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[ The Video Agenda ]
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Digital Signage for your community
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by Mark J. Pescatore
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There will always be a special place in my heart for small, community-based media outlets. My professional journalism career began at the Community News in Hollywood, FL. It was truly one of the happiest times of my life, reporting on real people living their lives, facing challenges, and making a difference in my local area.
Of course, that idealistic nostalgia is so 20th century. If I was starting out these days, I'd probably trade in the printing press for a digital signage network.
According to a study released at InfoComm in June, digital signage is experiencing explosive growth in a variety of markets (and the abundance of digital signage solutions on the show floor indicates no shortage of interest from manufacturers, either). Researchers estimate that there will be more than one million digital signs in North America by 2009.
One segment of potential growth is community-based digital signage networks. Sure, you can build a digital signage system into a gas pump (in fact, it's already been done), but businesses are now looking to attract eyeballs in less captive locations -- and are using local news and information as part of the equation.
I spoke with Stephanie Angel, account executive and graphic designer for the Spot Media Group, a community-based digital advertising company based in York, PA, which is using a cellular digital signage turnkey solution from the MediaTile Company. She told me the Spot Media Group already has 10 digital signs in high-traffic locations including malls, restaurants, and gyms, and is looking to expand its digital signage network into other cities in Pennsylvania. Angel said the company features fun facts, trivia questions, and local information between the ads.
It only makes sense (or dollars and cents, if you'll excuse the obvious pun) that entrepreneurs are leading the charge for community-based digital signage networks. Big-time media outlets are all well and good, but sometimes the corner diner just needs to let the locals know about a new breakfast special. A community media outlet, even one based around digital signage, can deliver the audience that a local company needs to reach at a reasonable cost.
If your municipality can't invest in its own digital signage system, I'm betting those commercial-based digital signage networks will be more than happy to develop a relationship with you to promote upcoming community events and share other information. Either way, your message is reaching your community through a visually dynamic system. It might not be terribly nostalgic, but it's effective.
Mark J. Pescatore is the editor. Contact him at mpescatore@nbmedia.com.
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