Guest Post: Digital Signage Plays Prominent Role In Broader Marketing Ecosystem

July 9, 2014 by guest author, Michael Arnett

 

 

Guest Post: Michael Arnett, Aurora Dynamic

As impressive and flexible as digital signage is, all things considered it’s a significant piece of a much larger, cohesive communications puzzle.

Strategic efforts should always be mindful of the other digital mediums in play for established brands, most notably online and mobile.  Catering to connected viewers beyond the viewers of one’s message, and tailoring to multiple devices, has become the boundless marketing darling over the past couple of years.  Among the more recent catalysts for this was Google’s landmark multi-screen screen study in 2012.

These days, all the rage revolves around big data and mobile engagement.  Digital signage indeed has its role to play, as it is more than amply capable to provide the kind of memorable and rewarding interactivity that consumers crave, and it can also help track the behavior, and kinds, of individuals who respond.  Now marketers want to know where exactly people are, and what they are doing, so they can predictively associate their behavior and proactively take action accordingly.

Everyone talks about one’s own experiences.  The challenge lies with making each new one better, and more relevant.  Now that there’s been a paradigm shift such that the customers have more control over the kind of messaging they receive, be it through apps or other means, giving them the choice to opt-in and reap the rewards of this new self-empowerment.  There’s a fine line between optimization and invasiveness, so some careful treading will be needed, and, while at it, some tact.

In a perfect world, all these things would be tied together elegantly, just as the Olympic Rings do.  Not so simple.  Just like the rest of us, companies are learning to adapt, but aren’t always hitting the mark. Analytical data isn’t always bang-on, however anonymous it’s intended to be, and mobile users largely remain a proverbial moving target.  Consumers are loudly flagging promotional, pricing and service level deficiencies between channels, let alone locations, and aren’t exactly inconspicuous about lacklustre experiences, either.  And so forth.

One also doesn’t have to stray too far from home to see that reaching and catering to one’s audience in multiple ways should entail more thought, if not effort.  For example, I recently drove by a highway digital billboard that displayed the computer products webpage — techno-jargon, small fonts and all — of a major manufacturer, and it looked just as out of place as it did ridiculous.  Clearly this company has some kind of a content-repurposing problem when it comes to their digital outdoor blueprint.  It’s hard to label this as being consistent with their other messaging platforms when it’s as uncompromisingly lazy as it is ineffective.

Other companies get their customers excited by sparking, joining, and responding to community conversations, be it to help with pre-sales efforts, curb showrooming, or even spark some playful buzz.  A well-known airline apparently didn’t do this very well last week when their World Cup-inspired “Adios Amigos!” tweet offended many.  Sales aftermath is oft-ignored; going further to turn posted-to-cyberspace customer problems into opportunities with old school courtesy, modern day cultural sensitivity and genuine creativity goes a long way.

Even with digital signage, ensuring there’s consistency with one’s broader vision, including social media persona and seamless approach to omni-channel communication, starts by defining and understanding objectives.

With every defined call-to-action there’s a measurable response that can accordingly link to online or mobile engagement.

With attention given to every series of measurable responses, a better, and more enhanced experience unfolds.

With every memorable experience, there’s a story to be told.

And with every story to be told, there’s a ready-to-spend community waiting to hear it and share it with others.

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