In a noisy environment, audio programming straddles a fine line between engaging the customer and being obtrusive. Three rules of thumb will ensure that the audience gets the message every time.

Be Complementary

The audio on any content should complement the story on the screen. It should not be considered a vital medium for delivering information because there is a good chance the audience would not hear the audio. There are two reasons for this.

The first reason is that the audio is turned off. Most stores have a standard operating procedure, borne locally or from corporate, requiring that the audio be turned to an acceptable level for the audience in the department. This SOP usually comes from people who do not work in front of a looping program for eight hours a day. The employee is bored with the loop or the audio may compete with the rest of the store noise, creating a din that will drive the employee to simply remove it.

The second reason is that viewers of the program may not be standing right in front of the screen and will not hear the audio; it is generally tailored for the department, not the store. If a customer is more than 30 feet away, he is being bombarded with other audio and will not hear the audio on the message.

See What Is Said

Before you finish your ad, ask someone to watch it with the audio turned off. If any part of the message is missed or misunderstood, then you need to redo it. How it is configured is case-by-case, depending on the message and the audience. This will ensure that the audience will always get the message.

Most message creators come from a background rooted in television and know the value good audio brings to a complete message. In almost every case of digital signage, the environment is peppered with stimuli from various sources, competing for the attention of the viewer. The audio becomes a casualty because it's expendable in a noisy environment.

The Big Picture

Whether you are an advertiser or an end user, you have the opportunity to speak to a set of traffic not in the department. Don't limit yourself to only those standing within a few feet. Proper use of copy and editing can compel viewers from long distances who may have visual access to the screen.

Employee engagement is crucial to the complete experience. There are myriad methods to maintain employee interest and avoid losing any part of the experience. However, by creating content that is completely visual, you remove control from the environment to limit or deny your opportunity to engage an audience.

Paul Flanigan, formerly of Best Buy, now consults clients on all aspects of digital signage. With Best Buy he managed the entire in-store network business, helping internal Best Buy partners like Geek Squad and Insignia, as well as major brands like Sony, Panasonic, ABC and Warner Brothers, to understand the value of customer engagement. Flanigan writes about the digital signage industry at www.experiate.net.