Digital Signage - Dynamic Versus Static Messaging

Digital signage is great. Digital signage is great. Digitalmessaging that's possible with a digital sign. Scrolling
signage is great. Digital signage is great. Digital signagetext, animated clips, motion graphics, video and sound
is great. Digital signage is great. That paragraph getsare all effective components on a well integrated
an "A" for consistency, but an "F" when it comes todigital sign messaging. Each is easily added. Doing so is
building reader interest and holding reader attention.made even easier by templates that are about as
You don't need a Ph.D. in English or communicationsdifficult to use as a Microsoft PowerPoint template.
to understand why. It's repetitive, dull and boring.Many digital sign users report being able to playback
How about the signs hanging in your establishment?their initial messaging within a few hours of loading
Week after week, month after month, customersdigital sign software and templates onto their
and prospects see the same printed message oncomputers. Updating those messages also is simple,
those signs. Do you see the similarity between therequiring as little as a few minutes to a couple of
opening paragraph of this column and those signs?hours per week, depending on how extensive that
Sure, your customers and prospects might have readmessaging maintenance is.
those printed signs the first -and even the second-The dynamic messaging offered by digital signs also
time they walked into your establishment. But whatexploits the human response to motion. A printed
about now? Have they given them a second glancesign is static; it does not move, nor does it change.
for months?Digital signs offer dynamic communications. Text can
The tendency to not want to change printed signs isscroll across the bottom of the screen. Weather
understandable. Printing is expense, both in terms ofgraphics can be automatically modified in response to
money and time. Think about the process for achanging conditions. Animated logos and graphics can
moment. You or someone in your organization mustfly through view, and video obviously is filled with
conceive the message, create the design, assemblemotion.
the pieces and -depending upon the complexity ofIncorporating some or all of these elements into a
the project and the quality desired- hand off thedigital sign message adds movement. That taps into
project to a printer, who puts it in his queue of jobs,the natural human tendency to direct one's eyes and
or drive to a quick-print service and wait for the jobattention to something in motion, which is a
to be completed.tremendous advantage for anyone with a message
Once printed and displayed, the new sign has a briefto convey.
life as a fresh communications tool. Soon, it's beenThus, leveraging the power of digital sign versus
seen by customers and prospects numerous timesusing static print delivers two important advantages:
and it fades into the background somewherethe flexibility to change messaging quickly and easily
between the pictures on the wall and the paint. Atand the ability to attract the attention and interest of
that point, the cycle begins again.patrons. With benefits like that, it's easy to see why
Contrast the effort, time and expense of creatingI say digital signage is great.
static printed signs with the dynamic, easily changed