iDklic signs its first contract in China

iDklic has set another milestone by signing its first contract in China. iDklic will take account for the corporate design rebranding of Hongu - a big player with luxury goods. Hongu is a big player in the market of leather handbags, wallets, belts and luxury goods in China. Currently Hongu holds over more than 2000 stores. Their flagship store is based in the province of Yunnan in a town called Shuhe (Lijiang).

iDklic will perform brand analysis in order to take account for the rebranding of Hongu’s corporate design, shop interior design, website design and e-commerce. Their goal is to uplift the brand in to the Chinese luxury market.

The May/June DBCI: Good business sentiment and stable expectations

77 percent of all companies polled  for the May/June Digital Signage Business Climate Index (DBCI) estimate their current business situation as „good“. Asked about their expectations for the next six months even 98 percent answered with “unchanged” to “more favourable”.The results of the current DBCI correspond with predicaments made by the industry: Business is continually running stable on a very high level. Even though 53 percent of all DBCI participants still have “more favourable” expectations for the next six months, 46 percent expect the business situation to remain “unchanged”. The business is running so well and the industry assessment is that an improvement will be less likely. This is also supported by the low number of negative expectations remaining stable at only two percent. The increase of the “unchanged” expectations (46 percent in May/June compared to 25 percent in March/April) results in a decline of the DBCI index by over 15 base points.

Download the complete survey here.

Concerning the estimation of the current business situation the sentiment has slightly shifted towards the neutral expectations. From 80 percent of all polled companies answering “good” in March/April, the number dropped slightly by 3 percent to 77 percent in the May/June. Within the integrators even 93 percent answered “good”

Germany: Demand for displays exceeds expectations

Booming demand for displays and full capacity for integrators show: Digital Signage is established. Especially keen on investing in Digital Signage is the retail sector, corporate communications and the Out-of-Home advertisers. Delays with large scale strategic projects are balanced by a dynamic situation in the smaller projects sector with up to 50 displays installed. Declining expectations by 21 percent for the next six months confirm the skeptical expectation on further growth during the year 2013.

Austria: Retail is discovering Digital Signage

The drivers of the Austrian Digital Signage industry are tourism, transportation and public authorities. Currently however, the highest demand is registered with the national operating retail companies. The Austrian companies have the most positive expectations for the next six months in comparison to the other countries in the German language region. 73 percent expect the business situation to be more favourable within six months.

Switzerland: Large scale roll-outs in banking and transportation

The high expectations registered in the March/April poll of the DBCI turned out to be more conservative in the current poll. 55 percent of all companies expect a more favourable business situation within the next six months, while 45 percent expect the business situation to remain “unchanged”.  The main drivers can be found in the banking and transport sectors. Particularly the retail banks change their in-store communication to digital and the Swiss rail SBB is investing in equipping commuter trains with digital screens.

Companies interested in joining the bi-monthly DBCI poll can register for the next survey with Daniel Russell (daniel.russell@invidis.com).

Videowall at the NEC Solutions Showcase 2013

Attracting over 1,000 visitors, historic Tobacco Dock in London was the venue for the 2013 NEC Solutions Showcase which took place on 16th May. Through collaboration with over 50 best of breed hardware manufacturers and software providers to exhibit fully integrated display solutions, the NEC Showcase once again delivered a unique and compelling formula in what is now acclaimed as ‘THE must-attend AV and Digital Signage event of the year in the UK.’

“This was our biggest NEC Showcase yet, welcoming over 20% more visitors compared to last year, nearly half of whom were end users which reflects our dedication to create customer focused solutions,” says Simon Jackson, VP NEC Display Solutions. “They can really get a feel for how the solution can be applied to their needs and speak directly to the specialists who can make it a reality.”

By complementing NEC’s expertise in display technology with that of their Solutions Partners, NEC can create a solution centred on customer needs. “We have received excellent feedback regarding the diversity of solutions,” says Jackson. “In some cases up to 6 different companies are collaborating together to create an end-to-end solution.” With 9 ‘zones’ exhibiting display solutions dedicated to applications in retail, education, transport, healthcare, leisure, corporate, media and digital out-of-home, NEC demonstrates its commitment to a wide range of vertical markets.

Tony Davies, Director at VisioSign UK Ltd, who collaborated in 5 separate solutions in the corporate communication zone, was delighted with the success of the show. “We had a fantastic day at the NEC Showcase and saw a great mix of trade visitors and end users with solid leads which we were able to follow up on straight away after the show. The show was well organised and used a great venue, we look forward to next year!”

Through technology briefings, tours and live demonstrations the NEC Showcase offered visitors an opportunity to gain deeper insight and knowledge, supported by a ‘Q&A’ forum and ‘thought leadership’ summit organised by The DailyDOOH. Firmly established as one of the largest pro AV events in the UK and applauded by Adrian Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief of the DailyDOOH as ‘what, has quite simply become, THE must-attend AV and Digital Signage event of the year in the UK’, the NEC Showcase also offers an excellent networking opportunity. “Over 150 show-goers joined us for a drink afterwards turning an educational day into a social one,” says Jackson.

A highlight of the NEC Showcase was a dance performance which entertained visitors whilst being filmed on a 5K Red Epic camera, edited and then rendered to 4K for playback on a 4K videowall and NEC’s new 4K laser projector. “The dancers helped to add a little bit of theatre whilst educating at the same time” comments Jackson.

The NEC Showcase video can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/66570780

DigiSky – “Digital Signage – no alternative” conference

On the 31^st of May, 2013 the third international Digital Signage Moscow conference “Digital Signage – no alternative!” will be held in Radisson Slavaynskay hotel, Moscow. The conference is powered by DigiSky and supported by leading European association OVAB Europe (Out-of-home video advertising bureau).
“Digital Signage – no alternative!” conference is an independent platform for communication between DOOH industry’s experts and systems’ end-users. TOP-managers of marketing and sales departments, representatives of retail chains, banks, fitness clubs, shopping malls, fast food, airports, hotels, as well as system integrators and AV-installers engaged in DOOH/Digital Signage industry are invited to take participation in the conference.
For 3 straight years The Digital Signage Moscow conference is answering on vertical markets representatives’ questions about Digital Signage in today business. This year will be discussed why Digital Signage is a new effective marketing tool; which displays should be installed in pos and why is it profitable to use professional hardware; how to communicate with clients via interactive displays and to receive information about your visitors; which opportunities give NFC and AR technologies; how to create up-to-date design with Digital Signage; which kind of content will attract visitors; what to expect from the industry in the future. On all this questions and many others leading worldwide expert will give the answers on the 3^rd Digital Signage Moscow conference.
Among special guests of the conference are:

• Florian Rotberg, Managing Director, invidis consulting and Secretary General OVAB Europe
• Dr. Kai-Marcus Thaesler, Managing director Strooer Digital
• Grigoriy Rabinovich, Marketing manager, Subway
• Olga Narozhnaya, Marketing communication director, Colin’s
• Olivier Duizabo, CEO, Quividi

Special focus will be made on the conference’s demo-zone, where new Digital Signage technologies and product will be presented. Digital mannequins, designer digital frames, video walls, opportunities of software from different manufactures – this is only a part of installations, which will be shown in the conference’s demo-zone.
In 2012 and 2012 among conference visitors were such big companies as Sberbank, MEGA, OBI, IKEA, Moscow bank, Coca-Cola, Selgros Cash&Carry, City Fitness, Orange fitness, Colin’s, Melon Fashion group, Lukoil, Rosinter, Aeroexpress, Megafon, Shokoladnitsa, Detskiy mir and many others.
Among conference’s sponsors are: LG and Quividi (Platinum Sponsors), Rivelty group, Croc and Scala (Gold Sponsors), Casio and Adissy (Silver Sponsors).

More information about the conference and free-registration are available on the web-site  http://www.digitalsignagerussia.ru/

OVAB DBCI 2013/II Germany

The DBCI increased by almost 15% and confirms the very good business sentiment of the digital signage industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Since the last survey, at the end of January 2013, the Digital Signage Business Climate Index (DBCI) rose by 12 points, thereby reaching its absolute peak since the launch in 2009. Whether this value is still to beat, the next survey period in May / June will tell.

Download DBCI Document 2013/II (English)

The industry itself is largely optimistic and satisfied with business. 80% of the participants assess their current business situation as good and 73% even expect an improvement in the next six months. Germany is within the Euro-storm a tower of strength and the digital signage business is a location based business. Therefore it is not surprising that the DACH market, in contrast to many other European markets, performed outstanding.

This dynamic is based on the intense and constant work of all market participants in the past few years. The Big Bang has been missing, but the continuous work with the customers finally pays off. Currently new major projects are tendered, inventory projects are transferred to the next generation and countless micro and small installations are implemented. The market continues to consolidate itself and new technology is lowering the project costs and therefore the financial entry barrier for customers.

Digital signage, or digital communications, is no longer a single phenomenon, but an established medium across all vertical markets. It has only to deal with one problem: the lack of contact to the side of the customer.
As long as the business is hanging in between the IT/technical and the communications department, it will remain difficult to find the right approach to the customer. But this problem also dissolves slowly. And it’s only a matter of time until technology takes a step back and communication issues are placed in the foreground.

The index is polled every two months by invidis consulting. All companies within the Digital Signage value chain (e.g. display producers, integrators Digital out of Home network operators, software vendors etc.) are asked for their current business situation and their expectations for the next six months.

The next results will be published in May. Therefore we already closed the poll. If you want to participate and contribute your opinion on the market for the next rounds you can register via Daniel Russell (daniel.russel@invidis.com).

OVAB DBCI 2013/I Germany

The most recent edition of the Digital Signage Business Climate Index (DBCI) predicts an excellent year for the industry in 2013. All surveyed companies see a high potential for their products and services on the market.

Spurred by a positive assessment of the current business situation the expectations of the Digital Signage industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland turn out to be exclusively positive. To this conclusion comes the leading European business sentiment index the “Digital Signage Business Climate Index (DBCI)” issued by the industry association OVAB Europe.

The Index is polled every two months by invidis consulting. All companies within the Digital Signage value chain (e.g. display producers, integrators Digital out of Home network operators, software vendors etc.) are asked for their current business situation and their expectations for the next six months.

In spite of a slight recession in the economy in the German language region the status quo of the Digital Signage industry became noticeably better in the fourth quarter of 2012. Driven by a few large-scale rollouts and a strong growth in the sector of small and medium projects the positive effect is mirrored at the beginning of 2013. Thus 96% of all market participants evaluate their current business situation as positive.

The sentiment is only exceeded by the expectations for the next six months. Without exception all companies await a positive trend.

Florian Rotberg, Managing Director invidis consulting, comments: “The results of the first DBCI report in 2013 support my personal evaluation and I am very pleased that the industry sentiment is to such an extent positive. The industry has become more and more professionalized and convinces with well-engineered solutions. Germany still is and will remain the trendsetter of the industry.”

The DBCI comes to similar good results as other renowned sentiment indices like the DIHK-Konjunkturumfrage and the ifo-Business-Climate-Index.

Download DBCI Document 2013/I (English)

INTERSPORT will use Mermaid’s instore TV solution

Mermaid is happy to announce the first agreement of the year. The leading retailer within the worldwide sports market, INTERSPORT, wishes to benefit from Mermaid’s expertise within the Danish digital signage market, in its effort to create a new instore concept.

INTERSPORT Denmark A/S wishes to reinforce its customers’ sensory perception by implementing Mermaid’s instore TV solution for retail purposes. Ronnie Fusager, Retail Manager at INTERSPORT Denmark, elaborates:

”We want to create an exciting instore experience that can help us strengthen and visualise the INTERSPORT brand. The new instore TV platform will enable us to extend and optimise customer relations, as well as increase our service level. We believe the platform will help us engage more effectively with our customers, as they will feel more inspired by dynamic and targeted content”.

