- At DSE 2015 in Las Vegas, the panel on Silo-Busting Engagement Strategies will focus on both the power of the digital place based screen and technology considerations for maximizing engagement with consumers.
Jeff Gunderman, President of EYE Corp Media
Technology can be a great enabler and offers media operators, agencies and clients an ability to customize engagement with consumers to maximize reach and relevance. According to Ray Rotolo, past COO Posterscope: “Technology allows a true bridge from the physical environment to the digital and allows us to be “personal” with the consumer in a very meaningful way.” This personalization can help digital advertising be more effective.
A tremendous example of creative uses of DOOH is in the recent GrandVisual and Clear Channel execution with Universal Pictures for the film sequel Despicable Me 2. In this personalized geo-specific digital out of home campaign consumers could control the on-screen Minions by texting a command to see them dance, wrestle, play or boogie. Users were rewarded with a text linking them to a copy of their personalized Minion mini-film for social sharing.
“For a campaign to be successful, it needs to be engaging, entertaining and valuable for the consumer,” said: Ben Putland, COO Grand Visual. “This campaign pays off all of the above.” The digital out-of-home campaign is enhanced by a personalized and interactive consumer experience and extends its reach through a social integration component that makes it easy to share with your social network.
The industry is not short of great examples so why are we not seeing more executions at scale across our media screens? A challenge we face is that for some clients and agencies, digital is becoming a fast way to execute a campaign. Media plans that once were budgeted and approved going into the year are now being released on a quarter-by-quarter (and sometimes even month-by-month) basis and in some cases digital is selected for its speed to market as opposed to its other features and benefits. “This is a real issue with respect to effectiveness of creative.” Said Mr. Putland. “Digital is quick to market but is it really? The best uses of digital are not the repurposing of static creative, but instead the well planned executions that surprise and delight. In fact, a study we did showed that consumers would look twice as many times and spend twice as long on each look with animated creative vs. static. It really pays to do it right.”
When it comes to best practices, there are many opinions but a few that are consistent include quality of execution and customizing creative for the screen and audience. As technology is quickly moving, it is important to do it right and it is clear that proper planning and execution can make all the difference. “The most important think is always understand the audience you are delivering. Everything is about delivering audience.” Said Mr. Rotolo. “If you deliver the consumer value proposition, everything will follow.”
The Digital Out of Home industry is really at an exciting time as the cost of digital screens has been coming down and more digital networks are being deployed. We as an industry have the scale to reach consumers throughout their journey out of home with a message that is above the fold and not subject to the false clicks we are reading about with on-line media. And we are seeing the introduction of complimentary digital technology and solutions that can enhance the delivery of advertising messages, making them more relevant and effective.
An interactive advertisement where passers-by text commands to the Minions on screen.
This technology evolution from mobile integration to interactivity to metrics and reporting is both exciting and sometimes overwhelming. No matter if you are a media operator, agency or advertiser, it is important we navigate the options and make smart decisions. Only the scalable and repeatable solutions that can be easily implemented will survive.
Author Jeff Gunderman, will be a panelist in the DSE 2015 Pre-Show Digital Out-of-Home Strategy Summit entitled, “Silo-Busting Strategies,” on Tuesday, March 10th at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Other panelists will include Rupert Day, CEO, Tenthavenue, Ray Rotolo, Past COO, Posterscope and Jeff Gunderman, President, EYE Corp Media. To learn more about this session, or to register for this and other educational presentations, go to: www.digitalsignageexpo.net.
