Article

Engaging more customers through digital signage

Toshiba makes its case for digital signage — in Dallas and in Los Angeles.

November 25, 2014 by Greg Sharpless

To many observers, Toshiba America Business Solutions is a company in the midst of a transformation. After all, the company traditionally has been known for its document-management and document-workflow solutions. In 2014, however, its digital-signage revenues have increased 250 percent versus last year's business. Another indicator of change: The company generated $3 million in digital-signage sales at its 2013 LEAD end-user conference, and it reports that about half of all the business signed at the 2014 LEAD conference will come from the digital-signage space.

But, says Bill Melo, Toshiba's newly appointed chief marketing executive, there is a common theme that underlies all of the company's product and service offerings:

"Although our technologies look like different things — copiers, MFPs, digital signage — they're not. Our core competence is helping our customers manage information, no matter what form that information takes," Melo said at the company's LEAD 2014 conference in Dallas in November.

The move into digital signage, according to Melo, was first spurred on by parent company's Toshiba Corporation's acquisition of the IBM point-of-sale terminal business in 2012. "We soon saw that signage was a very big business in the retail space."

Toshiba moved into digital signage "because people are printing less; they're communicating more and more by digital means," he said.

The company's biggest advantage in the digital-signage space: "Our goal is to manage everything through the process, including content and content management. We've always seen this as a service offering, not just a product offering," Melo said.

Enhancing the fan experience: LA Interactive

Both product and service were showcased in Los Angeles in the days immediately leading up to the LEAD Conference. At the Staples Center, Toshiba joined with AEG, the LA Kings professional hockey team, and the Staples Center facility to cut the ribbon on LA Interactive powered by Toshiba — a high-tech fan destination located on the Center's main concourse.

The new space — designed to enhance the fan experience with interactive content, social-media visualizations, player stats and more, as well as sell more food and refreshments — features an array of Toshiba technology, including:

• A 6 x 13-foot LED video wall;
• An 8 x 5-foot Toshiba Ultra HD video wall;
• Two 46-inch Toshiba Virtuoso interactive touch displays featuring team and event-specific information;
• A 60-inch Toshiba "Touch & Get" interactive kiosk, which allows for wireless, high-speed transfers of Los Angeles Kings and StaplesCenter content;
• Three 65-inch Toshiba Ultra HD displays; and
• Multiple displays that feature Toshiba's facial-recognition technology, allowing for the changing of content based upon demographics of the fans in attendance.

"LA Interactive is a cool environment — and this has never been done anywhere else," said Scott Maccabe, president and CEO of Toshiba America Business Solutions, at the ribbon-cutting event, which took place in front of fans and press. "We wanted to create the best fan experience in the industry, and we partnered with AEG to do so.

"These same solutions can be applied in retail stores, restaurants, hospitals, and more – anywhere you want more engagement with customers."

How can you better serve your customers?

More than 200 customers showed up in Dallas for the Toshiba LEAD Conference (as well as an additional 50 dealers, nearly 600 attendees in all). As you might guess, the customer mix comprised many of the businesses Maccabe referenced to in L.A. — retailers, restaurants, hospital administrators and others.

During the three-day event, conference-goers were treated to more than a dozen educational sessions, an array of networking opportunities, a luncheon with former pro football star Troy Aikman, and an evening event at AT&T Stadium where they could take part in a Punt, Pass and Kick competition.

A few select highlights from some of the seminar content that addressed digital signage:

On the subject of leveraging user-generated content, Meghan Ryan, marketing and social-media strategist with the Boston Red Sox, noted:

• "Determine your objective. How can you better serve your customers, your audience — and how can you use technology to interact with them? Keep in mind that your fans can serve as brand ambassadors for you."
• "Build a schedule to moderate the conversations."
• "It's important to walk before you run. Start small, try to find one space where you can have success. You don't have to have 50 screens to start."
• "Think about your promotional plan behind any project. For instance, for us it was promoted to people in the ballpark as an in-venue experience, versus an online experience."

When it comes to evaluating the business value of digital signage, said Megan Lujan, marketing strategy manager for Toshiba America Business Solutions, keep in mind that digital signage offers:

• Greater image impact;
• Faster message change;
• Regional messaging/info;
• Centralized monitoring;
• Shorter length of time to deploy; and
• It can be used for advertising, brand building, menus and more.

And, she emphasized, "Content is the most important component of any digital-signage solution. When implementing digital signage, you should focus on content creation and have a strategy for it." And, she noted, keep in mind that your content strategy doesn't end upon the signage implementation: "You have to have fresh content and change it out going forward."

(Photo courtesy of Adam Pantozzi/AEG via Bernstein Associates Inc.)

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