Display Technology
2022 redux: 4 insights for the new year
December 30, 2022 by Daniel Brown — Editor, Networld Media Group
Pinch me! It's hard to believe I only started tech journalism three months ago — it feels like years! From interviews, travel, and events to multiple crash courses in digital signage and marketing, I already feel like and older and a wiser man. Even as a newbie, a few salient points have emerged, and I'm keen to explore them in the coming year as we expand our coverage.
1. Digital signage is not a silo
As covered in our wonderful conversation with Stephen Dorsey and Brandy Alvarado-Miranda, the world of digital signage is evolving rapidly beyond mere "screens on a wall," in no small measure thanks to emerging technology that blurs the line between verticals in the new "metaverse." While some might argue that metaverse is just a fancy word for the increasingly interactive and interconnected technologies that are shrinking our online world, the key point is embracing innovation and change while putting people and content first.
We should also remember that the interconnected technology world we live and work in is blurring the old lines between TVs on a wall and digital marketing, content curation, mobile interactivity and emerging technologies like holograms. (Speaking of which, one of our top stories was our two-part interview with inventor David Nussbaum about his adventures promoting holograms with Howie Mandel and other luminaries — go check it out if you haven't yet!)
There's also a lot of potential money on the table as the technologies emerge, and we learned in our conversation with Norm Chait that DOOH expanding to videogames is one exciting area of growth. Observing that analysts have estimated videogame advertising as an $8 billion market, Norm said: "With millions of players viewing scenery at any given moment, the metaverse seems like an ideal place for ads to be included. The key to implementing digital signage in the metaverse is to ensure that the ad integration doesn't negatively affect the players' experience."
Once again, putting experience (i.e. people) first is the key! We have learned that one way to do that involves the burgeoning area of inclusion in the industry, which leads us to our second point.
2. Digital signage future is sustainable, accessible, metaverse-powered
In a deep dive with thought leader Michelle Montazieri, we covered the massive push for accessibility and inclusion in digital signage and the need to embrace social media and augmented reality along with other emerging technologies as digital signage evolves rapidly beyond its roots. One of the core lessons in any sector or vertical of business remains: put people's experiences first, and as Michelle said, "Make it quick, make it easy, but what's quick and easy to me might be very different from what you find quick and easy, might be different than what my mom finds quick and easy... Equity in technology is really important. We can't go down one path and assume it's going to fit the needs of everybody."
More and more consumers and businesses are prioritizing inclusion, and as we learned in a powerful conversation with Stephen Dorsey and Brandy Alvarado-Miranda, the digital signage industry is embracing diversity in a more conscious way. We've highlighted the disruptive inclusion efforts of companies such as easescreen, where we noted the promotion of Zuzana Yalcin as head of marketing as the company seeks more diverse leadership.
Consumers, in no small part driven by the rise of digital signage in higher education, have been pushing for greater awareness in inclusion, along with sustainability. Ignoring these areas for short-term profitability is simply not the recipe for long-term success, especially when consumer sentiment continues to show a greater concern for environmental issues.
3. Emerging markets are growing in importance
In exciting developments covered in interviews, like our India feature "Sustainable, inclusive innovation fuels India's DOOH renaissance," we are learning that emerging markets are growing exponentially, and digital signage/marketing is evolving rapidly beyond the traditional leading areas of the Eurozone and North America. As Aman Nanda of Times OOH stated in that feature, businesses are learning that "DOOH also provides an opportunity for marketers to associate with widely-followed and major cricketing and soccer sports events through content sponsorship allowing them to sponsor real-time updates as well as live feeds."
While the overall screen count remains comparatively low in some of these markets, many like India show exponential growth in recent years, particularly when factoring in the way mobile connectivity is blurring the borders of traditional DOOH — whether it's mixed reality, mobile-friendly QR codes, or simply leveraging the advertising opportunities from the overnight sensation of FIFA World Cup streaming in Bangladesh, digital signage and marketing have almost limitless growth potential in new and emerging markets, and early investment is the best option.
4. People and content are key
It bears repeating and is one of the most repeated remarks in countless interviews I've had over the past quarter. The industry often has a reputation for prioritizing cool gadgets over the human touch, but remembering the human element is the ticket to sustainable success. Whether it's remembering the power of storytelling and nostalgia, as Kurt Dupont reminded us, or whether it's embracing accessibility and inclusion as we saw in the conversations above with Michelle, Stephen and Brandy — the most important element of connecting with people is "people over shiny things," to borrow the theme of our conversation with Scott Schoeneberger, who had some of the most insightful remarks of the entire year, including when he said:
"My best piece of advice would be to continue listening and focusing on your customers. Their feedback will help guide you through change and ensure you're staying relevant. If you remain open to the idea that what worked once may not always work, it allows you to navigate through the rapid churn with your customer's voice guiding the way. Just beware of falling into the trap of shiny new things as the changes needed to stay relevant are usually a series of micro changes to existing methods, not an adoption of something entirely new."
About Daniel Brown
Daniel Brown is the editor of Digital Signage Today, a contributing editor for Automation & Self-Service, and an accomplished writer and multimedia content producer with extensive experience covering technology and business. His work has appeared in a range of business and technology publications, including interviews with eminent business leaders, inventors and technologists. He has written extensively on AI and the integration of technology and business strategy with empathy and the human touch. Brown is the author of two novels and a podcaster. His previous experience includes IT work at an Ivy League research institution, education and business consulting, and retail sales and management.
