‘Summit’ we learned

Being even greener & experience-led content — we’ve recently returned from the Digital Signage Summit in Munich so we caught up with our Managing Director, Louise and Dan, our Creative Director, to chat about some of the digital signage ideas that caught their eye…

Two businessmen talking about digital signage on stage, DSSE, considerations, business critical

LR – There were several high level themes I identified at the DSS conference this year. The one I would highlight is the focus on the impact on the environment which is a subject people talk about theoretically, but in practical terms, what are companies actually doing to reduce the impact on climate change? As new models of screens, (and other hardware), are developed, power consumption does seem to be reducing, but surely we can’t all sit around just waiting for new models to be released?

I was searching for ideas on what we can do to help, especially when you look at the large networks of screens running which all add up and some of the things that came up were:

• High bright screens can easily be reinstalled as indoor screens long after the warranty expires and even when the brightness reduces – you don’t have to just throw them away. This is a brilliant hack and means whole networks could go on to have years of use past their initial need!
• Some large manufacturers will allow us to return old screens for them to recycle the component parts. This is a specialist area of knowledge and not something that just anyone can do. We will be talking to our leading manufacturers to discuss this option in future.
• Darker colours use less power on screens, so this can be incorporated into the design of content.
• Logistics – as technology gets smarter, it is becoming easier to plan installation and service visits so that field based engineers can be smarter in terms of route planning. Ultimately this uses less fuel.
• Smarter diagnostics in software allows us to resolve more issues remotely and cuts down the need for field based service visits. We need to keep on top of updates in software and new products that will help with this.

“Sustainability is the topic that will continue to be talked about and like every industry, digital signage is having to become more climate-compatible”. LR

DS – When I attend events, I like to spend my time listening and speaking with agencies and content creators. I’m looking for those golden nuggets of interesting ideas and content examples that inspire my thinking – something tangible that I think might be useful for a client or triggers another idea that we could incorporate into future projects.

The one reoccurring theme that I picked up on was that more than ever experience matters. Although a lot of the technology that was showcased was nothing new, and stuff we’ve seen in the industry for a while now, what stood out for me more than anything was how brands are leveraging that technology to create those unique customer experiences.

“The one reoccurring theme that I picked up on from almost every speaker was that more than ever experience matters. People want to like, tell, share and then return to places that have given them meaningful experience”. DS

There was one talk in particular from Loek Wermenbol from First Impression Visual who were commissioned to work on a project for the department store, The House of Rituals in Amsterdam – definitely one worth checking out if you’ve not seen it already.

From the moment the customer enters the store, every touchpoint has been carefully considered to create drama, intrigue and that need to explore. From the Umbrella Collection where a customer picks up an umbrella, stands in front of a display and the rain follows the movements of the customers, to the Mind Spa where customers are treated to breathing techniques via the screens to help them relax in a space that’s designed to do just that – relax!

The talk concluded with a showcase of the Perfume Bar, a space that helps customers to pick a perfume based on their favourite scents. Again, the lift and learn technology used here is nothing new and yet it was beautifully executed, and they’ve used the space in such a brilliant way to create that unforgettable experience for customers.

So what was the one key takeaway that you took from the Digital Signage Summit that you can see yourself talking about with our clients?

LR – I made new connections with people and companies at the conference who were discussing these subjects. Some talks were purely about this subject. I will keep these themes in mind moving forward because our customers, (and their procurement teams), are increasingly focusing on social corporate responsibility and demanding that we make these sorts of suggestions to help them achieve their objectives. We have always used the WEEE recycling standard to dispose of electrical waste, but I want to be more proactive in future.”

DS – We’re always talking about the need for brands to create those offline experiences, to give customers a reason to want to visit a space by creating something really engaging. Doing this obviously lends itself to customers to spending longer in that space, but it also encourages social sharing as people love nothing more than sharing a great experience and it also puts a smile on the face of the customer.

We’re working on several projects at the moment where we’re always looking at creating campaigns that are more integrated and can deliver across multiple touchpoints to deliver an experience. From our Tasty by Greggs project which included social media integration which harnessed the power of user-generated content to display a constant feed of fresh content throughout the store, to the more technical user-data integration for Fidelity International that ensures content displayed throughout a workplace is targeted to the right audience and features relevant content depending on who is using a particular space at anyone time.

We’re a creative content agency that specialises in creating experiences using design, film and image, and we’re having loads of conversations with both new and existing clients, about how we can further enhance their digital spaces as they embrace our idea of experience-led content.”

If you want to hear more from Louise about how we’re helping to reduce our environmental impact click here 

Part 2 of this is now up! – click here to read ‘summit technical we learned’