The next POPAI Digital Signage 101 webinar is coming up on August 7th

This is pretty much a cut-and-paste from the announcement two months ago, and admittedly this post probably won't be appropriate for 90% of the audience of this blog, considering that I know lots of you are already experts on all things digital signage.

However, if you have a client, partner or other interested party that's starting to explore the exciting world of digital out-of-home media, POPAI's holding another "Digital Signage 101" webinar on August 7th.

Specifically designed to help newcomers see past the industry hype and focus on the projects, business cases and best practices that have been successful in the real world, POPAI's Introduction to Digital Signage webinar is a great way to spend an hour of your time -- and only $50 -- to jump-start your understanding of what works and what doesn't in the digital signage world.

Dale Smith at Peerless will be leading the way, covering topics including:

• An introduction to the digital signage market with some basic market history and analysis,
• A look at some of the most common usage scenarios,
• An explanation of the components used in typical digital signage networks,
• A discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of using digital signage, and
• An examination of some of the most common pitfalls and problems that occur, and ways to avoid them in the first place.

So please join us on Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 1:00pm EDT


Tags: digital signage

Hilfiger tries out interactive storefronts

Ralph Lauren's 5th Avenue Polo store made headlines last year when it debuted a system that let window shoppers interact with the store windows themselves via interactive touch screen and projection technologies.

Not to be outdone, Tommy has apparently joined the fray and is testing out some interactive storefront tech in Europe. According to a press release posted by fellow blogger Adrian Cotterill at the DailyDOOH:

Hilfiger stores in (London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Antwerp and Dublin) now feature unique through-window touch screen technology, providing an interface for passing shoppers to capture, stylise and submit their image as part of collage of images being shown on digital screens in the shop windows.

The digital storefronts enable customers to interact with the Hilfiger brand even outside of business hours. At the end of the campaign, customers will be able to return to the store and have their own T-shirt specially printed using the image they created as the design.

This is the first time a global fashion brand has embraced an interactive out-of-the-home format to create a unique channel for 24/7 dynamic relationship with its customers. The campaign also serves as mechanic for driving subscriptions to Hilfiger’s email newsletter, with users being asked to opt-in when uploading their images.

Obviously that last paragraph is incorrect, since the aforementioned Polo stores have been doing something very similar for over a year now. Still, there have been numerous sightings of one-off interactive storefronts across the globe now. One wonders if 2008 will bring a "standard" offering that retailers will be able to deploy universally and cost-effectively.

Tags: kiosks, digital signage, interactive storefront

Google places mapping system on gas pumps

Serving as a nice follow up to Monday's article about pay-by-touch gas station pumps, MediaPost reports that Google has struck a deal to include mapping systems at the pumps as well. According to the article, "Men who hate asking for directions now have a savior in the form of Google Maps, which will soon be available via interactive displays installed in gas pumps at stations across the country. The Internet connections are appearing courtesy of a deal between Google and gas pump manufacturer Gilbarco Veeder-Root, which says the first wave will bring the service to about 3,500 pumps."

According to the article, advertisements will not be utilized immediately. That's really a shame for advertisers, because this a perfect venue for them. My guess is it won't take long before they start popping up.

Putting displays with easy access to directions near gas pumps obviously has some very practical benefits, and as a great service to customers, I think advertisers on such a system would be given a lot more consideration than other pump-top ad networks. Plastering ads in places where they aren't welcome is always a tough sell, but putting in ads for local restaurants, supermarkets and other businesses on these displays will be much more welcome, especially when you can touch a screen to get directions to them. This will be especially true in high tourist areas where people tend to be lost or unfamiliar with their surroundings.

Once they've gotten into the game, why stop at directions or basic advertisements? Why not include actual reviews for restaurants or the capability to print out coupons to local supermarkets, or beam them down to your cell phone. The more interactive these displays are the better, since there's a several-minute long period that people must wait while filling up.

Now, if only they would invent ad-subsidized fuel to bring gas prices down to a more reasonable level :)


Tags: digital signage, interactive kiosks, gas station kiosks

Marc Ecko's digital grafitti inspires interaction

Maybe it's a kiosk, or maybe it's an interactive digital sign, but whatever you call it, it's pretty slick.

According to Ads of the World, "Marc Ecko wants to promote his roots and love for graffiti. Digital citylights are created that consists of an LCD and a bluetooth interface. People will get the possibility to access the citylight via bluetooth with their cell phones and spray their own graffiti with the cursor of their phone."

While the electronic poster doesn't really provide any kind of self-service function, the ability to engage passers by and engage users with a unique interactive experience puts this thing -- whatever it actually is -- firmly in the "kiosk" camp for me.

There's no word on whether this is a one-off project or part of a larger deployment, but JC Decaux has experimented with similar interactive advertising devices in the past, and in fact this could be the same exact hardware used for some of those past campaigns.

Tags: interactive kiosks, digital signage, out-of-home advertising