The Digital Signage Expert

We, in our industry, are all working hard. All knowing for sure we are doing the right thing. Building networks, producing content, measuring eye-balls on screens and trying to sell expensive advertising time. And day in – day out, we all shout that our industry is the best to invest in at the moment. But these days, I think, we all received a giant wakeup call out of Haiti. Charity foundations, media buyers, agencies and everyone in the advertising business did find national tv, newspapers and all other traditional advertising possibilities (here in Holland even the premier league soccer teams had a charity bank account number on their shirts) but hardly used digital signage screens to ask for donations. And that, to say the least, is worrying.

I know, reading Dailydooh’s blog, Matthew Stoudt, CEO of Outcast, did succeed in raising adds and advertising time on ‘our’ screens. Probably worldwide there will be some more exceptions but charity foundations and agencies didn’t think about outdoor screens out of a habit.

So, what we need to do right now is to keep on doing our good work. Most important thing however is, as far as I am concerned, to, more and more, merge networks and to sell them as a whole. Doing this, agencies will see our industry as a serious medium. A great initiative is Dutch based Ngage Media. A new company founded by two ex CBS outdoor guys, Xavier Tilman and Stijn Thijssen. The only thing they do is to raise enthusiasm within agencies and advertising companies to sell airtime on networks they merged divided into target groups.

Let’s hope disasters as happened in Haiti will not occur to often. And if a worldwide announcement has to be made next time, our screens will be seen as important as every other media.