Article
All about the content: Creating relevance with viewer types
Our monthly series "All about the content" continues with an examination of the types of viewers and how to create relevant digital signage content to capture their attention.
August 30, 2010 by Keith Kelsen — chairman, 5th Screen Digital
To a large degree, the relevance of digital signage content can be determined by the state of mind of a viewer at a particular place and time — which determines what "type" of viewer they are.
That is, no matter what the demographic or other "fixed" characteristics of individual viewers may be, one can't think of viewers as somehow unchanging. The same individual who is in a hurry on the way to work on a Tuesday morning may be very relaxed at the same time and place on a Sunday morning — so the same individual can be a different type of viewer at different times of the day or week.
So to be relevant to the viewer — and to capture their attention — the content on any individual screen needs to be tailored to fit the probable type of viewer based on when or how they're encountering the screen.
One way to understand this important concept is to consider the difference between a "consumer" and a "shopper."
We can look at most individuals as consumers — that is, they have the potential to purchase products and services aimed at individuals or families. But one is a consumer at home, at work and at play. In each of those circumstances, an individual may be thinking more or less about purchasing anything, or making any kinds of decisions surrounding a potential purchase. One can reach this consumer with certain messages — branding, for example — but making a direct offer is more difficult.
When in front of a point-of-sale (POS) network, though, the consumer has become a shopper. The mindset of a person who has deliberately entered a store is much more attuned to cues and opportunities related to their needs and the wares on sale at that location. They are now reachable with more direct offers about products — and particularly offers that now take into account their individual demographic characteristics. Putting all these together creates real relevance for the content of POS signage, because it can create an emotional response that drives desired behavior.
Looking at things from another angle, we can consider another two types of viewers: the "dweller" and the "on the go."
Dwellers are in situations where they are either patient or have little choice but to remain passively in the area of the screen, or they may be in a situation where they are relaxed in an out-of-home location, say at a mall food court. Dwellers may be in an elevator or a doctor's office, but in either case they are stuck with a wait. All have dwell time, but for entirely different reasons, and it is those reasons that need to be considered when creating relevant content.
On the other side of this are the consumers who are on-the-go: people who are walking or driving or in some other fashion in transit. These are people in circumstances where their mindset is firmly fixed on reaching a destination or taking a journey, usually in areas where point-of-transit networks dominate. They are on a mission to get somewhere, and that's the key to relevance: Where are they headed and why? This is a very complex question with a range of answers. So the relevance of content can depend upon the subcategory of the point-of-transit (POT) network and the time of day or week.
This is the first place to start to understand the mindset of the on-the-go viewer. During morning commute traffic you can guess that most on-the-go viewers are heading to work. On a subway that will also apply during weekday mornings. What is on their minds? More than likely, it will be something involving work or coffee. They are also thinking about where they came from, home and family issues, as well as things they may need to find time to deal with during a busy work day. Conversely, on their way home they are recapping their day and looking forward to home, friends, family and dinner.
These examples are, of course, basic thinking around what mindset the shopper, the dweller and the on-the-go viewer is in — and depending upon the subcategory of network, be it billboards or subway signs, the content can be fine-tuned to match relevancy with mindset.
When you think about content and categorize by type of network and the mindset of the shopper, the on-the-go viewer or the dweller, it immediately helps to organize the thinking around content.
Keith Kelsen is the author of "Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage – Content Strategies for the 5th Screen." More information about the book and the book's companion website can be found atwww.5thscreen.info. Follow him on Twitter @KKelsen.
It's All About the Content Series Links:
- All about the content: A strategic blueprint for DOOH networks
- All about the content: New technology will change engagement through digital signage
- All about the content: All screens all the time...Transmedia
- All about the content: Aspect ratios: How content 'shapes up'
- All about the content: Automated content and templates
- All about the content: Screen zones, to subdivide or not to subdivide?
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