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5 Things: Five things to consider when integrating mobile and digital signage

For DST's inaugural "5 Things" feature, iSign President and CEO Alex Romanov writes about DOOH-mobile interactivity.

August 18, 2011

by Alex Romanov

iSIGN Media

When planning the integration of mobile and digital signage, there so many "little things" to remember that it's possible for marketers, advertisers, or retailers to miss something big. With this in mind, I have put together a list of the major considerations for the multichannel integration of mobile and digital signage:

1. Access: When integrating mobile and digital signage, no application installation should be required. One key factor to successful integration is leveraging Bluetooth and Wi-Fi standards for content delivery, making sure that advertising content can be delivered to phones as soon as they are activated. Additional steps simply lead to fewer future views or impressions later on.

2. Proximity: Location still matters! Advertising content needs to be delivered where it has the most impact. In this case, it would be in proximity to the advertised retailer in order for a consumer to take action. The closer, the better: An end user's ad impression makes the most impact when minimal effort is required to act on impulse.

3. Measurability: The more in-depth your metrics, the better campaigns can be — and the faster you act, the more effectively ad dollars are spent. Evaluating advertising effectiveness in real-time allows marketers to adjust campaigns, maximizing their value and delivering the greatest degree of customer satisfaction. In fact, measurement can be tied to advertiser billing (in some cases), ensuring that advertisers only pay for actual user views or impressions.

4. Consumer Awareness: Rolling out a dual digital signage-mobile campaign means nothing if people don't know about it. Ensure that users are aware that this mobile ad technology offers a trustworthy opportunity to receive exclusive offers and promotions — and ones that are relevant and worthwhile. Communicate both value and safety.

5. Layout and Content: When the consumer engages with mobile technology, what are they going to see? Eye-catching graphics complementing leading-edge technology are necessary to ensure viral forwarding after initial delivery and viewing. In addition, graphics should be static, which makes them easily accessible on mobile phones.

For more on integrating mobile and digital signage, visit our Mobile Interactivity research center.

(And if you would like to send in a submission for "5 Things," with five suggestions for digital signage deployers and end-users, please send it to christopherh@digitalsignagetoday.com.)