Connectedsign Digital Signage White Paper

Digital Signage Content: From Idea Generation To Execution
Connectedsign, LLC

There are two schools of thought about what it takes to design an effective signage campaign. By "effective," I'm focusing primarily on a segment's ability to motivate an immediate response from an audience. That might include a lift in sales for particular items that are being promoted. It can also include a text response to a coupon offer.

One school of thought claims that designing effective DOOH segments is best done in the context of the designer's artistic approach. That is, content should not follow any predefined formula based on best practices. The other school of thought (one to which I subscribe) feels strongly that creating signage content without the guide of past data borders on foolhardy.

Below, we'll dig more deeply into the differences between designing in-store media spots based upon the creator's intuition and working from a proven model. We'll cover the elements that play a role in the success of any given segment. We'll also take a look at the value of checking your ideas with a list of best practices prior to execution.

What Makes An Effective Segment?

Let's first consider what we know to work in a retail environment. From many campaigns delivered over a wide range of network sizes, it's clear that shoppers are easily distracted. Irrelevant creatives tend to obfuscate the message rather than highlight it. I've mentioned in past articles the importance of removing every element that takes away from your core message.

We also know that digital signage content that does not include a clear call to action is far less likely to generate a response. Keeping the message simple works most effectively when you ask the viewer to take a particular action.

There are many other pieces of a successful in-store media campaign. Composing segments that are contextually relevant is important. So too, is using contrast within your visual elements. You should also leverage color to trigger emotions. And of course, screen placement within the venue plays a key role.

Each of these factors (and others) can be harnessed to create effective digital signage content. They are our best practices.

Following Best Practices

Those who feel the creation of signage promotions should be left to the intuition of the designer are often quick to dismiss strategies we know to be effective. That is not to suggest the designer's talent and experience provide little value. Instead, a two-pronged approach integrates that talent and experience with a proven set of guidelines.

The designer of your digital signage content should be provided with a list of best practices that he or she can follow during the content creation process. It functions as a style guide. As a given segment moves from the idea stage to the execution stage, it should be checked against the guide. By the time you're ready to distribute the promotion across your digital signage network, you'll be reasonably confident that the most important elements are in place.

Moving Beyond Science And Formula

At some point, you'll know whether the promotion on your digital screens was effective or not. It either successfully generates the defined response or it bombs. Keep in mind your best practices are merely a guideline of things you know to work. They are a launch pad. Your creatives must be tested in order to measure results and create baseline metrics.

A digital signage network deployed within a retail environment must be able to not only catch shoppers' attention, but to motivate a response from them. That usually requires some form of emotional appeal. Most people are more likely to act on your call to action if they are given a compelling reason to do so.

This leads to the idea of developing your in-store media campaigns around the shopper's experience, a lofty discussion we'll leave for another time. For now, it's enough to understand that your DOOH segments should be designed from the beginning under the lens of your best practices.

By Loren Bucklin
President

Connectedsign, LLC
lbucklin@connectedsign.com
www.connectedsign.com
866-833-2723

Digital Signage Integrators
One Source, Many Answers