Positive test results, experienced by INTERSPORT International, have convinced INTERSPORT Denmark to bring instore TV into focus. Ronnie Fusager continues:

”INTERSPORT International has completed several tests in Germany to shed light on the advantages of instore TV.  Results clearly reveal the ability of instore TV to generate sales. Furthermore, our own investigations have emphasised the effectiveness of the medium. Additionally, instore TV will allow us to achieve the advantages of combining and streamlining our marketing activities, which also include TV commercials and advertising.”

INTERSPORT’s new instore TV platform is expected to be implemented in early March. The deal with INTERSPORT Denmark defines Mermaid as a total supplier.

INTERSPORT is the world’s leading retail brand within the sporting goods market, with 80 stores located in Denmark.

OVAB is supporting the ISE 2013 Guided Tours

This year again OVAB offers free Digital Signage Guided Tours covering the most important ISE innovations on the show floor. The 90 minutes Guided Tour stops at display, software and other digital signage relevant booths. The best way to get an independent overview.

29 January 2013, 15.00 h
30 January 2013, 15.00 h
31 January 2013, 14.00 h

Starting Point: Room G003 / Digital Signage Area
Registration: ISE 2013 Guided Tours Anmeldung

29 January 2013, 14.00 h
30 January 2013, 14.00 h
31 January 2013, 13.00 h
Place: Room G003
Registration: ISE 2013 Market Briefings Anmeldung

The Day before ISE 2013 opens its doors. The 3 h Tour covers selected Digital-Signage-Installations in retail, museums and transportation. After the tour ISE invites you to attend the ISE Opening Keynote and Jubilee event.

Date: 28.01.2013
Time: 14.00 h – 17.00 h (followed by transfer to ISE Opening Event)
Place: Amsterdam
Please register by Mail ise2013@invidis.de

Hego and never.no partnership

Hego and never.no are proud to announce their partnership and mutual commitment to pursue joint innovations which strengthen their combined solutions in real-time social interactivity on TV.

Hego brings extensive expertise and innovative technologies for delivering leading graphics solutions for live TV, whilst never.no are recognised in the industry as pioneers and leaders with their powerful software platform that enables truly social TV.

The unique strengths of the two companies operating together will allow broadcasters to push, pull and extract user-generated data and social feeds from second-screens onto the first screen with Hego’s strong real-time graphical capabilities. For decades, Hego has been providing the broadcast and sports industry with powerful tools for information management and production of live television.

The joint collaboration between Hego and never.no has most recently been seen in one of the very first projects which integrated social media into broadcast in Finland during the IIHF Hockey Championships on MTV3. The broadcast included social media comments from facebook, twitter, sms, and the second screen application presented on-air through the Hego GS2 graphics system. The success of this project highlighted the real impact of interactivity, and has since been replicated to several other shows in Finland such as Big Brother Suomi and the Municipal Elections coverage. Hego and never.no have also worked together on Nelonen Media´s “So You Think You Can Dance” clap-meter. This gave the audience the opportunity to clap for their favourite contender and was extremely well received by audiences. For the broadcast industry these kinds of interactive capabilities open up many new possibilities for programming formats and approaches, with the ability to capture the attention of audiences and keep them more engaged and connected with live shows. 

Connecting never.no’s platform with Hego’s GS2 graphics engine has been possible due to the open architecture of both systems, allowing it to be plug-and-play. Looking to the future, both companies are committed to continue developing a deeper level of integration. The aim is to provide broadcast clients with functionality that is not powerful and adaptable, but is easy to integrate into broadcast workflows and simple to administrate editorially. 

Speaking on behalf of Hego, Marko Valkonen, Head of Finnish Operations said “Partnering with never.no helps us to offer an even more compelling end-to-end solution to our clients. It is a very strong proposition to offer the market’s best social media application together with our world-class graphics capabilities.”

Echoing the same sentiments from never.no, Zachary Weiner, Director of Global Marketing commented “We’ve seen some exceptional results from the projects we have so far enabled with Hego, moving forward we’re excited to bring our partnership worldwide, allowing broadcast audiences to be enthralled with amazing graphics and robust interactivity for new found levels of viewer engagement, loyalty and retention.”

Mermaid signs with flytoget

Flytoget initiated a tender process in 2012, in order to find the most suitable supplier of a new digital signage platform for the company’s Airport Express Train. The process has come to a conclusion and a contract is now signed with Mermaid.

Mermaid will install a large network of customised digital signage screens as well as implement fibre optic broadband in 16 train sets.

The deal with Flytoget has been reached by Mermaid’s Norwegian subsidiary company Mermaid Norway, and manifests the company’s strong focus on the transport sector as well as the company’s commitment to offer professional media solutions at sharp prices.

Within recent years Mermaid has thus become a key supplier of customised digital signage solutions within the Danish transport sector, and it is Mermaid’s ambition to gain a similar position in Norway, Sweden and other selected markets, as the one in Denmark.

Flytoget’s new digital signage platform will be implemented in early 2013.

The agreement signed defines Mermaid as supplier of all hardware and software.

The Airport Express Train carries approximately 6 million passengers per year – from Oslo city centre to Oslo Airport.

NEC Display Solutions launches VUKUNET in Europe

NEC Display Solutions Europe is launching VUKUNET on the European market, the ad serving platform for Digital-out-of-Home (DOOH) networks presented to the public for the first time at NEC Showcase 2012 in April.

All that the VUKUNET platform requires to transform screens into advertising media is an Internet connection. The new solution from NEC connects DOOH network providers to media agencies to simplify the entire working process for digital out-of-home campaigns.

The platform is independent of all hardware and software, enabling seamless communication with VUKUNET for all content management systems and requiring no changes to existing infrastructures.

“Although DOOH is a digital advertising medium, media agencies were previously unable to plan and book efficient and effective campaigns on digital out-of-home networks. The reason is that networks in this diverse market all speak a different technical language,” says Dirk Hülsermann, Manager of DOOH Solutions for NEC Display Solutions Europe. “VUKUNET is the solution to this problem. The cloud-based application lets operators of digital out-of-home media consolidate their networks on the platform. This simplifies the booking process for media agencies enormously.”

Germany and the UK are the first European markets to introduce NEC VUKUNET. Selected partner companies have already been testing the ad serving platform and the positive feedback so far from pilot customers and European media experts will help drive the global spread of the solution. Based on the tests already carried out, NEC is able to support use of the new VUKUNET application from the start.

OMG Outdoor, the Omnicom Media Group agency specialising in all out-of-home media, has already launched the first advertising campaign on VUKUNET in Germany. The customer is BRIGITTE, Germany’s leading women’s magazine. More than 607 branches of the supermarket chain EDEKA are now showing BRIGITTE ad spots across the country. Placed at entrances and tills or centrally positioned in the supermarket, the strategically placed monitors show the BRIGITTE ads via the VUKUNET system directly where purchase decisions are made. The ads borrow their design from the magazine’s own ad campaign.

The DOOH set-up for BRIGITTE saw cooperation between OMG Outdoor and Neo Advertising in marketing a DOOH network at more than 607 EDEKA branches throughout Germany.

“The VUKUNET platform from NEC gives customers like BRIGITTE clear benefits,” says Matthias Grawitter, Managing Director of OMG Outdoor. “The new solution simplifies processes to enable national campaigns to be planned faster and more transparently than ever before. We hope to see the platform set new standards in external digital advertising.”

Wonderworks Walkway Media Ltd. is VUKUNET’s first partner in the UK. The company operates a wide-ranging digital out-of-home network of more than 30 shopping centres across the country. Wonderworks Walkway Media Ltd. aims to have one of the largest DOOH portfolios in the country’s malls by the end of the year.

“We are delighted that we can finally launch our solution in Europe after various test projects in the UK and Germany. VUKUNET is one of the most interesting solutions on the DOOH market and seamlessly bridges the gap between buyers and providers of digital out-of-home media,” says Dirk Hülsermann of NEC Display Solutions.

OVAB Digital Signage Conference Munich

For the sixth time invidis consulting is presenting the “Munich Digital Signage Conference” in association with OVAB Europe. With more than 300 visitors the conference has established itself as the most important Digital Signage event.

Leading companies such as MMD Philips, NEC, LG, and Samsung are represented again this year as exhibitors. More information here

Content to go – Cittadino focuses on out-of-the-box content branch packages for retailers

After a successful launch of picturemachinefast editplus, the first digital signage software for retail business, Cittadino as a leading innovator and developer of digital signage solutions takes it to the next level.

As of now the dealer can offer not only hardware and software to his customers, but also the appropriate content.

The website www.picturemachine-fastedit-plus.de presents a number of branch content packages. Each week another branch package will be created and presented to the new platform. The packages consist of 4 different channels with hourly updated news from corporate, government, business and sports, as well as the latest weather and horoscope. Additionally included in the package are four templates that can be adapted by the customer on its own corporate identity.
Whether the latest product, an announcement, current events, or menu offers are to be presented, the professionally designed templates provide an optimum condition for maximum attention.

The dealer has the possibility to present every channel and each template to its customer by using a preview option. So, the prospective customer can select their ideal package. Those who are looking for more individuality and special customized content will find individual offers at www.picturemachine.de/pricelistcontent.

Specifically on customer needs adapted templates, animated Flash files or individual image films, nothing is to be desired. Retailer can order all content options directly thru distribution.

For larger projects, such as a corporate video, commercial, animation, trade show video or POS video, the team of Cittadino is available at any time with creativity, ideas and expertise.

Never.no Announced As Nominee For Best Social TV Technology Award

Never.no is pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Best Social TV Technology  award in the 2012 CSI Awards held at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam. The awards, which recognize innovation and excellence across several media platforms, are considered to be one of the most prestigious and competitive technology awards in the industry.

Never.no ‘s Synchronized Companion App Framework has been shortlisted for the brand new Social TV category, which recognizes technology, service, solutions or applications that encourage multitasking and second screen participation.
The Synchronized Companion App Framework (SCAF) is one of the latest features of never.no’s Interactivity Suite. This new element allows broadcasters to easily develop distinctive, branded applications that push/pull information or media relevant to real time TV, to a second screen such as an iPad (or tablet), smartphone, or PC. SCAF works by listening to frame-by-frame changes in automation, graphics, ad, or timing systems within the broadcast programming or live production environment via DCS. These changes can be used to trigger delivery of relevant or interactive content to the second screen. Likewise, SCAF powered Synchronized Companion Apps can send viewer data and input back to the broadcast facility via ADS. As a result, tablets, smartphones, and PCs become perfect peripherals for Social TV, participation TV, and the ultimate two-screen experience.
Zachary Weiner, Director of Global Marketing for never.no stated “We are incredibly excited to be recognized and in the running for the nomination in this category. It is our goal to continue to develop award winning Social and participatory TV technologies that proliferate across geographies and mediums.”
The awards ceremony will be held on Friday 7th September at IBC from 6pm to 7.30pm. Information about the CSI Awards can be found at http://www.csimagazine.com/awards/
We will be displaying the Synchronized Companion App Framework in action in addition to our interactivity suite at the never.no Social TV booth during the IBC exhibition Sept 7-11 at (booth #7.A06)

DigiSky – “Digital Signage – no alternative!” conference

Russia’s digital signage leaders, DigiSky and Adissy, have organised for a second consecutive year the “Digital Signage – no alternative!” conference.

Bringing together more than 300 people from Moscow, Russian regions and CIS countries, the two days conference was held at the Korston Hotel in Moscow (May31st-June1st).

After last year’s success, DigiSky and Adissy realised the importance of providing a space to debate and learn about this rapidly growing industry, and decided to extend the conference to two days.

“Digital Signage – no alternative!” had a brilliant agenda with speakers from Russian and other European countries, talking about the state of the market, technical advances and business development. Some of the companies sharing their knowledge included: Microsoft, LG, Scala, Harris, AOpen and Intel.

The conference invited end users and media companies to familirise themselves with what Digital Out Of Home networks are, how they can be used, what benefits they bring and how to find the right solution for their business.

It also included an exhibition area, where attendees could see digital signage demos first hand.  The demo-zone showcased innovations such as gesture control; touch-sensors; integration with social media; and the use of Near Field Communication (NFC).

