The Digital Signage Expert

This week the Minicom Interview speaks to Nick Deen, Senior Market Development Manager (EMEA) at Sony. Nick has been active in the IT sector for many years. His career started with a small IT company offering a wide range of automated data entry solutions, followed by a newspaper publishing-software company.
With Sony Europe, he started as Marketing Services Manager for the Videoconferencing business in product marketing. Currently, he’s active as Senior Market Development Manager, and is responsible for promoting the Sony portfolio of B2B products and solutions to major European Retailers, Transport & Venues companies and is an expert in digital signage solutions for these markets.

Minicom Blog: Thanks for joining us Nick and welcome to the Minicom Blog.
Nick Deen: My pleasure.

MB: What exactly is Sony’s involvement with digital signage?
ND: We have been involved with the digital signage market for quite some time. Around four years ago we got move involved with our end to end digital signage solutions. We were already present in terms of our flat panels and projectors but we added the Ziris software which gave us a bigger presence in the market. Ziris Professional is aimed at the large digital signage installations. We recently introduced an entry level solution called Ziris Lite, aimed at managing and uploading content to smaller networks. Ziris Lite is easier to install and maintain.

MB: How is all that going?
ND: Quite good. There is a lot of interest in it and there is a huge market for it.

MB: In terms of the end to end solution you offer, is content part of that at all?
ND: Yes and No. We aren’t a content creation company but we receive a lot of questions about it and we know about it. We know what works and what doesn’t work and if our clients ask us we are happy to give them advice. Our office in Norway has teamed up with a creative agency and to provide the complete package and this is something we may look into further.

MB: You alluded that you have a sense of what does work and what doesn’t work in terms of digital signage. Would you be able to expand on that?
ND: What doesn’t work? Someone who runs content without clarifying what their objectives are. The content needs to be action driven. Also the content must change accordingly depending on their motivations and the environment the screens are in. There are four basic models when it comes to digital signage.

MB: What are they?
ND: Merchandising which is the biggest model, information such as in airports and train stations and then you have two types of advertising. Client funded such as a supermarket who has the screens and sells space to their suppliers or operator funded where someone has their own network and sells space to anyone.

MB: Has Sony done or is doing anything in terms of the measurement of digital signage?
ND: We are doing some research on it and looking into the results it has whether it be cost savings or increased sales.

MB: What digital signage trends do you notice?
ND: The systems are becoming smaller and easier to manage. There is more interactivity whether it be via SMS or barcode reviews. Screens are getting bigger and will be capable of operating perfectly despite the presence of direct sunlight on them.

MB: Does the SONY name a big door-opener?
ND: It is – it definitely helps us but then again a lot is also expected of us.

MB: Well good luck with it and thanks for joining us.
ND: No worries.