Content Is Still King

We’ve all seen it: Terrible dynamic signage; screens thrown up with nonsense content that annoys shoppers and wastes marketing dollars.

Regardless of what brands want to communicate or sell, if there hasn’t been true consideration of how the design works to achieve that, then it’s just a bunch of flat screens with nothing much to say. Content really is the make-or-break factor for successful dynamic signage projects. Simply throwing up screens with thoughtless content is a terrible waste of your client’s money.

So, let’s work together to eradicate all those terrible PowerPoints and static JPEGs, which are still way too common for this to be 2015 and 20 years after dynamic signage became a scalable product.

It’s a good time to talk about what’s trending now and to revisit best practices. Treat this as a friendly reminder – and one your competitors may (still) not heed.

Engaging the Audience
More than ever, content is being created for interaction. Brands want consumers to walk into their space or see their dynamic signage and do something. The interaction could be social, promotional, or physical – think direct contact with the signage via touch screens. These are all ways to promote brand engagement with the screens and with brands.

How do we do that when everyone is distracted? Think about how often you see people with their heads down these days. And we’re not all staring at the floor; we’re staring at our phones. This means that a consumer’s line of sight is often obscured, which translates to missed opportunities. So, how do brands get consumers to look up? One strategy is to tie in social media. By simply allowing for a live stream of tweets, a consumer could tweet the brand and instantly be featured on the larger, live screen. This is a win for the brand and for the social-media maven. The same could be true for Instagram posts or pins on Pinterest. There’s even a new video streaming feature from Twitter: Periscope. Of course, with live streaming, there’s always an opportunity for something inadvertent to occur, but this new platform is raising the standard for social media with its instant interactivity.

In addition, you can engage consumers by posting text promos, QR codes, or survey URLs. These interactions are all call-to-action driven. The consumer has to know what’s in it for her. If she’s taking a survey or downloading some kind of media, what’s her reward? It could be a discount, free merchandise, or a chance to win a bigger prize.

You can also encourage interaction directly with the screen by utilizing touchscreens and kiosks. With this come added requirements for hardware and technological knowhow, but there could be real payoffs. The question is: What type of interaction is best, and how does it impact the customer experience and create revenue or brand equity? The displays I’ve observed for this type of application seem to fall into two categories: games/activities or information. Games and activities have an objective of amusing the audience and may be found in high-traffic areas with long wait times to reduce perceived delay. Informational kiosks are found in some of the same areas but have a broader purpose. The way to tie in ROI for brands is to include advertising for locations that want to be featured on the kiosks.

Contextual Content
Thinking about the customer and the environment (which could be changing) will guide content choices. One current and interesting take on this is temperature- and weather-responsive signage. Technology has fueled this inventive way to make content seem eerily apt for the moment. Imagine umbrellas sailing onto the screen when it rains or ice cold drinks fading in when it’s hot. It’s really happening in installations across the country. Whether or not this will be something that will shape the industry is yet to be determined. Can it be affordable? Does it almost feel a bit too “Big Brother is Watching” for the audience? Or is it just a normal progression for signage?

While this is the ultimate way in which content aligns with the environment, there are ways to consider this trend on a smaller, more economical scale. It’s really about asking where the consumer is and what she’s doing. Content that plays on screens on public transportation is an example. Commuters going to work have different mindsets than those on their way home, thus content can be tailored. At the beginning of the day, maybe the mind is on a more practical thought pattern, while after a long day of work, the consumer wants to be entertained and think about plans for dinner or the weekend. Also, consider temporal or seasonal transitions: morning promotions may center on coffee; evening promotions might feature cocktails for a restaurant or grocery store. Seasonal promotions have been around for ages – this is simply using a new platform to display them.

One way to focus on a specific audience, then, is for the brand to study buying habits and make adjustments. Morning shoppers most likely have different buying patterns than those who shop late at night. This type of data is probably already being tracked by most brands and would be the foundation of contextual content. Ask them to share it to help strengthen context based on consumer behaviors.

The Evolution of Design and Tips from a Pro
You can’t talk about where content is going without talking about how it got there. A lot has changed since the first dynamic signs were installed. I recently had the opportunity to talk with a designer who has been creating dynamic content for years. Doug Elliott, creative director at Visual Impressions in Charlotte, North Carolina, says that technology has been the biggest driver for evolving content. Simply going from standalone software packages to displaying content as web pages has changed the way designers work.

Elliott says that even something as simple as entering text has changed because of technology: “Initially, when we designed menu boards, we did so with content blocks for manual entry. Now, the fields are fed from an XML feed from the customer’s database. That changed a lot, especially when the need arose to include calorie counts.”

Now, he’s working on a new project with a lot of history: a redesign for a long-time customer, a regional fast-casual chain. This customer started out with complex printed boards years ago, made the transition to digital, and is now rethinking their approach. They had some failures along the way when they switched vendors for dynamic signage. Feeling disillusioned, they came back to Visual Impressions.

Because his company knows the brand and has been with them for over 20 years, Elliott is glad to be redesigning their new dynamic signage and shared their journey together with me: “Our first designs for them years ago focused a lot on specific items and trying to accompany a very large menu. Now, it’s been simplified. And we’re not competing so much for space with so many menu items. Ultimately, we always go back to, ‘What do you want to sell?’ But that can’t be the only focus. Imagery can’t be, either. There has to be legible text, a clear hierarchy to the menu based on importance.”

While there is still an emphasis on great imagery, with video clips of things like sizzling cheese and fizzy drinks making an even bigger impact, Elliott talked about “not getting too caught up with the perfect image; customers still need to see what’s on the menu.

“We want to show them something different, but at the same time, keep it simple. Their audience is there to eat. Let’s help them make those choices quickly but also subtly influence them.”

Best Practices
To summarize, let’s revisit a few key takeaways; these tips will keep you from being the dreaded junk-content provider.

1. Have a strategy. It should be based on a synergy of buying habits, the consumer experience, and the brand’s revenue objectives. Without strategy, you just have some screens and images floating around. Think carefully about the client’s goals. Have clear objectives and the path to meeting them before you do anything.

2. Ask questions. In addition to, “What do you want to sell?,” there’s, “What do you need to sell?,” “When?,” “Which items have the highest margins?,” and “What promotions do you have set for the next 12 months?” Answers to these questions build your understanding of context and strategy and, in turn, better content.

3. Measure results. Have specific ways in which you can engage the audience, and measure each campaign’s success. Otherwise you won’t know what’s working and what’s not. But give it time; gather at least three months of data before drawing any definitive conclusions.

Content is always changing – new ideas, technology, and applications keep it fresh. As consumers become savvier and signage becomes more familiar, brands have to keep working to disrupt the space. Content certainly has the power to make this happen; that’s why it’s still king.