Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, the bookseller's subsidiary and operator of college and university bookstores, has announced a new partnership with Scentsa Media Networks to launch a digital signage network of roughly 1,000 screens in more than 400 of the company's campus bookstores.
The College Bookstore Media Network will provide live, high-definition media streams to stores and will present a wide array of content specifically designed for college students. Using both local and national sources, the program will feature videos, news briefs, sports, local weather, and university updates to enhance the student and faculty in-store experience.
Beginning this month and continuing through summer, multiple large-format digital signage displays will be placed in high-traffic areas of some of Barnes & Noble's highest-profile national campuses, including Harvard University, Northwestern University, Texas A&M, Ohio State University, Penn State University, University of Central Florida and Yale University.
"Effectively reaching today's college students requires a multiplatform strategy," Lisa Malat, vice president of store operations at Barnes & Noble, said in the announcement. "The College Bookstore Media Network is a great addition to our existing social media, online and peer-to-peer programs and will enhance the campus customers' experience by providing interesting, relevant and entertaining content throughout the day."
"We are pleased to begin this partnership with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers," Steven Fish, co-CEO of Scentsa Media Networks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Crescent House Publishing Inc., said in the announcement. "Scentsa Media Networks is providing a unique opportunity to build brand awareness and engage the 18-24 year old demographic in a retail environment."