DigiSky presented a complex media extension for business. The demo was a combo of music, digital signage and thematic content – ideal for brands that want  to offer their clients an unforgettable shopping experience.

Natalya Vorontsova, Business Development Manager of company AOpen, mentioned, that the conference was conducted at the highest level. “The Russian market already knows and understands what Digital Signage is. It is time to make the most of its potential and get total efficiency from the made investments. The conference gave knowledge and ideas for how to achieve it”.

Alain Bodenstedt, Regional Executive Director of Scala, said “The conference was a great opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people and companies, and strengthen our ties and position in this market.” He pointed out that although some of Scala’s competitors are becoming less active in this region, the company sees great room for growth. “Thanks to our pilot product Scala5, we are able to meet the customers` requirements to a successful project”.

The Imperative Group Managing Director Chris Heap highlighted how well the conference had been organised, with a wide range of the participants and a nice balance between the main program, business communication and informal networking.

Harris’ Maxim Sverdlov, Head of the Key Account Management Department put her name down for next year’s conference already, saying: “The event was excellent. In future I would like to hear more reports from end users and it might be a good idea to have some round tables for discussions.”

Alexander Pivovarov, Adissy Director thanked sponsors: LG, Scala, Microsoft, AOpen, Harris, Intel, QMatic, IAdea, Tricolor and Croc. He also said that the help of its partners Dismart, Qarta, iFree and 3M was much appreciated. “Next year we will make it even more interesting, bigger and better.”

Vladimir Kozlov, Director of DigiSky, concluded: “Only two years old, but this conference is already proving a success and a must attend event in Russia. We will continue with its development, so next year come and join the leaders.”

ComQi Business in Latin America

ComQi, the global multi-channel message management company, today announced a partnership with VideoNetworks as the new Latin America representative for its media distribution portfolio.

VideoNetworks is a company, headquartered in Mexico with an office in Texas, specializing in the distribution of video, audio & telecommunications products in Latin America for over 20 years. They offer a personalized service and support to companies developing new applications in the AV and Digital Signage industries. Their product portfolio includes A/V hardware and software solutions, KVM switches, IP & networks infrastructure, Extenders and CAT5 video distribution.

Esteban Perez, ComQi’s LATAM Sales Manager, says: “We are very excited to have VideoNetworks as our new representative and we expect this partnership to provide excellent added value as we work to grow and develop the digital signage industry and continue to build our strong presence in Latin America.”

Following its successful Partner Event in LATAM last April, ComQi has launched its Recognition Program for System Integrators. This program was built to help SI’s design and build their digital signage networks to ensure successful deployments.  Several System Integrators in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and the Dominican Republic have already been selected to be part of this Recognition Program.

ComQi continues to strengthen its presence in LATAM with its well-known media distribution solutions – Analogue solutions (VDS/AVDS, DS Vision 3000), Digital Solution (DS Vision Digital) and Streaming Solution (ScreenGate IP Streamer) – as well as its leading Content Management Software – EnGage – which now has a new Spanish user interface.

Mermaid behind new touch universe

Creating a new and modern shopping experience has been a top priority within the retail strategy of Denmark’s leading telecommunication company TDC. And with customers looking for interactive retail experiences, TDC asked Mermaid to help develop a new touch universe for all 61 retail stores of the company.

The vision of the new touch universe is to give better guidance and service by bringing the web- and smartphone experience inside TDC’s retail stores. Anders Rasmussen, Project Manager at TDC, states:

”Mermaids touch-application has brought a new dimension to our store
environment. We can offer an interactive touch universe, which enables dynamic
integration with existing systems, thereby minimising the manual effort at
headquarters. Using only a few touches the customer is able to determine the most
ideal product solution fitting his/her needs. The touch universe also serves as a
perfect tool for assisted selling, fulfilling an essential need of our employees.”

Nico Colijn, Marketing Director at Mermaid, is very pleased with the innovative retail
strategy of TDC, as it highlights Mermaids ability to constantly modify the concept of
digital signage. He states:

“By implementing ‘retail media 2.0’ in their shops, TDC takes a leading position in
Denmark in developing an innovative in-store experience. Back in 2008 the purpose
was to influence the consumer visually through relevant in-store TV content. In 2012
TDC added a radio channel and a new touch universe. This means that different
senses are involved in the shopping experience. I am sure that this will have a
positive influence on the modern consumer’s perceived service experience when
visiting one of the TDC stores.”

The agreement with TDC counts 200 of Mermaids 23” screens with Dual Touch
technology and 110 media players.

As part of TDC’s new visual retail strategy, 120 of Mermaid’s 40” vertical digital
screens will also be installed.

Award for ComQi

ComQi announced that its nominee, CTM Media Group’s Ettractions ExploreBoard, won the DSE Gold Apex Award in the Interactive Self-Services Solutions category.

ComQi and CTM developed this customized touch screen solution by combining its EnGage Content Management System, a custom Flash application and the ettractions.com content library to provide an intuitive and easy to use user interface to allow travelers to gain information on local points of interest, dining, and shopping.  Utilizing EnGage’s open API and cloud-based architecture, the system shares a common database with CTM’s complementary web site – ettractions.com. Consumers can view high def pictures, watch videos, pull up maps for locations of interest, and get directions directly on screen.  All information can be taken with them as well as link to transactional platforms through their mobile phones. 

Ajay Chowdhury, ComQi’s CEO, says: “We are thrilled to have won this Gold Apex Award for CTM’s Touch Screen solution and this carries forward our multi-channel messaging product line to a new level. Our expert team worked hand in hand with CTM to provide the consultancy and support they needed to rise up to the challenge CTM’s unique requirements presented.”

Peter Magaro, President of the CTM Media Group, says: “The Ettractions ExploreBoard has been very well received by our customers. ComQi was able to bring us a full service solution that included EnGage, development consulting and hardware. Having this full service team working to make us successful has proven invaluable.”

The annual DSE Apex Award, which honors innovation in the development and deployment of technology in the global DOOH industry, has chosen ComQi’s Ettraction ExploreBoard Touch Screen solution to receive the Gold Apex Award from amongst 88 other entrants from18 different countries. The Award was presented yesterday at a special awards banquet on the opening night of DSE 2012 in Las Vegas.

Mermaid delivers new Digital Signage platform

Mermaid’s digital signage platform works as an essential part of Invita’s new shop concept, and will help to differentiate Invita from its competitors. The platform has numerous communicative advantages for both customers and sales staff.

In the near future the kitchen retailer Invita will be able to present a brand new store layout. Digital information screens and touch screens will dominate the visual landscape of each of Invita’s twenty-two shops in Denmark. This new digital strategy of Invita defines Mermaid as a total supplier. Director of Innovation, Helle Fyllgraf, states:
”For long, our primary goal has been to improve and enrich the customer shopping experience. We wanted to combine our showroom expositions with a modern, informative and interactive instore TV univers, in order to revitalise our shops and inspire our customers”.

In the coming three years Mermaid is set to digitise the instore communication of Invita. By using digital information screens it will be much easier for the company to inform and guide customers through campaigns, offers and relevant general information. Additionally, touch screens will help both the sales staff and the customers to visualise the complex product portfolio of Invita. The objective has been to transfer the online shopping experience into the shops.
The implementation process has already started. Mermaid has been signed to deliver the screens and additional hardware and software, and will also act as full content supplier.

Ajay Chowdhury und Ronni Guggenheim im Interview mit DOOH.com (Quelle:Youtube - DOOH.com)

ComQi the global in-venue multichannel message management company, announced today that it has raised additional funding from its investors, as well as a new credit facility of $3m from Square 1 Bank, a diversified financial services company for entrepreneurs and the venture capital community.

The new funding will be used to further develop ComQi’s multi-channel mobile platform, enhancing its streaming distribution products to leverage the growth of IP Connected displays in the marketplace and continuing to expand its distribution reach.

“We are very pleased to receive this new investment which allows us to continue our rapid growth and continue to develop products to suit our customers’ needs in this rapidly developing market. With their flexibility and attention, we truly received a unique banking experience with Square 1 Bank. They listened to our needs and supplied a creative and customized term sheet that met the strategic goals of our company,” said Ajay Chowdhury, ComQi’s CEO.

Brad Ellis, SVP and Managing Director of Square 1 Bank’s Venture Banking division said, “ComQi is developing some unique multi-channel message management products for the rapidly growing out of home signage and messaging market. We look forward to further supporting the developments of the company.”

All of ComQi’s existing investors- Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), Wellington Partners, Amadeus Capital Partners and Aviv Ventures – participated in the new funding round.

Mermaid and Q8 extend agreement

Instore TV is set to play a major part of Q8’s shop concept ‘Qvik To Go’, where a wide range of quality products will be presented in a open and modern shop environment.

It has been essential for Q8 to work with a partner who understands and engages in the visionary ideas of the company, and is able to create effective visual customer communication. Q8 perceives Mermaid to fulfil these characteristics, and thus extended the agreement with Mermaid, who has been promoted to be full supplier of digital signage.

Since 2006, Mermaid and Q8 have collaborated closely, regarding instore TV, where Mermaid has acted as supplier of software. The new agreement however, defines Mermaid as turn key supplier. The objective is to enrich the customer experience, and help emphasise Qvik To Go’s status as a modern and versatile convenience shop.

Mermaid will provide hardware, software and content and will manage the platform as well. Q8’s digital instore TV network will included 100 petrol stations.

With this new solution, digital signage viewers can determine which specific information they want to receive at that point and moment – allowing companies to micro-target messaging to individuals. Examples of how this technology can be used include customers in stores or banks, employees in a corporate building lobby, students in schools, patients in hospitals, guests in restaurants and more. Visitors to Scala’s ISE booth can too use this interactive solution first hand with participants being entered into a drawing to win an iPad.

Visitors can also test Scala’s Twitter integration, see how interactive screens can transfer a great variety of targeted information and experience how picking up a product from a store shelf can trigger targeted product-related messaging on a screen.

Over the years, Scala has virtually evolved into a central hub for delivering dynamic communication tools, delivering more than just software by meeting the requirements for a total communication solution. That is why the company constantly invites companies who use, or consider using, audio visual tools to reach target audiences to share their challenges in a face-to-face dialogue with Scala and ISE is the perfect platform for those conversations.

“For 25 years, organizations ranging from retail and quick service restaurants to corporate communications, banks, hospitals and education have seen the flexibility and benefits of communicating using Scala’s digital communication,” stated Scala’s new CEO Tom Nix.

“Combining this know-how with our latest developments, I am convinced we can find new ways to help companies to quickly engage and inform their audiences. Many organizations are challenged to find innovative ways to deliver valuable content to target audiences in the short bursts of time available,” continued Nix.

“Scala not only provides a strong, highly usable, incredibly stable software platform that meets 95 percent of the needs of most customers out of the box, it can also be easily customized well beyond many competitive offerings. If end-users or integrators have a question, any question, relating to digital communication, Scala can put them on the right track to cost-effective digital communication solutions!” said Nix.

Also several of Scala’s partners will showcase a range of digital signage technology at Scala’s booth at this year’s event.

Sharp Electronics is proud to be Scala’s official Display Partner at ISE 2012. Scala and Sharp look forward to jointly showcasing the unrivalled clarity, color reproduction and uniformity of Sharp professional displays, produced in the world’s most advanced LCD production facility. Highlights at the show include Sharp’s new 70” PNE702 digital signage display and 60” PNV602H high-brightness video wall panels.

Christie is pleased to be partnering with Scala on their stand at ISE 2012, where Scala will be showcasing a unique and inspiring configuration of 35 MicroTiles with dedicated content. The cooperation between both companies will also be represented at the InAVation Awards 2012, where they have closely been working together on the recent London Stock Exchange project, driven by integrator Focus 21.

U-Touch will be in Scala’s booth at ISE showcasing their new 19” and 22” touch totem kiosks. Featuring U-Touch’s brand new infrared true multi-touch technology, these small screen kiosks are ideal for point of sale, wayfinding, virtual reception and many other applications. Check out how stable, accurate and responsive this touch technology is compared with traditional products used in this market sector.

