New POPAI Europe-GIM book takes a good, deep look at global industry

September 4, 2009 by Dave Haynes

A big honkin’ book showed up stuck inside my door the other day, kindly sent all the way from Germany by Simone Henn from the research firm Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung, which in English translates to Wally’s Cheese Fair. I think.

Or perhaps something about innovation and marketing.

Whatever the case, the book is called Digital Signage. The global study. Opportunities and risks. It was put together by the firm and by POPAI’s European wing.

Writes GIM research manager Henn:

POPAI and GIM (Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung) teamed up to develop a globally relevant and sound analysis of the digital signage market, of the existing concepts and projects as well as the market participants and their forecasts for the coming years. The findings of this report are based on a detailed analysis of the world wide Digital Signage market, a survey among more than 1.000 respondents from the DS industry and potential users of Digital signage and on several interviews conducted with key people in the market (among others Bill Gerba – Wire Spring, Jeff Porter – Scala, Laura Davis Taylor).

The result of this co-operation is a comprehensive book that covers concepts, contents, impact and their measurement, possible financing models, media marketing, technical options and the general set-up of Digital Signage. It will provide a manual to operators, prospective operators, observers and decision-makers, and thus represents a comprehensive guidebook for all parts of the market.

However, the study won’t sample any statistical data and illustrate them in tables, but shed light on the subject of digital signage in a comprehensive and conclusive way; based upon interviews with many thousands of market participants, dozens of experts and opinion leaders from industry, trade, science and the service industry.

The research was sponsored by various major players in the market: Hughes Network Systems, Publicis, Scala, NEC, Mood Media, Goldbach / IP Multimedia and TripleDoubleU. However, it was written completely independent of manufacturers and lobbies.

The study has been available for sponsors and POPAI members for some months now. Starting September we will introduce the research to the general public (also accompanied by a substantial price reduction – the study is now available for 200 €). The study comes as a hardcover book of 550 pages and is available in English and German. 

I haven’t plowed my way through it all yet, but I must say I was impressed. Even though they talked to Gerba, there is nonetheless some useful commentary and a lot of deep, deep detail in there and a reader gets a truly global look at what is shaking. The industry moves so fast there are some things that are already dated, but all things considered, it’s a useful piece of work to have around and at 200-250 Euros, provides a lot more value than some of the $1,000-plus studies that keeping popping up in my email Google Alerts. 

Be warned about 60 per cent of the book is advertorial from sponsors, but most of that are case studies and a lot of them, at least in a quick pass,  look really interesting and useful to know about. And even at 60 per cent or whatever the actual percentage is, there are at least 200 pages of pure editorial.

Your can find out more and order the book here.