Australia is seeing an uptake of large-scale digital signage, which enables advertising companies to schedule multiple clients per day and sell more advertising space at one location. Digital LED and LCD billboards are already a flourishing industry in Europe and the US, but how will the technology affect wide format print in Australia? Carlos Martinez takes a look
David Gittins, operations director for Prime Digital Media (PDM), which provides digital media management software to retailers and marketers says in the future of out-of-home advertising, it’s inevitable consumers will see a lot more large-scale digital promotions as it makes financial sense for those footing the bill.
Gittins says, “We are seeing more of these kinds of applications, while it’s a significant investment from the onset once it’s installed you can have much more content in the same space and there is no need for continuous print runs.” He says, “Print won’t die, instead we will see a mixture of both in the future, however the market growth in the last two years has added credibility to digital, which will see the technology become much more mainstream.”
Earlier this year, Westfield Group launched a digital network of LED video displays starting with six of its prime shopping centres in Australia.
The displays and content management system were designed and manufactured by Daktronics who says the contract was one of the largest deployments of indoor LED advertising screens in the world and also marks a significant step in the growth of digital advertising in Australia.
According to Daktronics, the solution features the latest LED video technology with content management for the whole network run by Daktronics’ Visiconn software. It is a control system that allows users to run their displays from any internet ready computer. The company adds that the technology offers the capability for the clients of Westfield to quickly create and display messages and graphics on the LED displays, allowing advertisers to better target their content to the audience at a particular location or certain time of day.
Dan Chase, director of Asia Pacific region at Daktronics Shanghai says, “Westfield is a leading player in their industry and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them on this innovative display network.” He says, “We are excited to implement our control solution, which will allow Westfield’s digital network to grow domestically and may have applications for their global business.”
To date, six double-sided LED displays have been installed in five shopping centres including Bondi Junction, Parramatta, Chatswood, Doncaster and Chermside. A sixth location will be added to the network with the installation of displays at Southland in the coming months.
Martin Quinn, general manager of Westfield Brandspace says the centre’s wide format banners offer high impact advertising to the 8.5 million shoppers who pass through Westfield’s doors every year however the large-scale LED screens are in high demand due to their interactive and motion capabilities.
He says, “All the media in our centres has a place but we are always looking for new and exciting ways to market. These screens have proved to be highly attractive for the media and marketing communities with numerous blue-chip brands recognising the benefits and getting involved.”
Westfield has worked with advertisers to create a number of interactive promotions for its large-scale LED billboards such as enabling shoppers to play video games on the giant screen or allowing it to receive and display SMS messages from passersby.
Quinn continues that despite the technology being relatively new in Australia, there has been no hesitancy from advertisers to pay for the space. He says, “People are well aware of the technology, which has been highlighted at a number of international events such as the Beijing Olympics. They understand that if the clarity is good it looks and feels like a massive TV screen, so they are well aware of the benefits and if they have the material it can be up in a matter of minutes.”
Despite many obvious benefits in digital advertising, the market will not be giving up traditional wide format print anytime soon, according to Debbi Burgess, director of award winning Sydney print shop Bright Print. She says there will be space for both mediums, with each serving a different market however Burgess adds that printers must stay vigilant as to what new technology is biting at their heels. She says, “Anything to do with a computer screen is going to be less environmentally friendly than printed work. The print also has the tactile factor, it allows people to reach out and feel it, which is an emotive value digital will never have.”
She says, “There will be some cross over between the two, if it’s there for quick ads and fast changeovers then printers can’t compete but if advertisers want longevity and portability then they can’t go past wide format.” Burgess adds, “It’s important to stay aware of new emerging technologies and look to see how your product can add value. There is no use pushing into a particular market where there are other products better suited for it.”
According to PDM (which supplies content to Westfield Parramatta’s large-scale LED signage) out of home digital media is able to offer advertisers customisation in terms of what is viewed at a given part of the day. However the company adds that the content itself needs to genuinely add value to the viewer, which means the quality must be consistently as good as, or in many cases better than, broadcast quality.
Like print, screens need to be placed in the best possible location, position, height and orientation to engage the audience. But the content mix needs to fit the audience and if that audience changes depending on the time, day, week or month then the content needs to reflect this change, according to the company.
PDM continues that the system also needs to work well, all the time. The technology needs to be robust and scalable, traffic management must be capable of handling a large quantity of content, from many different sources and the content production process needs to be fast enough to affordably feed the network.
In a recent project with Telstra T-Life stores, PDM created content for in-store LCD screens as well as a 25 metre high giant outdoor LED screen featuring brand, education, entertainment, promotions, information and news demonstrations.
A report on the project by Galaxy Research showed:
• The new digital signage model dramatically improves in-store marketing and staff training effectiveness.
• The outdoor screen draws passers-by inside the store.
• Between 73- 85 per cent of shoppers have a high recall of ads and believe the media improves the shopping experience.
• Around 80 per cent of managers agree that the content on the screens appeals to the customer segments in their store and has a positive influence on shoppers’ purchasing decisions.
Meanwhile, Charmaine Moldrich, CEO of the Outdoor Media Association of Australia agrees an increase in the local uptake of large-scale digital advertising is imminent but adds it may be slower than expected due to Australia’s lack of regulation.
She says, “The billboards in places such as airports and shopping centres are straight forward and make complete sense because they are owned in a particular way. However Australian regulators and state and local governments haven’t grappled the details of digital signage and how it operates in the public realm, which is still in the discussion process.”
Moldrich also outlines that even with its growing popularity the new digital technology will only take up some of the market in the foreseeable future and is unlikely to threaten the older mediums such as print, in any serious way.
She says, “I don’t think printers should close up shop just yet, digital billboards have many benefits but they are not the be all and end all – when video arrived people said it would be the end of cinema. While Sydney won’t be looking like Tokyo any time soon, digital will become a bigger part of the plethora of signage.”
Andrew Tribute
