Photos courtesy The Crafty Canvas
By David Little
Digital signage network operators know the implementation process can be long and tedious. To make things worse, it is often akin to a moving target, with success seeming ever elusive. It is important to understand why this is the case and what can be done about it.
It is not difficult today to find hundreds of examples showing how the addition of a digital signage network to an organization’s communications mix can reap a variety of rewards, including increased awareness, reduced printing costs, instant dissemination of information and a high degree of relevancy. Indeed, the benefits are as diverse as the breadth of potential applications.
What’s key to keep in mind is no such success comes automatically. Hanging a digital screen up on a wall and displaying a series of images is not, in itself, likely to reach anyone’s communication goals. Rather, the screen will become just one more sign to ignore, generating nothing more than background visual clutter.
A digital signage strategy requires a team effort, with key stakeholders at the table, to meet specific goals. Without collaboration between experienced professionals in the fields of information technology (IT), audiovisual (AV) systems, project management, marketing, finance and business leadership to guide the launch process, a new digital signage project is, more often than not, an expensive catastrophe in the making.
Partners and vendors
Corporations, retailers, government agencies, hoteliers and building management firms, to name a few, are increasingly relying on vendors and partners to advance their communications goals and help circumvent potential pitfalls with respect to their digital signage projects.
This is a good approach to take.Otherwise, organizations that are new to the medium will frequently encounter unanticipated problems that waste both time and money, but could have been avoided with some foreknowledge and planning. These problems have been evident simply by observing the many digital signage failures of the past two decades.
