Photos courtesy CDS
By Peter Saunders
Over the past two years, Cineplex Digital Solutions (CDS) has built a digital signage network for Scotiabank across Canada. One piece of this puzzle, a custom ‘digital mural’ structure at the bank’s new flagship branch in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, proved eye-catching enough to win a gold award at the 2014 Digital Signage Expo (DSE).
The one-of-a-kind digital signage system was installed above the branch’s entrance and behind a glass bulkhead, following a recent expansion of the mall. Spanning approximately 1.5 x 13.1 m (5 x 43 ft), it is an array of 80 staggered MicroTile digital signage ‘cubes’ from Christie Digital Systems in Kitchener, Ont., along with 28 ‘faux’ tiles. It marked the first Canadian installation of MicroTiles in the financial sector and, to date, remains the largest.
“It’s different from your standard LCDs hanging from the ceiling,” says Steve Harris, vice-president (VP) and GM of CDS. “Our creative studio came up with ideas for the mosaic pattern and a ‘sculpture’ effect, with some displays pulled forward and others sunk bank. The fake tiles also help provide the impression of an extrusion out from the background.”
“The entire unit weighs about 2,040 kg (4,500 lb) and was executed in three-and-a-half months, which is record time,” says Eduarda Pilatos, Scotiabank’s director of brand implementation and creative production.
“Scotiabank set the bar pretty high and had a very tight timeline,” Harris agrees. “They had an opening event they were hoping this could be in place for and it was very challenging, for sure.”
The CDS team also worked with Scotiabank to create customized content for the unusually shaped digital canvas, which appears to shift and shimmer as it presents visual stories for passersby.
The ‘digital mural’ attracts customers with visual stories in what would otherwise be dead space.
“It creates life in an area that would previously have been perceived as dead space,” explains Anthony Casalanguida, general manager (GM) of Yorkdale. “It animates stories about families and values that really speak to our customers.”
The Scotiabank branch is also equipped with a series of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) behind the tellers and a pair of 2 x 2-screen video walls.
On February 12, CDS and Scotiabank received the gold Apex Award in the professional and personal services category at DSE in Las Vegas, Nev.
“It was a very collaborative project and I’m very proud of it,” says Pilatos. “It’s an artistic, forward-thinking approach to advertising.”
