Article

Branding your digital signage wins audience (Commentary)

A digital signage and production expert says consistency in messaging and design wins audience loyalty.

April 9, 2013

By Vern Freedlander

Vice President of Production Services, X2O Media

Digital signage has matured greatly over the last few years. For the most part, technical hurdles such as file types, distribution methods, and player performance issues have been resolved. This leaves signage operators free to really focus on the most important aspect of a network: the content that appears on screens and the experience users have when interacting with it.

When content is highly focused, consistent, and truly resonates with an audience, the digital signage network transcends being simply an interesting place to pay attention to for a few seconds — it becomes a brand experience. By making smart content choices and giving the network a consistent look and feel, the network transforms into a destination that viewers come to rely on and trust. This is the essence of "branding" the network, and it leads to increased viewership and more interest from advertisers.

But what exactly is a brand? For many of us, the term is synonymous with a logo, such as Nike's swoosh or McDonald's golden arches. In actuality, however, it goes far beyond a single design element. In digital signage, as in any business, a brand is a promise made to its viewers of what the network stands for, its values, and the messaging it will consistently deliver to viewers. To understand the concept of branding and messaging, it's helpful to think of broadcast television. HBO and MTV, for example, convey their brands through unique programming that sets them apart from other networks. Likewise, a digital signage network must translate its brand through the distinctive content that it plays out.

In digital signage, operators can dramatically expand their branding opportunities by reaching out to potential viewers wherever they may be. Signage operators can do this by taking advantage of all possible screens — from place-based signage to mobile devices and desktops. The key, however, is to communicate messages consistently on all fronts. Consistently and clearly delivered messaging confirms the network's credibility, creating user loyalty and helping to build its audience. Viewers of HBO and MTV know exactly what these networks deliver and what they can expect when they tune in. As a rule, if network operators are consistent, the audience will come to rely on the network for the content they know they can count on.

When selecting content for play-out on the network, it's important that it be in line with the network's audience demographics in order to be relevant. A network whose viewers are primarily women would not run videos on men's health. But what is the right content? The more operators can learn about their target audience's specific interests, buying habits, income, age and other factors, the more they can start to make some wise content choices. Determining as many details as possible about the audience is essential, and this can best be accomplished by using a third-party research firm. Furthermore, content should complement the venue in which screens are located. For example, in a high-end women's clothing store, fashion runway content from Milan that supports the brands being sold is relevant and effective. However, the same content in a more casual store may be out of place.

No matter the venue or the audience, it is important for network operators to avoid the temptation of simply scheduling irrelevant content to ensure that there's always something on the screen. This is known as "wallpaper" — generic content that is readily available and usually relatively inexpensive that "papers" over the screen, ensuring the screen always appears active. Generic content has little to no impact on the audience, and often does little to enhance messaging or support a brand. In fact, meaningless content can seriously harm the performance of the network.

In addition to content, digital signage operators must give some thought as to how to convey their brand visually with design elements, communicating to viewers that they are watching or interacting with a unique channel with a specific purpose. Going back to broadcast television as an example, TV networks use strong, identifiable graphics and music to clearly distinguish themselves. In digital signage, the visual style presented on screen gives the network a sense of identity, which plays two important roles: It stresses the exclusiveness or "specialness" of the network while promoting the unique content it delivers, and it quickly and effectively communicates the network's brand personality by giving it a distinctive "voice."

A brand personality is the human traits that personify the network to distinguish it in the marketplace. Such traits could be confidence, high energy or cleverness. The brand personality is conveyed to the audience through the brand image, which is the look and feel of the network created through the consistent use of design elements like color schemes, animations and music.

Finally, a network must be consistent in its production values; it is important that it be fully "produced" and "programmed." This means that there must be a sense of flow between items and a certain commonality of themes and ideas. In addition, technical standards should be set and adhered to for video and audio quality, which will be greatly determined by the application. If the network is on a college campus and is primarily showing YouTube videos, a lower standard for video quality is acceptable. In a corporate environment, however, the goal may be for high technical standards that are consistent with the overall corporate brand.

As we've seen here, a brand is essentially the personality and philosophy that comes to define a digital signage network. More than that, it is a sacred promise to the viewer as to the kind of messaging they can count on. Successful branding is essential in building an audience and allowing the network to meet its marketing and communications goals. The key to successfully building a brand lies in unswerving consistency — in messaging and design choices across every screen in the network.

Freedlander is vice president of production services for Montréal-based X2O Media, a full-service provider of technology, network management and content services for professional digital signage applications. With more than 20 years of broadcast television experience as a producer, director and executive, Freedlander oversees all of X2O Media's content initiatives. He can be reached at vern@x2omedia.com.

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