly there's more to this situation than meets the eye, but then again this isn't the first time that Wal-Mart has given local newspapers and companies access to their retail media network.

Tags: Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart TV, in-store TV, digital signage, retail media network