Quick Bio
Name: Cindy McCullough
Position: Senior Product Manager, LCD
Company: Planar
Overtime: Outside of helping bring LCD display solutions to market, McCullough is a passionate traveler, gardener, and runner who enjoys spending quality time with her family.
SCN: What is your position, and what does it entail? What are your responsibilities?
CINDY MCCULLOUGH: As a senior product manager at Planar, I manage the company’s comprehensive portfolio of industry-leading LCD display solutions. This includes launching, maintaining, and retiring video wall, large format, touch, and collaboration displays, as well as transparent OLED displays and related mounts and accessories.
[The Integration Guide to Video Walls]
SCN: How long have you been in this position?
CM: Prior to my promotion to senior product manager, I held various positions with Planar over the last 20 years. These range from marketing and outbound communications support to developing effective strategies and plans to introduce new products and features for the company’s innovative LCD display solutions.
SCN: How has your background prepared you for your role?
CM: Prior to joining Planar, I worked in marketing for leading technology companies and manufacturers. This foundation supports my ability to introduce groundbreaking display innovations that keep up with the AV industry’s rapidly evolving landscape.
Today, I shepherd products from inception to obsolescence and take pride in understanding how to keep the company’s top and bottom lines in constant focus. My nearly 20-year career in product marketing has allowed me the opportunity to excel at profit and loss accountability. I’ve also had the opportunity to develop solid relationships with suppliers and refine process improvements to present visualization technologies that address the latest market trends and—more importantly—represent best-in-class performance.
SCN: What are your short- and long-term goals?
CM: Though we continue to face uncertainty as the AV industry recovers from the effects of the pandemic, Planar is dedicated to helping our customers through these trying times and evolving needs. In the short term, this includes educating industry members about the existing technologies and services we offer to help them both maintain day-to-day business operations and execute never-before-seen installations as opportunities arise.
Long-term, we’ll be watching closely to see how the industry continues to evolve. Recently we’ve observed strong demand for one-stop collaboration solutions supporting today’s work-from-home climate, as well as large video walls delivering viewing experiences for outdoor gatherings. In response, we recently introduced the Planar HB Series Huddle Board, a line of large-format LCD displays optimized for quick and efficient collaboration, as well as Planar HRO Series high-resolution outdoor LED video walls, and Planar FX Series fine-pitch LED video wall displays. Looking ahead, the industry will see more groundbreaking display solutions from Planar that are directly driven by industry demand and include the flexibility and state-of-the-art performance our customers expect.
[ Related: Taking Fine Pitch LED Outdoors and Changing the Game ]
SCN: What is the greatest challenge you face?
CM: The global commercial display market continues to grow, introducing new companies and products for organizations to choose from. Today, we’re able to transform experiences for users in a wide range of environments because Planar’s products are not only designed with installation ease and serviceability in mind, but they also deliver unmatched performance, durability, and value. Additionally, our decades of flat-panel display experience, pioneering leadership in rear projection displays, and devotion to customer satisfaction, which is backed by a deep understanding of applications, continue to set us apart.
The industry continues to demand not only high-quality digital signage solutions that stand the test of time, but also solutions that are on the forefront of innovation. As an industry leader, we’re proud to offer customers our most extensive portfolio of display solutions to date. These are built for the most demanding environments and to customers’ exact standards, offering peace of mind that we have the ability to help bring their visions to life.
SCN: Where do you see the digital signage market heading?
CM: Today, digital signage is everywhere we go, and it remains a simple, effective way to not only capture a person’s attention, but to invite them to be part of the story. From narrowing pixel pitches and advances in virtual reality technology to high-brightness outdoor LED video wall displays supporting seamless viewing experiences and interactive solutions designed to drive engagement, Planar will stay on the cutting edge of technology. We’re innovating to make digital signage more attractive, more immersive, and more accessible.
[Download the Digital Signage Best Practices Guide]
SCN: Are there new initiatives we are likely to see from Planar?
CM: As we emerge from a challenging year, we understand that the needs of our customers will vary. Planar remains committed to offering state-of-the-art display solutions that not only deliver the best visual experiences, but can also be tailored to every customer’s individual and unique needs. In 2020, we were especially focused on finding ways to make it easier for customers to both deploy and maintain display technology. We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum and have a handful of exciting product announcements to share with the industry in the months ahead.
SCN: How can systems contractors better position themselves to profit from products and/or services you have to offer?
CM: As a company, we welcome the opportunity to have conversations with systems contractors to better understand what they’re trying to achieve, and what next steps make the most sense for their needs and the next generation of their implementation.
After deploying display solutions for nearly 40 years, our team has the experience and expertise needed to fully understand what customers are looking for. We’re part of a larger global organization, but we also have more people on the ground in North America than anybody in this space. As a result, are uniquely able to deliver on our customers’ requirements.
[ Related: How Video Walls Can Bridge the Virtual Chasm ]
This is strengthened by our ongoing commitment to unparalleled visual performance, reliability, and service character. Planar provides extensive online service and support resources for our various product lines, including technology training courses, warranties, and service programs. For example, we launched the Planar EverNew Managed Service Program last year to give more people the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of our display solutions. As a competitive multiyear leasing program for Planar display solutions in the United States and Canada, Planar EverNew simplifies the buying process by allowing customers to lease our display solutions at a fixed monthly cost.
We’re always available and willing to tailor a solution to a customer’s individual needs.
