PRN taking over the Walmart Mexico network

Long known for their work in the US Walmart stores (as an aside - does anybody else think that 'Walmart' just looks weird after writing 'Wal-Mart' for so many years?), PRN announced last week that they would be taking over the operation of the firm's in-store TV network in Mexico, which was originally installed and managed by Spanish language media company Televisa S.A. de C.V. As the press release they put out notes:

PRN now operates and manages the largest in-store media network in Mexico, which is currently installed in 287 large-format Walmart Supercenter stores. The system features large plasma screens in select areas within the store and 19-inch flat-panel LCD screens at checkout lanes and waiting areas. The Walmart network is driven by two channels with displays and programs specifically designed for each location within the store. The storewide channel, positioned at the traffic hot spots in the main alleys guides shoppers and informs them of products sold in the store, encouraging cross-shopping via short and targeted messages. The waiting area channel enables shoppers to watch entertaining and informative content to reduce perceived wait time while they are in line at checkout and service areas. The waiting area channel broadcasts longer messages to provide more detail to the shopper about products and services.

PRN has a group in Mexico dedicated to building the content for the network -- long gone are the days of merely repurposing plain old TV commercials. These guys know what works and what doesn't, and aren't afriad to invest in the time and manpower to do it right. Of course, that won't stop them from sourcing "high-quality branded content from a variety of areas to enrich the Walmart in-store media network," much as is done in the states.

To answer the other question you have on your minds (and to hopefully stop the influx of phone calls and emails I've been getting about it), yes, Walmart Mexico is still a WireSpring client.

Tags: walmart, prn, digital signage, wirespring

AccuWeather and WireSpring Make Digital Signage Content More Compelling

From the "what's the point of having a blog if you can't occasionally flog your own wares" department comes this news, courtesy of ClickPress:

AccuWeather, Inc. announced its partnership with WireSpring Technologies, Inc. to deliver dynamic weather content to digital signage networks using the FireCast® digital signage platform. The companies aim to create more effective digital signage content by offering an affordable, customizable, and fully licensed way to display localized weather content on digital signs.

Why is this noteworthy? Well, we've been a fan of content that engages people with retail media for a while, and from our own resesarch, weather seems to do it the best. Even when one can look out of a giant storefront window to see what it's like outside, it seems that showing weather on a digital sign -- everything from Dopplar radar to the 5-day forecast -- grabs eyeballs. The trick to using weather content effectively, however, has been less than forthcoming, and we've been working with AccuWeather for quite a while before making any kind of announcement.

For WireSpring, working with AccuWeather means access to the largest and most accurate repository of weather data that you can get, with more granularity than government-supplied services. For AccuWeather, they've already spent all that money making that content. The more places they can distribute it, the better. So I suspect we'll see any number of digital signage companies signing up in the relatively near future.

The trick, though, is using that content right, so it's also a safe bet that of the myriad companies that will catch the weather bug, three quarters of them will never use it to its fullest potential.

Tags: digital signage, WireSpring, FireCast, AccuWeather