The Digital Signage ExpertTake your mobile phone out of your pocket for a moment; if it’s a Smart Phone then most likely you will see corporate logos representing Apps all across your screen. What you are seeing is an example of what until recently was considered hostile to the digital signage industry. On the contrary, to take it from Robert Turner of Incentivated, this represents an “interactive opportunity”, an opportunity that is yet to be discovered in a big way by agencies and Mobile Marketers. These interactive opportunities can be called up or activated by turning your mobile phone into a remote control unit, bi-directional. This concept started a series of presentations I attended in February at The Screen. Each of these Forums are getting better and better. I once said that you could not escape digital signage screens like you can the TV. It was wrong; the average consumer is being empowered to fill localized screens with content he/she is willing to watch. By using the “remote control in your pocket” as mentioned by Scott Davies of never.no, which in effect is interactive broadcasting. Scott described how this technology is important to building relations. Blue Tooth, a technology considered to be old, is making a rapid comeback by sending coupons, film trailers and invitations to phones within a defined area.
Tom Gardner of Hutchinson 3Ggave a presentation with insight into the technology supporting the complex world of mobile telephony, thus highlighting its power and underlining some of the limits. His comments led to a “first” insomuch the audience began to discuss his topic among themselves, Tom just touched a match and ignited massive response.
Watching all this I was impressed by the number of ideas and methods being presented how one can use the Logos in your pocket to stimulate a call to action in a subtle way. Augmented Reality a new idea just beginning to hit the streets has made using a mobile phone different. Here an example of this technology taken from one of the issues of CLIPPINGs the newsletter I publish. Augmented Reality …video 2:08
One thing is for sure, the Logos in your pocket are personal, active and a great leveler. Now used in all strata of society from labourer to Oligarchs, the phones they have differ only in cost, but the core technology is all the same. All these levels can be reached in a selective manner preserving the opt-in-and-out power the consumer today feels is his right. Shotgun marketing is dead.
The rules of the game is bi-directional.
James Van Etten, Editor of CLIPPINGS