Wal-Mart taking in-store TV network in new, much better direction

July 21, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Adrian’s Daily DOOH portal has a piece written by on the original chroniclers of this industry, Bill Collins, on the plans for a complete revamp of the Wal-Mart TV network.

Anyone who’s wandered into a US Wal-Mart store has seen the network and been wholly underwhelmed by the scattering of CRT TV screens, way up high, though stores and long-form spots that really don’t work. The new vision, reports Collins, involves thew following:

1. Bring screens down to eye level
2. Build screens into endcaps, fixtures and shelving
3. Abandon the 2001-2002 “hang and bang” model where flat screens are hung nilly-willy around the store, mostly in locations that are difficult for shoppers to see
4. Control audio so that the soundtrack of these networks is welcomed by shoppers and store employees alike
5. Pack merchandise around the screens and speakers, so that the sound-and-motion media serves a useful purpose for both marketing and merchandising just as conventional Point-of-Purchase displays do

The new network will be owned and operated by Wal-Mart, and Collins has the suspicion the early rollout will be happening as early as this fall.

Mike Hiatt, who runs the store media network program, sent me a note to clarify the role of Premier Retail Networks in the new deployment. “While PRN’s role is shifting in regards to the upcoming deployment, they will continue to play a key role in the execution of this network.”

UPDATE: This was nagging at me that I had heard about this before.