Image credit: Katy Bate, Flickr
Being a team of avid readers, we discover quite a few interesting or even thought-provoking articles every now & then and we’ve made it a point to regularly share them with you on our blog. And with the longer weekend coming up here in the UK, we thought you might have the time to indulge yourself in some good reading.
So here are five hand-picked articles we recommend, most of them very rich in data since they cover recent studies from realms such as outdoor advertising and retail. Enjoy!
1) Great Advertising Is Both Local and Global
As social media has made the communications of companies small and large more or less ‘’global’’, the Harvard Business Review experts claim that smaller organizations too should start having an international perspective on things while giving their message a ‘’local flavor’’. The same advice stays true for established brands as well, and they give a few examples of multi-national companies that do it right.
“Global brands and agencies will reorganize themselves — with speed, agility, and editorial spirit — to create stories that will travel across countries without being lost in translation” points out Garinois-Melenikiotou, the CMO of Estée Lauder. This being said, there’s nothing like place-based media (read digital signage) when it comes to adapting messages to a particular location and changing them on the fly.
2) In-store POS advertising budgets to increase says Epson 20/20 Survey
The Drum acknowledges Epson’s new study and highlights a few interesting statistics that seem to point out that the future of the Point Of Sale is digital (as Screenmedia Magazine rightly states in its own article on the topic). 75% of the POS media will be electronic by the year 2020, the survey’s findings show and will be preponderantly used to promote fast-moving, commodity items while print -based media will be the preferred support for high-end goods. The article shares the insight of James Henry, head of retail at Intermarketing Agency ‘’We’ve already started to see significant growth in digital POS’’ he says, explaining why ‘’ …with its fast turnaround and low cost, it allows us to deploy campaigns quickly and cost effectively.’’
3) 13 ways for retailers to deal with the threat of showrooming
Whether we like it or not showrooming is here to say, says this Econsultancy article, quoting a 2012 study carried out by them (Econsultancy) according to which 43% of the UK consumers use their smartphones for price comparisons and product reviews while shopping. The article offers 13 ideas of how to convert shoppers from mere ‘’visitors’’ into customers and digital signage (or video screens as they label it) is the second option on the list.
4) Project: Virtual train windows in Madrid bar
This is the perfect example of digital signage used to create an ambiance rather than overtly ‘’selling’’ and has been featured by Sixteen:nine in one of its March articles. ’’To create the illusion of movement, three huge solid screens play the role of windows. They are constantly projected with synchronized and programmed videos that flow, from one screen to the next, just like in real life….The images have been recorded from train windows all over the world, presenting urban and nature landscapes that transport the clients into the fantastic experience of travel and leisure. ‘’ says Parolio, the creative mind behind this very interesting and artistic project.
5) Outdoor ads prompt action, but tech knowledge is spotty
A recent CBS Outdoor study conducted in collaboration with Kantar Media shows that outdoor ads are more likely to convince viewers to take an online action (like a brand’s Facebook page, download an app, shop online) than other media. In some circumstances, the outdoor seemed to outperform the TV, radio and print when it came to influence. Yet, the results were mixed and not as rosy when people’s understanding of interactive technologies was under scrutiny. Many interviewees said they would welcome more explicit directions about how to interact with the ads.
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That’s about it. We hope you’ve found them interesting and if you have any suggestions, share them in the comments below or email them to us.
If we’ve just got you started, here are some more recommendations from our side. Read on!
Our favourite digital signage articles– November 2012
Quick list of recommended articles– September 2012