Mdina Media will showcase at ISE: the Scala Embedded Certified players of the Q and E series and their New model: S8000 Nano-ITX (16 x 16 x 2 cm high), AMD Fusion 1.6 Dual Core, HD6310 graphic card. New E3000 Nano-size with AMD 785E chipset, dual core, low power consumption. The players have a 5-year roadmap, run 24/7 and Nano-ITX form factors. The players can be placed behind screens.

MediaVue will be presenting its full line of ultra-high reliability player PC’s and showcasing the SureVue D4, which has become one of the preferred Scala solutions for video walls, digital menu boards or any deployment with multiple screens per location. The SureVueD4 supports 4 independent outputs at 1080p all running real HD content – multiple videos, crawls, and feeds at a per-screen cost less than an Atom-based system.

IAdea will demonstrate the industry’s first media appliance to support the HTML5 open content standard, which allows content production effort to be shared between websites, mobile devices, and digital signage. In addition, the technology enables interactivity between mobile devices and the big screen, allowing endless creativity to be delivered through Scala’s Enterprise Content Manager and the new Bridge Server 3.0.

Integrated solution packages from Visapix help to fully tap the potential digital merchandising offers. “People Attract” measures the viewer’s attention span and gender, making it possible to adapt messages to the particular target group in real time. Customers only receive information that is relevant to them. Dispersion is minimised, while the Return on Advertising is maximised. Visapix makes the interactive in-store marketing of tomorrow a reality today.

Step4Media will be presenting TelemediaVision, its turnkey digital menu board solution, at the Scala booth at ISE. This unique, database-driven product enables partners to create and manage dynamic digital menu boards without the need for programming. TelemediaVision includes a user-friendly CMS, can be hosted on Scala servers and is available in a SaaS solution.

Prime Products is a leader in digital signage solutions and combines the world class software of Scala with high-end stylish kiosks, touch screens and LCD screens. Prime Products helps its customers to deliver their information and advertising at the right time at the right place and to the right audience.

Pufferfish Ltd will be displaying the PufferSphere M 600 spherical digital signage solution. The display is interoperable with the Scala platform, with Pufferfish launching a new LiveWarp box, which converts standard Scala feeds for automatic display on the sphere. Other new optional features available with the PufferSphere M system include in-built audio and multi-touch interactivity.

A high-quality 35 square meters digital screen, complete with superb sound capability, mounted on a trailer unit for easy transportation will be shown by Maritime Media Services outside, at the entrance of ISE. It is used to enhance the experience of visitors at events by displaying relevant advertising messages, sponsor logos, public safety announcements, event itineraries and much more. If you want to make a visual spectacle at your event you can’t miss, Maritime Media’s DB35 is the only sensible option.
About Scala

Driving more than 500,000 screens worldwide, Scala Inc. is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. Scala is the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platforms for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, Pa., and has subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, Germany, Japan and India, as well as more than 500 partners in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit: http://www.scala.com/ or their blog. Connect with Scala via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

ComQi new mobile applications

In today’s market, retailers need to provide new ways to keep customers engaged and entertained while in the store, and to stay in contact with them after they leave. ComQi’s new mobile experiences empower the consumer and enable them to enter into a dialog with both brands and retailers by linking their mobile phone to digital signage and social media.

Ajay Chowdhury, ComQi’s CEO, says: “ComQi’s Interaction Manager enables marketers to engage with customers at the point of influence. These new applications enable brands and retailers to engage in a conversation with their customers on the go, establishing and reinforcing a relationship complemented by social networks.  ComQi’s innovative platform enables retailers to improve their brand image, customer satisfaction and customer retention.”

Consumers can connect to the Interaction Manager platform with their Smart Phones through a variety of means on the screen – using a textual URL, a QR Code, via NFC – or any combination of the three.  

The Interaction Manager offers many different Connected Experiences to the consumers, including sharing thoughts and opinions in an interactive way through a Voting App, receiving coupons and discounts on specific products, or participating in a game or a contest within the venue in order to enhance the store’s atmosphere.

Mermaid and AFA JCDecaux join forces

New digital video walls will soon dominate the landscape of Billund Airport/Denmark, as a result of a new collaboration between Mermaid and AFA JCDecaux. Bestseller, the global fashion company, will become the first to use these new digital opportunities.

From early 2012, Denmark’s second largest airport in Billund will change its visual setting, as large digital video walls will start to dominate the indoor landscape of the airport. Two specialists within signage communication, Mermaid and AFA JCDecaux, have joined forces for this project. Using Munich Airport as a role model, the objective has been to establish a progressive digital communication platform, and create the ideal venue for companies’ branding messages to take flight in an international setting.

AFA JCDecaux, the number one outdoor advertising company in the world, is the licensee for all indoor and outdoor signage in Billund Airport. The company is an experienced developer and operator of advertising displays in airports. However, joining forces with Mermaid extends AFA JCDecaux’s engagement in Billund Airport to include digital signage solutions as well.

Mermaid’s digital signage solution will replace the first static advertising displays of AFA JCDecaux during early 2012. Dynamic content can thereby easily be created and updated, and will enhance the airport experience for travellers.

The agreement signed defines Mermaid as the integrator and operator of the platform

Sofiadis TV

iDklic has announced the deployment of a new network of 235 independent pharmacies in Belgium, all of them members of the Sofiadis group.  iDklic will operate the network as well as handle advertising sales. The project is scheduled to be officially launched on the 15th of December 2011 with nearly 100 pharmacies having to be equipped by the 1st of February 2012. 
 
iDklic is a Brussels-based company specialized in digital signage. Since 2006, it has developed the largest part of its activities in the pharmaceutical industry. The company’s experience in this field is one of the many reasons why Sofiadis has chosen to partner with iDklic. Currently, more than 830 of the 2000 most important Belgian pharmacies are under contract with the company and are convinced of the uniqueness of the Pharma Seen TV concept.
 
Sofiadis TV is a health related channel dedicated to pharmacies and aimed at providing targeted advertising coupled to health related information.
iDklic offers its customers the most effective advertising services in the pharmaceutical branch. From strategic planning to video programming strategies, iDklic’s combination of solution and services provides a complete approach to maximizing customers’ return on investment.
 
Digital signage creates a vibrant and very dynamic communication platform. OTC products sales increase dramatically, as digital screens clearly incite people to purchase. Product advertising and health information are perceived by customers in a much more attractive way. Jean-Charles Figoni, iDklic’s CEO, confirms this statement by telling us «The Pharma Seen TV entertains and informs healthcare consumers with relevant video content and advertising messages which incite impulse purchases. Our business model perfectly corresponds to the expectations of our clients who are looking for a measurable return on investment ».

iDklic proves to be the first digital signage agency in Belgium to successfully combine network management, advertising space sales and content creation. Miriam Taub, iDklic’s Chief Creative Officer adds: “Health care and wellness customers are among the hard-to-reach audiences in the media industry. Advertisers push for maximal audience and expect iDklic to fullfill this requirement by covering all the regions of Belgium”. Figures show that the clients are delighted with the new concept: sales in pharmacies showed an increase by up to 40% when compared with pharmacies not using indoor digital screens. OTC products sales increase dramatically, the direct impact on the selling out is maximal.
“The 100 pharmacies are located in Flanders, Brussels as well as in the Wallonian region. This deployement entirely integrates the multilingual approach of the pharmaseen TV concept. The multilingual PharmaSeen concept is a strong asset towards future acquisition of other European markets” adds Nathaniel van Parijs, iDklic’s COO.

This is one of the many reasons why Pharma Seen TV is such a success among our customers in Belgium and soon will be in Europe as well.
 iDklic’s objective is to spread the Pharma Seen TV concept in Europe by starting a partnership with an Irish company.
The company’s ultimate goal is to become an inescapable actor in digital signage deployed in pharmacies.

Philips 3D BDL4251VS

To start the New Year off in style Philips Public Signage division will be launching their very latest products on Stand # 10N135.  They will be demonstrating the E-Line series with Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) slot for greater flexibility of integration, the spectacular 55” 3D LED ultra-slim bezel video-wall and a giant 120” CANDEO LED display.  Also showcased on the stand will be the recently launched Philips no-glasses 3D displays and their latest touch-screen series.

The new E-Line series, aimed at the upper entry level signage market, offers next generation technology across the board including integrated optical IR multi-touch and OPS.  The sizes range from 32”,42”, 46” to 55” and are equipped with an OPS slot for the simple integration of an OPS module, an industry standard interface being adopted within this market for the combination of a PC module and display.  It provides the end user more flexibility to choose the right hardware for the applications, easy access for maintenance and hardware updates.

“OPS offers a lot of exciting possibilities for creating a tailor-made digital signage solution,” explains Wilfred de Man, Sales and Marketing Director for MMD’s Public Signage Division. “By implementing an OPS slot in to these new models, we are offering the end user greater choice so that the PC hardware can be installed which exactly meets their needs.”
Visitors will also be able to see, hear and experience the sharpest and most vivid 3D resolution on the market today – all without glasses!  Launched this month, the 42” BDL4251VS takes advantage of 28 lenticular view technology and the widest viewing angle available today to offer the audience excellent 3D quality and an even more enjoyable and memorable visual experience ever.  Nominated for the 2012 Technology InAVation Award is able to play both 2D and 3D (2D+Z) images, equipped with an array of connectivity options for flexibility of choice in the digital signage market.
“With more screens all competing for your attention, this is the one that stands out from the crowd.” says de Man
Finally, the stand will showcase the extensive range of large format touch-screen displays, including multi-touch technology to get your customers interaction and deliver with more impact than ever.  The touch screen series are all full HD, network controllable, features technology such as SmartPower to save on energy costs and enhanced zoom features for tiled matrix applications.

For further information on any of the products visit: http://www.publicsignagesolutions.philips.com/ and see on Stand # 10N135 at ISE2012, Amsterdam 31 Jan – 2 Feb 2012.

delayMirror

ComQi, the global leader in in-venue multi-channel message management, announced today the launch of a new retail product: delayMirror. delayMirror is a ‘video mirror’ that provides a continual delayed video feed which allows shoppers to see themselves as they were three seconds ago. It allows the shopper to twirl and see the clothes they are wearing from all angles in a dressing room. In addition to being a great way of trying on new clothes, it is also a fun in-store experience that shoppers cannot get online or via any other medium.

Max Stevens-Guille, ComQi’s Chief Technical Officer says: “delayMirror is an Interactive Solution powered by ComQi’s EnGage Platform. When you look at yourself in the delayMirror it is almost as if you were looking at someone else – a digital doppelganger. They look like you, dress like you but they are doing what you did a few moments ago. delayMirror provides a magical experience for shoppers”.

delayMirror was developed by ComQi in conjunction with John Paul Bichard of Creative Advisor Group – a spin-off of the Interactive Institute Stockholm – where it was invented. It is fully integrated with ComQi’s EnGage platform and is available worldwide immediately.

The AA-rating is given by ‘Soliditet’, the largest supplier of credit and business information in the Nordic countries that uses the most acknowledged credit rating system in Scandinavia.

The financial valuation of Mermaid demonstrates the success of our business strategy, and proves Mermaid to be a reliable partner, both for our customers and for potential acquirees, all the while the global business world is still characterised by financial uncertainty.

In the second part of 2011 Mermaid has been involved in a number of very innovative and interesting projects. In this article we focus only on a few of them.

Mermaid has extended its business relationship with The Arriva Group – the main operator of buses and trains in Denmark and a key player on the European scene. The new contract involves the implementation of Mermaid’s ‘Integrated Bus Information System’ (IBI). The system provides service and information messages for both driver and passengers, and will help Arriva decrease its operating costs. Mermaid will operate and serve approximately three hundred buses for Arriva in Copenhagen by the 1st of April 2012.

Important news from the service sector includes the agreement with LEGO who recently signed a five-year deal. Mermaid has thus become an exclusive supplier of digital signage solutions at the LEGOLAND theme park in Billund/Denmark – both indoors and outdoors. The first phase of the implementation process will be completed before the opening of the 2012 season (31st of March).

