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5 great digital signage moments in 2009

We look into great events that changed the industry this year, and one we'd rather forget.

December 22, 2009 by Bill Yackey

2009 was an interesting year for the digital signage industry. Despite the recession, new deals were won, new technology was released and the industry grew as a whole.

Here are five moments that changed the digital signage and digital out-of-home industry for the better in 2009, and one that certainly didn't.

1. The rise of DOOH aggregation platforms

With digital out-of-home spending on the rise, the industry is working to make it easier for media buyers to purchase DOOH ads. This has led to the proliferation of aggregation services that allow ad agencies to purchase screen space across multiple networks using one online platform.Existing services like SeeSaw Networks, Adcentricity, rVue and DOmedia all expanded their networks and services in 2009, while new platforms like VUKUNET and BookingDOOH.com were launched.

Why it's important

The chore of arranging agreements with multiple networks has turned agencies off to using DOOH in their media mixes. There also exists a disparity between software platforms, file formats and payment systems, which is why aggregation services, which unify these networks under a common platform, are so important to the continued growth of DOOH.

Rick Ducey, chief strategy officer, BIA/Kelsey, a research firm, shares these sentiments.

"DOOH must get easier to plan, buy and measure in order to reach scale," he says in the Digital Out-of-Home: Hyperlocal and Hyper Growth report."With consolidation, partnerships and interoperable platforms, we see the buying process becoming more integrated, which will spur growth."

2. Dallas Cowboys Stadium installs Cisco StadiumVision

The poster child for digital signage this year has been the new $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium.In addition to housing the largest HD screen to date, Cisco has installed nearly 3,000 digital signage screens throughout the complex as part of its StadiumVision offering. StadiumVision consists of screens in the concourses, luxury boxes, restaurants (as digital menu boards) and retail areas, all connected to the internal IP infrastructure.

Why it's important

Pardon the pun, but StadiumVision is a "game-changer" for the sports entertainment industry. Fans are delivered entertainment pre-event, in-event and post-event, using video and content, such as out-of-town games and scores, team trivia, weather, traffic and news, in addition to the action on the field.

On the back end, the stadium staff is able to centrally manage the delivery of all of the venue's available video assets, including broadcast, cable, satellite and in-house feeds, to displays over a single IP infrastructure. And it's catching on – in 2009 StadiumVision was installed in the new Yankee Stadium, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Land Shark Stadium in Miami, Fla. and many European stadiums. 

(Honorable mention for video walls: The release of Christie Microtiles)

Although most of the content was advertorial in nature, the section went a long way in bringing this industry to attention of readers in major DMAs. You could call it an "awareness campaign." This year at tradeshows many of the exhibitors said they were seeing more educated attendees and fewer "tire kickers," and projects like the USA Today supplement have a lot to do with that. Another supplement is planned for Jan. 29, 2010.

5. Capital Area Transit enables mobile digital signage

In April, Harris Corp. along with WRAL in Raleigh, N.C. and Microspace Communications, announced they had launched the nation's first free, over-the-air broadcast of mobile digital television to the public.The CBC New Media Group and the City of Raleigh, N.C., were also part of a project that delivers live WRAL-DT broadcasts to Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses traveling around the capital city.

Why it's important

The CAT project epitomizes many of the best practices of DOOH advertising. Screens are placed on buses, where there is an extensive amount of dwell time. Viewers can be exposed to hyper-local, highly relevant content as they are taken through the city and have the ability to interact via mobile phone. And because the screens are still connected to a network, ads have the ability to be geo-targeted based on where bus is at that moment. It serves as a great example of content relevancy and contextual advertising.

...and one not-so-great one

If there was one story we wish we didn't have to write this year, it would be that of Reactrix. Many of those in the industry remember the slow demise of Reactrix around this time last year.A victim of the recession, the Redwood City, Calif.-based interactive media company first went into receivership in Oct. 2008, called it quits early this year and had its IP bought in May.

Why it's not-so-great

Digital signage is a young and nascent industry, and it doesn't image well to have any company go under, particularly one with the kind of innovative and forward-thinking technology that will help propel it. Reactrix had several good network deals, especially in malls. But I believe it was outrageous spending that eventually brought the company down (They burned through an alleged $85 million!) Even Wall Street Journal used Reactrix as an example of a tech start-up bubble burst.