Monthly Archives: January 2011

Yesterday, one of my favorite Tweeters, Aaron Danks , asked this on Twitter : I want to try and answer. It’s going to take more than 140 characters. Here we go: It’s the other way around. What new, unpredictable, market/industry will enter digital signage? Mobile and Social Media. As an industry, digital signage is driven by technology: a screen, or a computer, or software. It’s what you’re going to do with it that will make the difference. In reality, a TV is nothing more than a computer screen (or vice versa). And our culture is rapidly reaching a saturation point with screens. Nowadays you find yourself surprised when you’re in a venue without a screen. If the venue doesn’t have a screen, chances are you do, with your mobile device. There are two things everyone has now: A screen and a camera. Everyone will want to make content for a screen. Content is now being driven by social media. The ability to share information across an almost universal platform like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or YouTube enables real-time messaging, information, and engagement. Networks will facilitate this easy interactivity. You don’t follow Starbucks.com. You follow Twitter.com/starbucks , or Facebook.com/starbucks . That’s how Starbucks promotes themselves and engages with consumers. Mobile presents a complement, a companion to digital signage in the potential for engagement. When Starbucks asks you to follow them. How are you following? Through your mobile device. When you see a screen offering to post your SMS, where is the SMS coming from? Your mobile device. The term ‘Social Media’ is as inappropriate in discussing convergence of channels, platforms, and messages as the term ‘digital signage’ is to describe the multitude of available screens and locations on which we see the very messages we are putting out there. But, in a general sense, the influence of social media’s best practices will be the driver of digital signage messaging. Coupled with the interactive nature of mobile devices, digital signage will be a complementary channel of engagement for both the network and the audience. There. That’s my answer. Agree? Disagree? Chime in. I’d love to hear what you think. Subscribe to the comments for this post? Digg this! Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Continue reading →