News from the retail sector involves one of Denmark’s leading and most prominent retailers of domestic appliances, Skousen. Skousen has signed Mermaid to produce the content of its national TV commercials for the next three years. Due to Mermaid’s experience and know-how within the production of retail commercials, the company is considered capable of recognising and reinforcing Skousen’s high level of brand awareness.

The agreement signed also defines Mermaid as the key partner in Skousen’s new instore TV strategy, in which all of Skousen’s 38 shops will be involved.

Finally, Mermaid is involved in a project in which the townscape of Albertslund/Copenhagen will become digitised. Mermaid will thus provide a unique communication platform to increase the level of communication and information directed at citizens. Five 42″ screens will provide citizens with information such as general news, local politics, association activities and local advertisements. The screens will be located in places with lots of people traffic. For this public sector project, Mermaid is set to provide hardware and software. Additionally, Mermaid will manage all operating services for the next three years.

Matthias Grawitter, Managing Director OMG

After his financial education, Matthias Grawitter studied economics in Hamburg. His professional career lead him through multiple banks to the software consulting firm Media Stand By, to OMG Outdoor GmbH in 2000. Since 2002, he has been the engaged Managing Director for a team of nearly 50 people.

Q: Can you provide us a short overview of your services and products in the Digital out of Home industry?

Within the German branch of Omnicom Media Group’s network, OMG Outdoor is the agency responsible for all Out-of-Home products. We have a special business unit for media planning in the Digital Out of Home sector. This media planning does have several commonalities with other media: It involves cross over planning with traditional OOH Media, Ambient Media and TV. Therefore, we work on several projects to develop tools and software to make that process easier and more professional. We also support market research projects to find out more about the awareness and recall numbers of DOOH.

Q: Where do you see the biggest challenges today?

We are currently facing a very heterogenic market, in which one constantly has to work to maintain their overview and yet which we have to be able to summarize clearly for our clients. The biggest challenge for us extends from the DOOH sector being logically connected to several media channels like traditional OOH and TV. It is not clear where the budgets come from and where there is the most efficiency in terms of supporting a basis medium. Also, the performance figures are not comparable to other mediums. Therefore Cross-Over Planning is difficult to implement, and it is hard to find arguments in its favor. Furthermore we cannot report a net reach, which often forms the basis for planning in other channels.

Q: What is your view on the Digital Signage industry in your home country compared to the rest of Europe?

Germany has moved into digital signage more slowly than countries like England. However, the OVAB index shows that people here are confident that it is growing fast, and it is! Germany is on a race with the other countries and it already has surpassed some other markets. It is quickly becoming more professional. The first initiative to set standards here has come from the biggest players in the country. The German DOOH market does have some strong and professionally run networks that have developed now. But Germany does not have a Piccadilly Circus (a “Must Book” in England). That is likely in part for legal reasons, but we do have the first all Digital Train Station, we have the first 3D network and soon will have an amazing digital tower that can also physically move. We will go from there.

Q: Which European countries do you think have the biggest potential in terms of Digital out of Home networks?

The most exciting news always comes from England. They have strong networks and also are building a lot of Outdoor LEDs.

Q: What was the reason to join OVAB Europe?

The DOOH Market in Germany is growing fast. We appreciate the efforts of the OVAB to set standards and want to offer our help to implement those fast. We think that the DOOH market needs a home. And because opinions differ on whether DOOH should be part of the Ambient sector or the traditional OOH association, it is good to set the discussions aside and handle the coordination from one central body. We hope to encourage more agencies and suppliers to do the same, so that the majority of the advertising market players  can soon all sit at one table and discuss how to move forward from here.

Q: What will be your engagement within the Association?

Our knowledge about media planning can be very valuable in the discussions about standards and research. Furthermore, we have long years of experience working with associations and supporting research. We also see ourselves as being a representative for our clients, the third voice in the market.

Q: What is your vision about the Digital out of Home industry and market for the next 3-5 years?

If we had our wish, we would be able to compare accurate performance figures of DOOH to other mediums in 3-5 years. The suppliers have agreed on a single type of booking units (e.g. impressions) and agreed on one way of delivering their data to the agencies. The service platform for DOOH is ready to use and it is easy to plan and buy DOOH media space – and when I say easy, I mean that the handling  of data is easy – of course we are excited about the strategic challenges we will have at that point.

OMG supports OVAB

OMG Outdoor is a specialized agency within the Omnicom Media Group focused on all Out of Home mediums and cinema. Its consulting units are responsible for the whole range from strategic and operating to planning and buying. OMG Outdoor provides consulting services for clients on all OOH special media in the analogue and digital sector as well as the ambient sector.

As part of the Omnicom Media Group Germany, OMG Outdoor is also part of the international Omnicom network. Working together with partner agencies allows the group to offer integrative communication in all media channels. Omnicom Media Group Germany is the German Media holding company of Omnicom, one of the world’s leading communicating, advertising and marketing groups.

never.no at the Future TV Advertising Forum

Never.no today announced that Scott Davies, the company’s vice president of EMEA, will participate in the panel discussion “The Impact of Companion Screens and Multiscreen TV” at the Future TV Advertising Forum in London on Nov. 30, 2011, at 14:40.

The panel will address issues such as synchronized multiscreen companion apps, their reach and effectiveness; understanding consumers across the first and second screen and how to create compelling multiscreen experiences; broadcaster versus third-party control over synchronized companion ads; and what other new ad inventory can be exploited in the multiscreen era.

“As the first company in the industry to deliver a live broadcast synchronized companion app, never.no has unique insight into this trend,” said Lars Lauritzsen, never.no CEO. “Davies will bring that unique perspective to this panel discussion.”

Stele with screen

German drivers who take a break from the autobahn have had a new audiovisual experience since the summer. Tank & Rast, Germany’s premier operator of motorway service areas, has installed more than 3,000 digital signage displays at 360 locations throughout the country, creating the largest digital signage network in Germany at motorway service areas, and the largest anywhere on Europe’s road system.

“Tank & Rast used to display conventional printed advertisements, but the company wanted to switch to digital to increase its advertising revenues,” says Marius Marschall, group managing partner at Intelligent Service Solutions (ISS), the specialist AV company that planned and installed the system and will manage it for the next three years.

“Tank & Rast expects to make a much greater return from selling advertising space on digital signage than it did from conventional poster sites,” he adds. The eye-catching displays are located in entrance halls and retail and catering areas, enabling digital advertising to be targeted where it will be most effective.

Content creation and distribution is done by Tank & Rast’s advertising agency. All the content is scheduled from a single control centre by ISS. Each screen can have a unique playlist of adverts that are carefully tailored to suit its location and the time of day.

“By timeslicing the adverts, Tank & Rast is effectively multiplying the space available,” says Marschall. A study by Germany’s Centre for Consumer Research has already demonstrated the effectiveness of the digital adverts.

Tank & Rast is now considering installing more screens in the restaurant areas to display menus that change at different times of day, and even photo frame-sized units in the toilets. The initial rollout consisted of 3,200 42, 32 and 22-inch high resolution LCD displays. All the 42 and 32-inch models, almost 1,600 in total, were supplied by ISS’s vendor of choice, Philips Public Signage.

“We’re responsible for the entire system for the next three years and are contracted to provide more than 99 per cent up-time, so we have to rely heavily on our partners,” says Marschall. “That means we need a fully professional product and professional after-sales support, so there are only a few companies we’re prepared to partner with.”

The technical specification of the Philips monitors met Tank & Rast’s exacting requirements, including being bright enough to compete with the high lighting levels inside a motorway service area. Availability was a major issue, and not all the monitor vendors ISS considered could have supplied the large quantities required.

Philips’ pricing was also very competitive, and the low energy consumption of its displays means that the lifetime cost of ownership – as well as related carbon emissions – will be below average. Finally, what impressed ISS was the sheer professionalism of the people from Philips. “We had confidence that they’d be as helpful after the sale as they were before,” says Marschall. “I’m more than happy that we did the deal with Philips, and in future I would definitely prefer Philips over other display vendors.”

Slideshow

Further recruitments for Cittadino

Since October Cittadino has recruited 5 new employees for their sales, marketing and technical departments.

As of 1st October 2011 Mrs. Diana-Maria Brose, Manager of Marketing & PR at Cittadino, is also responsible for Marketing and Press. Mrs. Brose formally worked for OKI Systems  a printer specialist company. Over the last four years, she worked extensively on the establishment and expansion of channel marketing activities. Previously Mrs. Brose was responsible for international key accounts for the software vendor Ulead Systems.

Also since early October Mr. Philip Flud, Head of Sales, is pushing the sales activities withinGermany. He is responsible for the gradual development and expansion of the Digital Signage market. Previously, Mr. Flud worked as a Key Account Manager for LG Electronics’ and was mainly responsibility for Telekom Deutschland GmbH.

In the IT Department there is one additional employee, and in the editorial department we have two new trainees. These new employees help to cover the additional work load.

Bluefox expects growth in 2012

Bluefox, the leading content provider in Europe for DOOH, will finish the year 2011 with a turnover of over 1 million € and announced that it has already signed for more than 6 million euros already for 2012.

Next year will see start “numerous internal content projects,  that will support, the increase of our turnover in the coming years,” said Guillaume de la Tour, CEO of society.

Bluefox, carrying only the area of digital signage, supplies, currently, more than 50,000 content screens worldwide including 5,000 in France. The territories are supporting its development in North America, where the French has a subsidiary for more than a year, and the Middle East. Russia and Germany are expected to be growth drivers in the coming months.

Digiboard is at Migros and Macrocenters with its new Retail Network

Leader of Digital Signage sector, Digiboard added another very powerful and broad scope network to its strategic points such as airports, shopping malls, health centers where customers frequently visit Retail Network.

In October, Digiboard signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Migros Ticaret A.S. which is the first name addressed for “hypermarkets and supermarkets” in Turkey, having a leader position with more than 700 stores in 67 provinces, celebrating its 57th anniversary in 2011 with attractive and favorable offers; for the marketing and sales of in-store digital and static advertisement areas in Macrocenter and Migros stores. 

In the schedule which is projected to be commenced in October and completed until November 25th; broadcast of over 600 Digiboard digital displays will broadcast in 12 Macrocenter stores and 35 Migros stores as total 47 stores in İstanbul gradually. Digital displays positioned in service areas such as delicatessen, meat, fish, bakery, bread, fruit-vegetable departments and cash-register areas and at points which attract attention from a distance even during movement such as corridors in the stores, constitute a very effective communication platform for many sectors such as credit card, automotive, durable consumer goods, telecommunication, construction in addition to fast moving consumer goods in particular. Within this scope, Digiboard Retail Network will be a new sales channel that reaches nearly 300 million people annually. Approximately 2.500 additional screens are to be deployed in 250 stores in 2012.

All the network deployment is based on high-end industrial scale bare bone digital signage players, LCDs, VGA/UTP extenders and ceilings in order to minimize operational expenditures. Digiboard project team monitors Migros and Macro networks proactively and takes necessary actions to set high bar for pixel perfect image and video quality in broadcast. YCD’s C-Nario  software is used as Digital Signage software platform and Minicom devices which enables Digiboard project team of real-time monitoring and reporting of the network and broadcast.

iSIGN Selects BroadSign’s Digital Signage Software

iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. (“iSIGN” or “Company”)(TSX-V: ISD) has signed an agreement with BroadSign International (“BroadSign”), a worldwide provider of software-as-a-service for digital signage, to manage networked digital displays in Couche-Tard’s convenience stores.

iSIGN, through its subsidiary Pinpoint Media Group, operates the network of advertising and promotional screens within the Couche-Tard chain of approximately 1,400 convenience stores in Canada. This network is the largest owner/operator network of in-store digital media in Canada. Once the installation of our Interactive Massaging Solutions (“IMS”) software is completed, this network will be the world’s largest fully interactive digital signage network.

