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Strategic thinking

Six tips to make in-store video rock your marketing plan.

August 17, 2008

This article originally published in Retail Customer Experience magazine, Sep. 2008.Click hereto download a free PDF version.

In-store digital signage now is where Internet advertising was five years ago. It's a strange new land, where the old rules and the old ways of measurement don't work any more.

"We went through the same process with the first retailer Web sites. everyone is so worried about the widgets and software they forget the entire intent of the whole thing is to use it as a communications channel," said Laura Davis-Taylor, founder of Retail Media Consulting and author of "Lighting up the Aisle: Principles and Practices for In-Store Digital Media."

Retailers see integrating in-store digital signage content with the rest of their marketing and branding messages as a way to reap the best return from the digital signage investment. But integration on this scale takes a plan that starts before the first screen is hung on the wall.

1. See it as unique

First, recognize that digital signage is a unique medium.

"Clients and ad agencies have a tendency to believe that in-store digital communications is just another way to air TV commercials," said Kim Hale, director of account planning and strategy for John Ryan, a Minneapolis-based retail marketing agency. "In-store media should drive action at that moment in time, or make people who are in the store aware of the scope of products and services."

Hale says most effective in-store content runs 10 seconds or less.

"It's like a moving billboard: short, quick and to the point," Hale said. "If you need to tell a story, you can do that in additional spots."

2. Set an objective

Typically, digital signage installations have one of three purposes, says Bill Gerba, chief executive officer of WireSpring Technologies: pure advertising to attract shoppers to the products; merchandising to complement existing store fixtures or point-of-purchase displays; and experiential content that may not have anything to do with the product, or only in a very limited fashion. "It's there to look cool, lift people's spirits inside the store, make them feel impressed, or make the store more eye-catching," Gerba said.

Like a Web site, digital signage should have a purpose. "Do you want to create a fun destination, sell products or inform and communicate?" asked Davis-Taylor.

Retailers often fall into two camps. Some look for a distinct sales lift. Others see digital signage as part of the brand experience. Large retailers that sell a large variety of brands tend to promote specific items and have other store objectives such as return visits and a decrease in returned items. Stores that are outlets for a single brand, such as athletic shoes, use digital signage to support the brand lifestyle.

"Shoppers in the store are surrounded by a living, visual embodiment of what the brand is about," said David Dolejsi, content strategist for St. Joseph Content in Concord, Ontario. "They're not concerned with a specific sale."

3. Get all the players together

A successful digital signage program is the result of ongoing cooperation between corporate IT and marketing departments. (Photo courtesy John Ryan.)

"There are infrastructure choices that can be made that will affect the way the content can be targeted and distributed," Hale said. "Although the information technology staff has different goals and needs than the marketers do, it's ultimately a marketing tool."

Digital signage content has to be considered as part of the overall marketing mix, and may need its own steering committee or champion. establishing effective internal communications channels is the key. Otherwise, disaster can strike. For instance, the content team creates promotions for certain merchandise in the store. But if the team isn't talking with store operations, it may miss the fact that the merchandise may not be in all stores on time.

"A digital signage system is often flexible enough you could easily eliminate sending certain content to certain stores, but the head office isn't up to date with what's going on at the store level," Dolejsi said.

4. Develop a calendar

In its infancy, digital signage sometimes was an afterthought in the marketing mix. Now retailers are beginning to see the light and are adding in-store video content to their promotional planning calendars.

Whether a store plans on a monthly or weekly basis, the digital signage content has to be a part of the strategy.

"Appoint a leader who is empowered and accountable to lead the effort, and once you come up with a master calendar, work on a process that has promotional schedules for each channel defined," Davis- Taylor said.

That way, everyone will know what is going to happen, what assets need to be gathered, who is going to produce the creative content and who will approve the content and then distribute it.

5. Maximize assets

Every retailer develops creative assets that could wind up on the screens. For instance, if a retailer produces a catalog, those images are natural for use in in-store media, at no extra cost. Video clips from TV spots create a brand link between the ads and the in-store environment. All elements have a uniform look and feel, yet can be targeted to take advantage of a particular medium.

"According to the marketing calendar, the retailers should be rolling out assets ready to maximize not only the impact but also the value of the production budget," Dolejsi said. "You've already paid to shoot the assets, so why not get a little more mileage out of them?"

Plan at the outset of a campaign year to create image assets that can be shared among channels including broadcast video, printed pieces and Web sites. All of these images can be stored and reused in the digital signage channel to integrate with the rest of the communications channels.

This lighting store's digital signage promotes its conversion to the Eclipse System. messages like this could be disastrous if, say, the promotion ran in April but that particular store's conversion didn't occur until the following year. Establishing effective internal communication is key to successful digital signage programming.

"Spend your money on the high-production- value assets that will last longer and be more branded," Hale said. "use a template approach with quicker and cheaper production methods for things that will rapidly change."

6. Measure and refine

At this point, there's no standard industry measurement for digital signage like the Nielsen Ratings for television. Methods range from using surveillance cameras and facial-recognition software to track shoppers' gazes, to measuring the number of shoppers in a store. Traditional methods such as sales uplift and exit interviews play a role, too. But there's no industry consensus.

"What's missing in the content equation is what works and what doesn't work from the customer engagement perspective," said Davis-Taylor.

Measuring effectiveness links back to the original objectives for the digital signage installation. Months after a major signage installation in Toronto, the creative directors for St. Joseph's Content visited the site weekly to observe customer behavior and refine the content, Dolejsi said.

"You have to keep refining the content to find that perfect fit for that particular brand," he said.

Gary Wollenhaupt is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to Retail Customer Experience magazine.