Original article published 23 September 2016 here:
Digital canvas is a new term for displaying digital art onto multiple displays. It’s used to add ambiance and décor to any retail environment. A digital canvas is sometimes referred to as a “digital art-wall,” “video art-wall,” or “artistic wall.” This is where retailers place an array of displays, positioned creatively, displaying scenes of digital graphics or video clips. This includes motion graphics and still-art images. Some use motion with still images. Many retailers are beginning to be extremely creative with programming content for a digital canvas. Many retail-store designers and architects are incorporating digital canvases into their architectural designs.
Synching multiple monitors makes for unique visual effects. Displays used for video art-walls can be spaced apart to create unique design effects. You can mix and match screen sizes, orientations and/or mount them irregularly to develop a one-of-a-kind, visual art-wall that can become a memorable shopping experience. This is different from the traditional video-wall configuration.
What makes an artistic art-wall unique is the content. Images can be choreographed on multiple displays, or can be a single image on all screens. The content can be still images, motion graphics or a video. Designing the content for an artistic art-wall is an art in itself. But if done correctly, it could be an amazing attraction and a real attention-grabber as well as an enhancement to any retail environment.
Using creative display patterns, interior designers can create focal points with endless possibilities for creative expression, delivering a compelling display of art and information. It can generate a desired emotional reaction or build a brand experience.
Original article published 29 August 2016 here:
On August 16, 2016, the Westfield World Trade Center opened its doors to become the new, shiny and somewhat controversial retail beacon for Lower Manhattan. Like any American shopping plaza, it offers in-store experiences of popular brands like Apple, H&M and Sephora, but there are many crucial points separating this massive endeavor from your average consumer hub.
Certainly, part of that x-factor stems from the fact that downtown New York was forever changed on September 11, 2001. Another unique feature is the new center’s business model, which will generate revenue by offering category-exclusive partnerships for juggernaut brands including Pepsi Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Ford Motor Company. However, it’s the trailblazing digital display network furnished by ANC (formerly ANC Sports Enterprises) that will turn heads and monopolize the attention of 100 million visitors expected to pass through Westfield’s 365,000 square feet of retail space each year.
Digital Signage Connection caught up with ANC’s Chief Technology Officer Mark Stross and Executive Vice President of Technology Solutions Chris Mascatello to discuss the ins and outs of their multi-year digital signage partnership, which already accounts for unprecedented image capabilities and one of the largest seamless LED canvases in the world.
Original article published 15 February 2016 here:
The out-of-home industry is set to evolve more rapidly over the next 18 months. The oldest advertising format has seen significant changes; mobile convergence, developments in digital platforms and data sources are changing industry perception.
The number of digital screens will increase significantly due to several factors, including changing city government legislations and the significantly lower cost to produce LED screens.
There will be new developments in hyper-targeting. OOH planning systems are integrating with data sources including mobile carrier data, online browsing behavior and shopper purchase records. Marketers will be able utilize OOH to target micro-specific segments on the move. In an election year, presidential campaigns will tap into first-party polling and CRM location data to target constituents in real-time.
Real-Time OOH trading will steadily increase, as more OOH vendors integrate inventory into demand-side-platforms. The format’s ability to target consumers in real-time based on previous location histories has led to automotive, travel and retail advertisers dipping their toes in the water. Expect more marketers to expand their real-time initiatives in 2016 to include OOH.
OOH will become more intelligent as forward-thinking brands take advantage of developments in Internet-connected screens, facial/object recognition and external data feeds. A convergence of art and science will lead to OOH creative that self-optimizes based on how people react. Dynamic content triggered by data feeds already allows advertisers to change creative in real-time based on external conditions including CRM data, weather, sports scores, traffic and social media sentiment.