Each convenience store has 2 to 3 screens installed at the point of sale, running brand loyalty programs, public service announcements and in-store promotions. BroadSign’s digital signage software allows iSIGN to schedule and playback content on each screen, manage updates and monitor network health – doing all this from one central location, with minimal staff.

“Our engineering and technical staff worked for weeks to qualify and confirm BroadSign as the management system for all of our future network and Interactive Massaging Solutions (“IMS”) applications scheduled for installation,” states Alex Romanov, iSIGN’s Chief Executive Officer.

”BroadSign’s software has proven its ability to run some of the world’s most sizable, complex and commercially successful digital signage networks,” added Mr. Romanov. “This software-as-a-service platform is second to none in the industry and is an indispensable tool for us as a digital signage network operator.”

The deployment of BroadSign’s software is scheduled to be completed in early 2012.

“Less than twelve months ago we started a pure technology integration partnership with iSIGN that enhanced our digital signage platform with a mobile advertising solution. Today, following their acquisition of Pinpoint Media and the Couche-Tard network operation, we have expanded our relationship, and iSIGN has become our biggest Canadian client networks,” said Brian Dusho, CEO of BroadSign International.

DigiSky is a managed network provider that designs, implements and manages DOOH networks for customers in retail, education, entertainment, government and other vertical markets.  The company specializes in the design and installation of complete DOOH solutions, and supports satellite and terrestrial-based delivery systems for its customers’ DOOH networks across Russia. 

With numerous offices and a network of 50 resellers, DigiSky will significantly increase Harris’ local specialist sales and customer support services in this rapidly growing market.  The company will distribute Harris Digital Out-Of-Home products and systems throughout the country.

“Harris has many years of experience in applying digital technologies to enhance business operations and communications for our customers worldwide,” said Denise MacDonell, director and general manager for digital signage, Harris Broadcast Communications.  “The DigiSky relationship enables Harris to offer a strong blend of market-leading technology and recognized local sales and support to customers across Russia.”

Harris DOOH solutions — including the InfoCaster™ digital signage system and Punctuate™ business management software — enable the creation, scheduling and distribution of dynamic, targeted content.  Users spanning many sectors including sports, hospitality, retail and live entertainment, can leverage this content to operate profitable, scalable video networks that enable better business. 

“Harris is a world leader in broadcast technology and has used this experience to create products as advanced as InfoCaster, which in our opinion is one of the best digital signage products worldwide,” said Vladimir Kozlov, CEO at DigiSky Group.  “We are confident that Harris DOOH products and systems will prove popular among our existing and new customers.

“With InfoCaster and other Harris technologies, we can provide our customers with high-quality solutions and services.  We are happy to be the first reseller of Harris digital out-of-home solutions within the Russian territory,” concluded Kozlov.

Flight information in Terminal 1

NEC Display Solutions Europe is helping airport passengers get to their flights on time with the installation of a state-of-the-art high-resolution video wall in Munich Airport’s Terminal 1.

Munich Airport wanted to replace all of its old LED flight summary boards with more modern technology that would deliver a new era for passenger information systems through a flexible, bright high-resolution display. Each video wall is made up of 12 NEC X462UN ultra-narrow bezel 46-inch monitors, delivering a total display area of over seven square metres, ensuring travellers can instantly see the information they need at a glance.

Terminal 1 accommodates 11 million passengers each year, so the technical requirements for the project were precisely defined by Munich Airport, to ensure that it was economically and ecologically efficient, whilst delivering a great customer experience. In addition to the conventional flight details, the airport wanted the freedom to display other passenger communications, such as airport promotional material and destination information to help improve the overall customer experience when travelling through the airport.

Installed by local partner InoNet, the controlling server, dubbed Mayflower II, gives Munich Airport the ability to control the video wall in any way they choose, including segmenting the displays in any configuration required, giving tremendous flexibility and choice in what information to display and how to present it. Furthermore, in the event of a problem, the IT team is automatically alerted via the controller’s built-in email alert feature, rather than having to wait for a passenger or staff member to report it.

Each video port of the PC supports a full HD (1920×1080) resolution. Via a graphical user menu, each connected display can be configured individually or combined together to form a composite display. Display bezel sizes are included in the configuration software and automatically subtracted from the picture, delivering a nearly seamless image across the video wall.

The video wall’s mounting system has been specially designed to make it easy to remove and easy to replace individual displays within the video wall, whilst NEC’s calibration software means that the display’s colour and brightness is consistent across the whole video wall. If one display was to fail, then the video wall can be quickly re-calibrated to ensure that the excellent image quality remained intact.

Airport displays have more stringent requirements than many other public display systems due to the necessity for round-the-clock operation and having to operate in the harsh environment of the airport itself. In developing the video wall, NEC needed to ensure the entire solution met with IP54 conformity, and needed to be able to operate on emergency power. This requirement gave Munich Airport peace-of-mind that the video wall wouldn’t fail under stress and that it can even provide information in the event of a power failure.

Energy-saving solutions for such projects are a prerequisite as well. The NEC X462UN displays have a typical power usage of only 200W even when running at the high brightness that modern airport terminals require. A three stage in-built heat management system, maintains a low operating temperature for improved longevity. For Munich Airport, this means that operating costs are kept to a minimum, and their investment is being protected for the long term.

“The new attention-grabbing video wall is helping us to inform, direct and entertain travellers in way that wasn’t possible before. The entire system is robust and easy to maintain, while the flexibility and control of the entire solution means we can easily adapt it to display the most relevant and compelling information for our customers,” said Mr. Hans-Jürgen Benke at Munich Airport.

“Airports can be a particularly challenging environment for public displays. Not only does the signage need to be clearly visible, but also able to instantly update passengers of up-to-the-minute information changes on flight times, cancellations, gate changes or security communications. NEC’s video wall installation at Munich Airport highlights not only the full breadth of NEC’s digital display solution capabilities, but also the benefits it brings to the airport’s ability to enhance the passenger’s experience,” continued Richard Wilks, Aviation Business Development Manager EMEA at NEC Display Solutions Europe.

“Digital signage has changed massively in the last few years, and this installation highlights how users are increasingly expecting to be provided with up-to-date information in a way that is easy to read,” said Susanne Gomez at InoNet Computer. “By selecting a proper system integrator, people can be assured that they are getting the best combination of displays, back-end systems, connectivity and content, as well as the support and maintenance to ensure it always runs smoothly.”

Mermaid A/S

Mermaid A/S has entered into an extended agreement with Arriva concerning the implementation of Mermaid’s Integrated Bus Information System (IBI) in an additional fifty buses in Copenhagen (bus lines 3A and 4A). A five-year operating and service agreement has also been signed. 

In addition, Arriva has made use of an option from a previous agreement concerning the delivery of forty IBI systems alongside a six-year operating and service agreement, cf. company announcement no. 98.

With the implementation of this business deal, Mermaid will operate and serve approximately 300 of Arriva’s busses in Copenhagen by the 1st of April 2012.

NEC Display Trends Forum

NEC Display Solutions Europe has successfully hosted its second Display Trends Forum, which saw more than 120 customers, partners, speakers and staff gather in Sorrento, Italy to discuss the current and future state of the industry.

Luminaries from three key fields, namely Digital Signage Standards, ReferencePerformance on Stage and the Future Office, gathered to deliver high-level presentations and discuss the latest news and information from the industry.

Among the select programme of activities, there were various workshops for the visitors to attend, face-to-face meetings with senior management and top executives and opportunities to network and exchange industry expert knowledge.

Following the keynote speech from Bernd Eberhardt, Managing Director at NEC Display Solutions Europe, representatives from leading Market Data Research companies as well as selected speakers from successfully deployed customer installations all delivered their perspectives on future trends in the field of display solutions.

Within the Digital Signage workshop, NEC facilitated discussions around the latest standards within the Retail Signage and Digital-Out-Of-Home (DOOH) sectors. Both markets are currently experiencing high levels of interest in response to retailers looking for new ways of engaging and interacting with customers, and innovation in technology making new types of display possible. NEC predicts significant growth in these sectors as companies start to see the benefits of using the technology to create competitive advantage and build brand loyalty.

In the ReferencePerformance on Stage workshop, NEC delivered an introduction to the Referenceconcept and its ‘Tradition of Performance’, showcasing the latest high-luminance projectors and professional Public Displays for large venue presentations. Alongside this were customer testimonials and market data that provided plenty of information for the question and answer session that followed.

The third workshop focused on the topic of the Future Office, with presentations and discussions on the changes occurring in modern office environments and the role that emerging technologies play in this transformation.

“Our second NEC Display Trends Forum built on the success of our inaugural event last year and was an all-round success,” said Stefanie Corinth, Vice President Marketing and Business Development at NEC Display Solutions Europe. “As one of the leading companies in all aspects of the display industry, we have created a platform that brilliantly combines the transfer of knowledge, practical expertise and fantastic opportunities for networking. We are delighted by its success and we are well on our way to making the forum a highly anticipated annual event.”

The NEC Display Trends Forum 2011 was held from 18 – 20 October at the Hilton Sorrento Palace Hotel in Italy.

Scandinavian Digital Signage Summit 2011

Mermaid and OVAB organise an inspirational conference for the Scandianvian digital signage industry at Bella Sky Copenhagen on 2 November 2011

Once again Mermaid A/S intends to invite current and potential customers to an inspiring digital signage event at one of Copenhagen’s most prestigious hotels. In cooperation with OVAB (Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau Europe), Mermaid wishes to elaborate on its perception of contemporary development within the digital signage industry.

OVAB will inspire with recent innovative European cases.

Alongside Mermaid’s Marketing Director Nico Colijn, Janice Jose, Director for Business Development for the Nordics at Never.no, will discuss the convergence between digital signage and social media in the retail and transport sectors. The event will also feature two best practice cases:  telecommunications company TDC and transportation provider Arriva, both currently in the process of a large digital signage roll-out.

During a breakout session for retail and transport, respectively, Anders P. Gantzhorn, Director of Strategy and Business Development at TDC and Jan Crone, Business Developer at Arriva, will elaborate upon the utility and relevance of their digital signage implementations.

Furthermore, the conference will include a presentation and demonstration of the communicative capacity of several digital signage solutions created by Mermaid in terms of functionality and content.

13.30
Registration at Bella Sky Comwell, Center Boulevard 5, 2300 København S

14.00
Welcome by Mermaid Henrik Johnsen, CEO Mermaid

14.15
Inspiration from the rest of Europe Florian Rotberg, Managing Director Invidis ( OVAB )

14.45
Use of social media on screens in transport and retail Janice Jose, Director of Business Development Never.no/ Nico Colijn, Marketing Director Mermaid

15.30
Break

16.00
RETAIL
Intro by Mermaid Intro by Mermaid
TDC – Anders Pennerup Gantzhorn,
Director for Strategy and Business Development

TRANSPORT
DSB – Sanne Højgaard Klietsch
Manager for Traffic Information
Arriva – Jan Crone, Business developer
( Session in Danish in a bus )

Discussion and questions moderated by Mermaid Discussion and questions moderated by Mermaid

17.30
Conclusion

18.00
3 course dinner and networking with your peers

21.00
The conference will end with a small gift for each participant

Lazar Demisulam – Board of Directors / DIGIBOARD

Founder and president of Digiboard, Mr. Lazar Demisulam has 35 years of experience in marketing & sales (first in toy industry Hasbro/Turkey, followed by oil & gas industry and finally in digital signage industry).  He had built a startup company in toy industry to $14,5M in sales before a successful divesture in 1998 than continued in the company as the country manager till 2001.  He is married with two daughters and 3 grand children.  

Q: Can you provide us a short overview about your services and products in the Digital out of Home industry?

Over 1.150 plasma, 6 video wall (2 being 4×4 – 168” each and 4 being 3×3 – 138”), 4 LED, 7 hybrid panels (static media combined with dynamic content), 6 3D screen (glasses free), touch screen and way finding applications.

Q: Where do you see the biggest challenges today?

I believe, today mainstream media and media planning agencies reluctance to include digital signage in media planning due to lack of knowledge and vision are the biggest challenges today.

