The future of the ooh signage

The digital outdoor media industry has had an exciting time. From the emergence of new formats to the acceleration of dynamic digital outdoor media applications. the innovation of digital outdoor advertising shows no signs of slowing down. As digital signage continues to enter new places and spaces, advertisers need to find new ways to attract the attention of their target audience.

This is exactly where interactive advertising is used. Interactive advertising brings new opportunities for marketing teams to make brands stand out through engaging and effective story formats. Media operators supporting interactive content can add more exciting and interesting content to their networks, offer complex AD bookings at a higher premium, and have a better chance to make a splash on social media with their superior dynamic advertising results.

 What is interactive digital signage?

While personalization has been a hot topic in digital marketing for the past few years, it’s the interactive elements that really shine. Today, interactive ads appear on computer screens and tablets, especially on mobile devices. The online environment is not the only stage for interactive advertising. The emergence of audience-oriented and anonymous real-time sensors makes digital outdoor media especially suitable for creating a powerful interactive experience.

In short, interactive digital signage attracts consumers to actually interact with the screen content and find practical information related to themselves, thus turning traditional advertising into a participatory activity. Traditional digital signage plays information in a single direction, displaying content whether the audience is concerned or not; interactive digital signage transforms the audience into the user.

Example: The Australian variety show “Dancing with the Stars” invites passers-by to press a button on a digital billboard and learn dance steps following the interactive video tutorial displayed on the screen, to fully tap the potential of interactive advertising in a fascinating and interesting way.

In terms of their origins, today’s interactive screens date back to the first commercial use of touchscreen technology in the early 1980s. At that time, interactive kiosks in the form of ATM (ATMs) also came into widespread use, cultivating the ability of customers to interact with the screen, and laying a mass foundation for today’s endless interactive digital signage technology.

The early development of digital signage focused on hardware improvements, with the advent of thinner and brighter displays, improved picture quality, and overall reliability driving the industry forward, while the development of display technology ultimately had an impact on content and software. As responsive and dynamic display technologies become less costly and more accessible, digital signage solutions flood the market to grab consumers’ attention. As a result, marketers and network operators turn to scenario-like dynamic content, and interactivity may be what its true worth is. Interactive content can reach the audience through all kinds of noise, ensuring the effectiveness of digital outdoor media to convey business information.

Watch videos: Interactive digital outdoor media ads that extract content from social media

Why is digital signage so interactive?

Today’s ordinary urban residents can pass a lot of digital displays every day, most of which are not interactive displays. Because interactive features often require other technologies and Settings, they often cause additional costs. Those costs will be paid by media operators who need to add features to sign signs and buyers who want to buy complex ads. So does it sense to pay extra for interactive signage?

The answer depends on the memory of interactive signage present in an ad-filled environment. According to the MAGNA report, interactive video ads spend 47 percent more views than non-interactive ads, and consumers will remember it better whether they choose it or not. People are also more willing to share personal information in exchange for personalized experiences and value. By presenting relevant and compelling content to an audience, audiences will be more willing to share their personal data, and buyers can also gain insight into customer behavior to guide future strategies.

For network operators, the key is that potential AD buyers believe in the effectiveness of interactivity. Eighty-one percent of marketers agree that interactive content attracts more attention than static content, and 79 percent of marketers believe that the combination of interactive content and traditional marketing strategies can enhance the memory retention of brand information. As high-end buyers continue to look for ways to make their ads stand out, only the interactive digital outdoor media networks that can meet their expectations will have a competitive advantage.

Watch the video: Interactive augmented reality advertising for Decco Group and BBC Earth channels

 How to deploy an interactive digital signage device

Excellent interactive content needs some support work as a safeguard. Network operators need to have hardware that supports interactive content and software that can connect all applicable modules together to drive the hardware to deliver content correctly.

Scalable software with open application interfaces is usually the first choice for interactive signage projects, but the security and reliability of solutions are also important. Handaccessible interactive displays can experience malicious tampering with data, so security is particularly important.

Make interactive digital signage easier

 Apply for product display

The sign also shows the content that you can interact with people. Depending on the nature of the display screen, the interactive content can come in many forms. For example, media buyers who want to place specific promotional ads can deliver interactive content through interactive billboards; what interactive content on indoor screens such as guide machines in the mall may be up to the network operator. Interactive content does not have to be created by itself. There are also a number of digital signage content vendors specializing in interactive content that can be customized according to the specific needs of a specific network.

 The way digital signage interacts

Interactive digital signage is a broad concept, and the various items vary widely. Here are some common types of interactions.

Touch

Touch screens are a common form of interaction with digital signage. Since most people simply walk forward to contact the device, obstacles are less likely, and touch screens are now ubiquitous and a safe way to go wrong. Touch screens are often used to allow audiences to browse information on the screen or to manipulate various elements on the screen.

Common occasions: guide machines, kiosks, special advertising activities

Example: LinkNYC’s network of touch-screen kiosks provides telephone, wireless network, navigation, and other services for New Yorkers, and advertising fees for the kiosks cover all service fees.

Check out how Intersection can use dynamic digital outdoor media to improve New York City’s lives.

 Gesture/action tracking

Gesture controls are similar to touch screens but with more styles and less accuracy. People can step up and make gestures in front of the sign, and the camera on the device will record the type and speed of the gesture, triggering the screen’s response accordingly. Although we have seen the use of gesture control increasingly with the improvement of gesture control technology and the focus on health issues after the outbreak, this form of interaction is not very common in the digital signage space.

Common occasions: virtual shopping or shopping, interactive advertising

Example: Swarovski’s AD uses action and gesture tracking technology to invite viewers to become participants in interactive games.

Social media

Social media has been the main arena for interactive digital signage advertising for years, largely thanks to social media’s superior ability to attract users to engage and generate on-screen content. Different ads have different ways of interacting with social media. In a typical example, when a user posts with a specific tag on his social media account, the message appears on the screen and —— sometimes requires certain content review with the bus shelter display

 Common occasions: outdoor advertising

Example: The # Delivery of Love Advertising campaign launched by the World Outdoor Advertising Organization shows information about love submitted by users in cities around the world during the fight against COVID-19.

Cellphone

More and more ads are using mobile phones to present some interesting and interactive content. First, the relevant site on a billboard prompts the audience to visit or download. The audience can manipulate the elements or objects on the advertising screen through a specific app or mobile website. It’s a fun way to put games on nearby digital billboards and encourage the public to engage in advertising interactions.

Common occasions: ad-supported games, interactive advertising, augmented reality

 RFID/NFC

In our daily conversations, the terms RFID (RFID) and NFC (near-field communication) seem to be used interchangeably, because they function similarly, with only minor differences. Both use passive chips that interact with electrical devices such as smartphones to achieve information transmission or trigger responses. The technology is becoming more common as mobile companies launch a variety of contactless payment apps, but it is still risky for interactive advertising. Many phones still don’t support the technology.

 Augmented reality and visual recognition

Excellent interactive digital outdoor media advertising often has a simple form. Install a camera next to a digital display and connect it to the right computer for simple and agile augmented reality advertising results. This interesting way can bring the audience into a new world and feel the fresh experience of interacting with the environment. Other practices are basic visual recognition using cameras and ads tailored to the audience in front of them. For example, different content can be put in according to different audiences, such as adults or children.

Common occasions: AR, dynamic advertising

Example: Decor Group and Estonian telecom company Telia Estonia launched Estonia’s first outdoor AR AD to promote the new TV channel Inspira. In the first month in Estonia, 10 percent watched the new channel, proving the power of the AD.