Article

All about the content: Does a DOOH network really exist?

If a DOOH network advertises, but no one is around to see it, does it really exist?

August 14, 2011

by Keith Kelsen

CEO, 5th Screen

There's an old adage: "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?"

Scientifically, sound is vibration, transmitted to our senses through the mechanism of the ear, and recognized as sound only at our nerve centers. The falling of the tree will produce vibration of the air, but if there are no one's ears to hear it, there will be no sound.

Philosophically, George Berkeley, in his work "A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge," said "surely there is nothing easier than for me to imagine trees ... and nobody by to perceive them ... The objects of sense exist only when they are perceived"

Of course, from a scientific viewpoint, a DOOH network exists. It is, however, human beings that are able to perceive it.

Perhaps the most important topic the riddle offers is the division between perception of an object and how an object really is. But I digress...

I have even said it many times, "Content is King," but is it really? To set the stage for this riddle in DOOH we must have certain ingredients that are critical for DOOH to exist. One must consider the three main ingredients: First isTechnology. We must have Media, and yes, we need an Audience that actually sees it/hears it.

Without any of the three, the network does not exist ... philosophically, scientifically and most of all economically.

One can contemplate which is more important, but certainly one must have all three.

It seems so simple that these are the basic building blocks of a successful network — the golden three.

The technology supports the media which supports the audience who sees it and hears it and makes it all a reality.

But as an industry, we consistently get lost in each corner of the triangle and can get so focused on one corner that we lose sight of the balance that makes this media work so well. Keeping ones focus on all three is no easy task. Each corner of the triangle can be broken into subcategories that are important factors that contribute to the success of the network. Can any one business actually become an expert in this media without dedicating resources to each corner of the triangle? I think for the small and medium business this is very very difficult. And this alone is a barrier for proliferation of successful DOOH networks. It takes expertise and knowledge in each discipline.

Making decisions on building a new network, one needs to look deep into the details. As one breaks it down just a little deeper, one can easily become overwhelmed...

Perhaps by simply acknowledging that there is an ecosystem that is necessary to support a digital signage network we can begin to understand why from a software or a hardware company it is difficult to get the complete picture. There is more, so much more to consider. Each player is important, but their perspective is limited, their expertise is focused on their corner of the triangle.

In the television industry for example, one does not just build a TV station and start broadcasting without a team of experts to employ best practices to ensure the success. The team is split between the technology, the production of shows and the audience reached.

So one has to ask oneself, "If I put up a screen and I put some media on it and I have an audience, does my network exist?"

Perhaps, perhaps not ... Did anyone really see it?

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 at www.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: 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?

All about the content: Creating relevance with viewer types

All About the Content: Engaging through touch

All about the content: Content across the digital landscape

To read more about digital signage content, visit our Content research center.