Q: What is your view on the Digital Signage industry in your home country compared to the rest of Europe?

We believe that the attention of media buying companies and advertisers will increase.  We believe very large projects will be deployed in the next coming years.  Due to the size of retail chains, numbers of hospitals, cinemas, schools, shopping malls, fast food, etc., very big investments are expected. 

Q: Which European countries do you think have the biggest potential in terms of Digital out of Home networks?

Outside of the USA, Western Europe is the next largest digital signage market.  The UK is by far the largest of the markets in Europe but countries like Germany and France are catching up fast and more and more installs, including outdoor digital signage are springing up almost daily.  Advertising is perhaps the number one reason for growth in digital screens across Europe. It is so much more engaging and eye-catching than standard print media that digital advertising has become a far better medium at getting an advertiser’s message across. But digital signage doesn’t just stop at advertising.  Beyond advertising, screens are being used for all sorts of purposes across Europe: public information, sales promotion, brand awareness and corporate TV are just some of the other uses for digital screens.  We do not have too much knowledge on countries other than Turkey.  Our expectation is that Russia and Turkey will be the two major countries for large deployments in the coming years.

Q: What was the reason to join OVAB Europe?

Exchanging ideas, increase our knowledge, be aware from the industry and also to be able to share our market experience.

Q: What will be you engagement within in Association?

Sharing information and best practices as well as getting assistance from the know-how pool of the association, these are our two most important targets.

Q: What is your vision about the Digital out of Home industry and market for the next 3-5 years?

Digital Signage industry has an enormous growth potential in Turkey despite the fact that the majority of the advertising world still favor the static media.  In a dynamic world we believe in digital signage but people should be aware that digital signage is not plug and play business; there is a lot of work to be created for development.

DIGIBOARD

Founded in 2002, Digiboard owns and operates Digital Signage Networks exclusively in Transportation, Retail, Shopping Malls, Health Care, Education and Entertainment industries in Turkey.  As of January 2011, Digiboard has systems operating in over 100 locations with contracts underway for another 50 locations for installation till the end of December 2011.  Having a full time employee base of about 30 people, Digiboard plans to install an additional 600 locations over the next three years (2012-2014).

Digiboard focuses in 3 areas: Digital Out of Home Advertising Networks (core business) – Reaching total of 220 million people annually via its networks.  Digital Signage - Project development for corporate companies for internal communication.  Interactive Media & Mobility – Application of new technologies in digital signage and integration of interactivity in all possible ways (such as mobile, touch screen, etc.).

The company’s expert teams combined with the strategic partnership signed with the world’s most advanced digital signage technology C-nario, has made Digiboard a pioneer in its sector.  Digiboard attained this success by managing over 1.150 digital screens that can broadcast customized signage for each different media.

Digiboard believes in having a long term vision for a permanent success, and shapes its attitudes according to such corporate and ethical values.  It offers worldwide quality service to enable, enhance, and enliven communication at every available point that can reach mass audiences.

“Most Scala Players Deployed 2010/2011“

For the second time in a row, SEEN MEDIA has received the award for “Most Scala Players Deployed 2010/2011“. With more than 5,000 Scala licenses in the business year 2010/2011, the Aachen-based digital signage agency is again the largest purchaser of the market-leading digital signage software worldwide. Scala presented the award during the international Scala Conference 2011 with an audience of more than 320 digital signage professionals from 42 countries.

“We are very pleased about this recognition by Scala, the market leader in digital signage software. It proves once more that our quality strategy has been successful in the market. Especially when it comes to complex installations with elaborate integrations, this extremely productive and sustainably conceived software package satisfies all of the technical requirements we need to complete the usually very specific projects. Our customers benefit from our development partnership with Scala because of our ability to implement their individual requests quickly and flexibly. We’re confident that we will continue our successful partnership with Scala in the coming years,” stated SEEN MEDIA’s CEO Stefan Knoke about the honor.

SEEN MEDIA has been developing and marketing custom-made digital display systems for POS and POI applications for more than ten years. The full service digital signage agency offers all services from one source, from the consultation to the conception, the content creation and provision of technology up to the rollout, service and support. More than 6,000 installations managed by SEEN MEDIA in more than 90 countries prove the high acceptance and performance of the SEEN MEDIA solutions.

Frank Trossen, NEC Manager Channel Sales CE

Frank Trossen, 41, is strengthening the NEC Display Solutions team with immediate effect as new Manager Channel Sales CE. In his new function he will be responsible for the continued expansion of specialist retail activities in the Central Europe region and will report directly to General Manager Lutz Hardge.
Trossen has extensive experience in the fields of sales and channel management. He has a successful track record in the AV and IT sector stretching back more than 12 years and is regarded as an expert for the strategic development and expansion of customer relationships and networks. In particular, Trossen brings in-depth industry knowledge of the increasingly important education segment.

Between 2007 and 2011, Trossen worked for Promethean, the international supplier of interactive educational technology. His last responsibility there was Head of Channel Central Europe. Another stage in Trossen’s career was at SMART Technologies, where he held the position of Channel Sales Manager from 2000 to 2007.

“NEC Display Solutions has a very good sales structure and has a strong position in the market. It is an exciting challenge to consolidate and expand this together with the entire team and our channel partners. I am looking forward to contributing the knowledge I have gained in over 10 years of channel experience to the company’s success,” says Trossen.

With experts forecasting that air traffic will double by 2030 and competition will increase, pressure is being put on airports worldwide to attract an ever more demanding class of traveller. Innovative display technology can help to make terminals more efficient and assist in driving additional retail revenue streams.

High-resolution public displays can help guide passengers in a more effective way to improve their journey experience, as well as being a powerful tool to better reach different target groups via large-scale digital advertising. Similarly, NEC’s display technologies play an increasingly vital role within airport operations, including baggage control, flight information display and baggage and passenger monitoring.

NEC has the widest portfolio of display technologies, products and services for the airport industry, allowing airports to partner with NEC for all their display requirements, from control room video walls, flight information displays through to LED and LCD video walls for retail advertising and airport promotion.

To further strengthen its position in the market, NEC has reinforced its leadership team with industry experts, including bringing Richard Wilks on board as EMEA Aviation Business Development Manager. Wilks has spent 22 years in the European graphics and monitor display business. Starting out at the IBM Graphics Research Centre in Winchester, Wilks quickly moved into product management and eventually sales management with Artist Graphics and then MicroTouch 3M. More recently he has specialised in market development with NEC, looking at both media and healthcare businesses whilst running NEC’s Corporate Sales UK team. In his new role he will drive the display business tailored to the needs of the aviation industry.

“The aviation industry continues to soar and NEC’s displays are at the beating heart of the airports that are central to the industry,” explained Richard Wilks. “Displays designed for use in an airport have a variety of rigorous requirements due to their 24- hour operation and multi-purpose usage – meaning that reliability and quality are key. These two qualities are the cornerstones of NEC’s business.”

Seven out of ten of the world’s busiest airports already use NEC Display Solutions technology, among them Heathrow and Gatwick Airport in the UK, Barcelona Airport, Spain, Frankfurt Airport, Germany, Chicago O’Hare Airport, JFK Airport in New York, Los Angeles Airport and Atlanta Airport in the US. Over the last ten years 25,000 of the company’s displays have been installed in airports around the world.

The company’s recently released P Series and XS Series flight information displays are the latest products perfectly suited for these rugged environments. With slim designs, low power usage, network monitoring and control and support for FIDS controllers based on the Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) – backed up with effective warranties – airport operators can rest assured passengers are getting the information they need in a clear and effective manner.

We have strong creative and executional credentials and a culture of collaboration with communications agencies and clients.

Kinetic Group Germany has a presence in the five major German markets: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin.

Kinetic brings together a wealth of experience in the German market as well as offering the ability to advise German clients on the execution of international communication activities through close partnership with the Kinetic Network.

SEEN MEDIA

SEEN MEDIA is a full service agency for digital signage solutions with meanwhile more than ten years of experience in this area. SEEN MEDIA employs 35 people in two locations Aachen and Düsseldorf, has a renowned customer base across various branches and shows a large number of realized project (more than 5000 installations in over 90 countries with more than 7000 configured PC units for POS/POI installations). Currently SEEN MEDIA is judged number three amongst digital signage integrators in D-A-CH. (Source: Digital Signage Professionell, invidis report, August 2011)

Markus J. Deserno, Seen Media

Markus J. Deserno
is managing partner of SEEN MEDIA GmbH since 2007. Before he was CEO of ict AG Aachen, an information and communications technology company that Markus Deserno joined for more than 12 years. Prior to that he worked in leading positions for several IT related companies. Together with his today´s management partner Stefan Knoke he was in charge of the management buy out of SEEN MEDIA from ict AG. Markus J. Deserno is married, has three children and lives in Aachen.

Stefan Knoke, Seen Media

Stefan Knoke
is managing partner of SEEN MEDIA GmbH since 2007. In his many years of prior activity, Stefan Knoke was responsible for digital signage as board member of ict AG Aachen. Other professional activities include his role as Technical Director of ProSieben Digital Media GmbH and as project leader at ProSieben Sat 1 Media AG. Stefan Knoke is married, has three children, and lives in Krefeld.

Catherine worked for many years for worldwide manufactures, developing sales channel with associated marketing and partnerships. Her strong expertise into negotiation and sales on B to B model makes her fully dedicated to sales channel activities.

Catherine has established a strong network in respect of business rules and a great sense of responsibilities. Catherine has managed sales deployments in accordance with her team and partners. She has a solid experience s in project development model through channel sales. Her strong knowledge of this global market allows her to understand the new technologies impact on the customer needs. She generated in her latest position 4 millions $ as annual revenues.

Her previous experience included France Channel Sales Manager at Infocus Corporation, Managing Director at AMX France, Professional Division at Akira Europe and Business Development France at Onelan Ltd.

Catherine is graduated from Negocia CCIP Business School in Paris.

The AV Technology Awards allow end users to share their best practices by evaluating different products’ ease of use, reliability, overall network impact and ROI. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the AV industry.

Commenting on the award, the AVT judge stated: “The ScreenGate product family provides a complete line of well packaged, well-engineered, cost effective solutions to meet the needs of the digital signage market.”

Ronni Guggenheim, President of ComQi, says: “We are honored to receive this award that underlines the fact that we are the market’s leading media distribution solution provider as part of an overall ecosystem. With a clear vision of where the media delivery platforms will be in a few years from now, ComQi’s ScreenGate IP Streaming solution is a major building block of our strategy, allowing any content to be delivered to any place on the globe, at the right time and at the right quality, using already existing network infrastructure, and hence dramatically reducing deployment costs.”

ScreenGate™ IP Streaming is the first product to offer a streaming solution specifically designed to respond to the challenges of digital signage networks. By integrating with existing IT networks, ScreenGate IP Streaming takes advantage of all the features offered by the existing IP network, distributes full-HD content quality, requires only a small bandwidth and can use any existing network infrastructure.

ScreenGate Solution offers media delivery over IP which allows network operators to maximize their network value by leveraging the inherent benefits of IP technology with its pervasiveness, its scalability and its cost-effectiveness using existing LAN or WAN infrastructure.

When used with ComQi’s Management Gateway, the ScreenGate solution offers a state of the art digital signage management software platform, with Proof-of-Performance technology built in, ensuring the delivery of the right content to the right device at the right time.

“Scala, active for over two decades in this space, has been able to differentiate itself through a proven end-to-end software solution that is robust, scalable and cost-effective for all categories of clients. Additionally, its international footprint and impressive community of channel partners are crucial components of Scala’s longstanding ability to map technology innovation to constantly evolving customer needs.” said Aravindh Vanchesan, Industry Analyst with the Digital Media team at Frost & Sullivan.

The prestigious Competitive Strategy Leadership of the Year Award recognized Scala for delivering excellence and best practices in its endeavors to grow the digital signage software market. Frost & Sullivan used the following criteria to benchmark Scala’s performance against key competitors:

Leveraging of competitive intelligence: Scala realized early that growth opportunities would come from providing a simple to install and easy to use digital signage offering for small and medium businesses that could not afford traditional digital signage offerings. In 2010, Scala introduced two new cloud based services called SignChannel and Scala QuickStart which is pre-installed on HP’s new SignagePlayers around the world.

