Digital Signage – the future is here!

– Technological progress brings about new and specialised marketing solutions like Digital Signage, usually regarded as a form of home advertising – says–Attila Csizmadia, chairman of the Digital Signage Division of the Hungarian Advertising Association. Digital signage allows continuously up-dated electronic content to be supplied 24 hours a day. Such content can be produced and up-dated at a very low cost, while far more attention is attracted by constant change than by static solutions. This new communication technology has already arrived in Hungary. Plazma Média Reklámszolgáltató Kft., MadMedia Kft., Your Media Company Kft., are among the founders of the Digital Signage Division, but there are also companies outside the organisation like For-Max Kft. and Mood Media Hungary Kft. Probably the best known form of digital signage is content for digital displays. For-Max Kft. has been in the business of importing and exporting multimedia electronics for over one and a half decades. Their digital poster is an interactive advertising tool composed of an LCD display and a multimedia card reader. Up-dating of content can take place using the internet, intranet or replacing the card. LCD displays can be installed practically anywhere. – Digital posters stand out from the sea of advertising tools, stop you and make you buy something – says László Kulcsár , managing director of For-Max Kft. So far, over 2,500 digital displays have been installed in Hungary. – Moving pictures promoting purchases are seen at the point of sale, at the moment of making a purchasing decision – says Attila Csizmadia. According to data from Szonda Ipsos, 83 per cent of people visiting post offices see the displays installed there, while 78 per cent are happy to see them. According to Miklós Szabó, managing director, the activities of Plazma Média Kft. include all areas of digital signage services. Spots are listed and transmitted to a satellite , then transmitted back to the receiving stations in excellent quality. Content can be up-dated within hours or divided into topics. Touch media has also appeared in Hungary recently. Touch media is a term used for interactive surfaces which act as virtual shop windows. MadMedia Kft.is a distributor of touch media solutions, which are available in two projected and one LCD version. As projected surfaces appear on the internal sides of store windows, they are vandal proof. According to Gábor Kovács, sales director of MadMedia Kft., content for touch media screens should be tailored to specific locations. A POPAI study has shown that touch media systems generate seven times more attention than printed media. According to I-Open Environsell research, sales are boosted by 42 per cent on average and by 162 per cent for promoted products. Another survey conducted by RMS Ltd. Herefordshire has proved that installations fitted with through-glass audio systems generate 56 per cent more interaction with passers by than traditional shop windows. PIXMAN nomadic media marketed by Your Media Company is the first intractive global media network present in 26 countries on 6 continents. PIXMAN advertising tools (Pix Monitor, Pix Projector, Pix Tickerman) are mobile and can be used anywhere. A number of multimedia applications can be integrated into the system, and it can also be used for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluejacking and Hypertagging- says Attila Bakk, managing director of YMC. The MOOD Media group is a leader in innovative BTL technology. Though their main activity is providing musical and multimedia solutions, they also developed a Virtual Interactive Character for SFR, the French partner of Vodafone in 2005. VIC will also appear in Hungary soon.