Developments in In-Store Media
Posted by Universal Ad at Wednesday, October 10, 2007 7:40 AM and is filed under in-store,Advertising,Retail,media 
Two discussions in RetailWire about In-Store Media highlight recent developments in this market.
- Is in-store digital media for branding, sales lift…or both?
As is obvious from the title, this discussion centers on the use of in-store marketing (traditional and digital) to bolster a branding and/or sales lift strategy. On one side of the argument, people are claiming that digital signage is ideal for delivering brand-building messages to shoppers, who may be harder to reach via TV. On the other side are advertisers who want to use all store messaging media (digital and otherwise) to deliver targeted messages designed to lift sales.
The author's take on this issue is that "the overarching goal of these new digital media tools should be sales. How you connect relevantly with shoppers to get there - be it sexy, engaging branding messages, targeted and day parted animated messages, valuable interactive screen strategies or powerful animated POP - is part of the strategic challenge. But if the end result can't be tied concretely to sales, it's simply not going to fly in the long run. This is not to say that the branding aspect is not still important, but it certainly should not be the driving force. After all, it's a store, not a living room!"
- Will the CBS Acquisition of SignStorey Transform In-store Media?
Another major development in this market came last month when CBS acquired SignStorey for $71.5M. The company, an established digital signage network that distributes video programming and ad content to retail stores, has a long list of grocery store clients, including SuperValu, Pathmark, ShopRite and Price Chopper. It has more than 1,400 digital video displays across the country, it claims to reach over 72 million consumers each month. CBS sees out of-home digital media as "a crucial means by which we and advertisers can gain invaluable impressions in this crowded media landscape." The benefits of digital advertising per CBS are that it "allows great flexibility in tailoring messaging to consumers, and can be efficiently controlled from a centralized location."
According to the author, the industry sees this move as surprising but promising for the future of digital signage. It validate the premise that digital media has great potential for media reach and frequency. Advertisers should keep in mind the difference between out-of-home vs. in-store messaging and how it relates to the strategy they use for each one. The latter medium reaches people "while actively shopping in a distracting store" so that their frame of mind is different. Additional considerations for determining content include the specific retail vertical and where the screens are located in the store, as well as the overarching intent of each channel.
in my experience a good digital display is critical for branding and attracting more costumers. a good example of this is a display i saw involving a company called EyeClick (www.eyeclick.com) that use projected interactive images on floors, walls and windows. the costumers go crazy for this fun-filled action and are drawn to the products through the experience they have with this interactive display. it's very effective .
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