Execution of competitive strategy: Through its new operating strategies and product innovation, Scala has ensured that the total cost of implementing and owning a digital signage network is affordable, thereby reducing barriers to entry for new clients. Frost & Sullivan also selected Scala for this award because its product line—SignChannel, Scala QuickStart and Scala Designer, Content Manager, Player and Ad Manager —are among the most comprehensive in the market. The end-to-end solution gives users the ability to create and refresh content as often as necessary to keep it relevant, engaging and informative.

Impact on market share: Scala continues to be one of the global leaders in the highly fragmented digital signage software market. The company has consistently grown faster than the market, driving thousands of screens in a range of vertical markets, including retail, banking, transportation, entertainment, government and healthcare.

Competitive brand positioning: Scala has been providing digital signage software for more than 20 years, and it has superior worldwide brand recognition, as well as an established reputation for quality, reliability and security. In a market with limited turnkey solutions, many customers prefer Scala due to its global presence and ability to provide services in many geographic regions.

Impact on customer satisfaction and value: Traditionally, Scala has developed and maintained strong working partnerships with the resellers and distributors, which can be seen by its network of more than 500 partners worldwide. This gives Scala a global perspective in understanding the special requirements of customers in different regions. By developing such a large partner network, Scala has been able to leverage this advantage to provide highly customize software solutions and enhance customer satisfaction.

“As a player in the highly competitive global digital signage industry, Scala is honored to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan for our software products and strategies,” said Scala Executive Vice President Jeff Porter. “This award distinguishes the creativity and dedication of Scala’s executive team and employees, and it inspires us to continue the best-in-class pursuit for digital signage innovation.”

The Digital Branding Zone will be installed in the newly built section of the shopping mall and will be inaugurated on the 4^th of July 2011. The Digital Branding Zone is made up of 28 LCD screens of 46 inches controlled by Broadsign and embedding Intel AIM, the BroadSign newly integrated audience measurement solution.

The branding zone is commercialized by Neo Advertising Geneva and Zurich teams to Balexert tenants and third party brands.

Watch the Balexert Digital Branding Zone mock up at http://twitpic.com/52opjc.

With 43,000sqm, Balexert is the 4th largest shopping mall in Switzerland in term of size and the 2nd in term of traffic and turnover with respectively 8.5 million visitors and USD 560 million. Balexert offers a wide range of services including 115 shops and 13 cinemas.

Neo Advertising operates the largest DOOH network in Swiss shopping malls totaling 650 screens in 50 shopping malls, reaching weekly 2.5 million consumers.

Ajay Chowdhury, CEO of EnQii -MDS

EnQii Holdings and Minicom Digital Signage (MDS) today announced the merger of their companies, creating a global leader in multichannel message management. The merged company will offer a seamless platform that provides leadership, simplicity and innovation in a complex marketplace.

Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) led a growth capital financing round together with other existing shareholders – Wellington Partners, Amadeus Capital Partners and Aviv Ventures – to complete the merger. The new financing will go towards expanding the current solutions portfolio as well as to grant necessary resources for additional acquisitions.

Lauded with multiple awards in their respective fields, EnQii-MDS will provide marketers with an end-to-end solution encompassing distribution, content management and proof-of-performance – while reducing capital and operational costs. This platform will ensure the delivery of consumer messaging that has recency, relevancy and accountability and which will deliver a strong return on investment to customers at the lowest total cost of ownership. These solutions are designed to be future-proofed, utilizing a cloud-based platform that offers the flexibility to accommodate both small and large installs. 

“This is an exciting milestone for the industry as it creates a true global powerhouse providing an integrated suite of hardware, software and services required for the best digital signage deployments going forward,” said Ajay Chowdhury, CEO of the new venture and former CEO of EnQii. “I am particularly excited with our new solutions such as IP Streaming, mobile and web linkages and the ability to provide proof of performance for signage networks.”

Headquartered in New York City, EnQii-MDS will operate from six offices around the world and a global network of dedicated partners that includes 150 worldwide distributors serving thousands of resellers and system integrators.

“This strategic move creates a powerful vertical solution in an industry that has been plagued by complexity,” states Ronni Guggenheim, President of EnQii-MDS and former CEO of Minicom Digital Signage. “This gives us a deeper base to continue to provide compelling innovations in this rapidly growing industry to our current and future partners across the globe.”

Led by a veteran team of industry innovators, EnQii-MDS sets a new standard that will provide focused expertise that larger players cannot deliver. In addition to the officers previously mentioned, Shlomo Nimrodi, has been named Chairman. Stuart Armstrong and Amir Shaked have been tapped to lead the US business and Max Stevens-Guille will lead the Canadian business. In Israel Ofer Dar will act as the Group’s CFO, Moti Guberman will be in charge of operations and Mordehay Hilu will drive the R&D.

Gadi Tirosh, General Partner at JVP and Chairman of MDS concluded: “When we invested in MDS over a year ago, we clearly identified the potential of leveraging MDS’ unique market position and channels as a platform for further growth – organically and through M&A. This merger is the realization of this strategy creating the most prominent, fastest growing market leader.”

Andrew Wood: General Manager Abu Dhabi Media Digital Out of Home

Andrew Wood leads one of the newest digital signage companies in the UAE. Abu Dhabi Media Digital Out of Home (AD Media DOOH), which operates under the media brand al Barq Digital, launched in July 2010 and seeks to champion standardisation, measurement and regulation across the sector. Andrew spent his early years in the computer industry, first in the USA, then in London with the ORACLE Corporation, before holding a number of leadership positions, including roles at Accenture and Ernst and Young. He was first exposed to the world of digital signage in 2001 when he founded a media agency in London. After growing and selling the business in 2006 to a Private Equity Company that created the ENQII Digital Software Business, Andrew started looking for his next challenge and whilst visiting the Middle East he saw what a great opportunity existed for a DOOH business in the region.  Andrew bought himself a one-way ticket to Dubai, met some likeminded people at Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) who were keen to invest in this area and the rest is history as they say.

Can you provide us a short overview about your services and products in the Digital Out of Home Industry?

Abu Dhabi Media Digital Out of Home (AD Media DOOH), which operates as digital media brand Al Barq Digital in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, provides Digital Out of Home solutions in 3 main areas: indoor, outdoor and mobile.   We launched our indoor solutions first in 2010, with interactive digital mall networks and a number of private media networks. Launching indoors made good business sense for us, given the constant high temperatures in the UAE, and the fact people spend more time in malls in this region than anywhere else in the world. 

We have also made good progress with our outdoor solutions behind the scenes, and we’re exploring new format screens, architectural building wraps and plenty of innovative solutions in this area that we look forward to sharing with you in 2011.

The third area we operate in is mobile, and we currently offer interactive wayfinding solutions and downloadable mall maps and store guides in the UAE.   Current trends in our region and globally, mean we expect mobile marketing, location-based services and screen interactivity to dominate many of our capabilities in the year to come. 

Creating our own IP and delivering class-leading solutions is one of the core principles we work to and something we’re really proud of is that all of our products and solutions have been conceived, designed, developed and produced in the UAE. Whilst we may source services and components internationally, and our team work with some of the leading Digital Signage technology companies globally to build bespoke software and functionality, our solutions come together in their final form in our lab and factory in the UAE, ensuring that they are totally fit for the purposes for which we need them.

As a business, we’re making it our mission to empower the consumer in their relationships with the brands they are interested in and to drive engaging, quality and profitable two-way relationships. So, whilst we have a good idea of where this is likely to lead us the next 12-18 months, we continue to actively listen to brands, agencies and consumers, to understand their needs and that will very much dictate where we go and evolve as a business.

Where do you see the biggest challenges today?

The biggest challenges we’re seeing as a DOOH business in an emerging region are the exact same ones that our industry faces as a whole globally. Namely quality research to inform the sector and the business cases of those looking to utilise the medium; standardisation of digital out of home formats to make planning and buying easier for advertisers and accountability through accurate measurement and agreed metrics & reporting.  Many of the more mature markets are already making good headway in these areas, giving us the opportunity to benefit from their learnings and fast track our own progress, but these key challenges remain a focus for all working in our sector right now.

From an Al Barq Digital perspective, one of the biggest challenges we are facing as a business is within malls, and how to provide consumers with an efficient, practical and engaging wayfinding solution.  There are lots of solutions out there and we’ve tested plenty, but finding a practical, user friendly one, which meets the needs of consumer in malls and that they want to return to use, remains a challenge and a topic of much debate. 

What is your view on the digital signage industry in your country compared to the rest of Europe?

The reason that such a great opportunity exists for Digital Out of Home companies in the UAE and wider MENA region, is because our market is very immature compared to the majority of European markets and the likes of North America, Canada.  We’re seeing budgets returning, a real appetite for outdoor advertising and a market keen to embrace new technologies and innovations.   

In MENA right now there are a couple of larger Digital Signage companies present including JC Decaux, Rotana Media Services Outdoor and ourselves, but the majority of network operators are small local businesses, often traditional outdoor companies who are starting to test the water with digital solutions.  There are many different types of format, including plenty of tv screens hanging from ceilings, with little standardisation; there is no reach, with companies typically operating in 1 or 2 venues only; few of the networks are centrally controlled and managed, and the quality of creative and content is often poor and badly selected for the medium.  

Positively, we know the issues and challenges to face, and how to resolve them, which is why we’re extremely positive about the opportunity we’re presented with and the future potential of the MENA region. We do expect to see many new entrants to the market this year and traditional outdoor companies making the move over too, allowing us to catch up with European and other mature markets quickly.

Which European countries do you think have the biggest potential in terms of Digital Out of Home networks?

If we’re talking countries in the newly expanded remit of OVAB which covers the MENA region, then we’d definitely say that this area as a whole has great future potential and is the one to watch.   We predict that the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be the areas to surge ahead initially, as they’re growing fast and have money to invest, but we also expect to see plenty of activity in the Levant region which covers Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria over the next couple of years. 

What was the reason to join OVAB Europe?

When we launched our business in 2010, we saw that not only was there a great potential to develop and innovate in terms of DOOH technologies and solutions in the MENA region, but that there was an even bigger opportunity for advocacy of the newly emerging DOOH sector and so we made this part of our core strategy.  Projects we have been working on include, the commissioning of independent research to better understand DOOH in our region, championing agreed standards, metrics and accountability and the establishment of a regulatory body in the region. When we started scoping and planning to launch a regulatory body in MENA, we undertook a lot of research looking at already established groups across the globe.   We had seen a lot of the good work that OVAB Europe had been doing, especially in the area of standards and measurement and given the closeness geographically, and the fact there are so many business ties across Europe and the Middle East, it seemed a natural fit to approach the OVAB Europe board to see if they would consider working with us to launch something similar, or expand their current remit.  OVAB had also keenly witnessed the recent growth in MENA and were keen to explore this area with us, and in January 2011 we became the first member of the newly expanded body.

What will be your engagement within the Association?

We’re the first member of OVAB in the Middle East and we’re working very closely with the OVAB Board and team as their “on-the-ground” partner.  We’re advising on current market trends, scoping local and regional opportunities, assisting with marketing and communications, helping to organise local events and talking to potential new members.  Establishing a regulatory body in MENA is something we believe in whole-heartedly and we’re taking a very hands on pro-active role, to ensure its support and long term success.

What is your vision about the Digital Out of Home industry and market for the next 3-5 years?

For the Digital Out of Home medium to hit critical mass and reach in each of the Middle East markets, allowing it to compete for TV and traditional media budgets and be an integral part of every advertiser’s media plan. For our industry to deliver interactive, immersive and engaging experiences for all consumers each and every time, and wherever they may be, through the successful integration of mobile and location based marketing technologies with Digital Out of Home solutions. That our medium revolutionises the way brands interact and engage with consumers and the manner in which media is consumed by people the moment they step outside of their homes.