Monetization Strategy for Brands and Digital Networks

A Mobile Interactivity Perspective
 

 By H. Jay Patel, BlueFire Digital April 26, 2008
 

Digital Signage Forum and BlueFire Digital will bring series of papers on digital signage interactivity from mobile phone. Topics will include SMS, Bluetooth and Wi-fi at technical level, real life scenarios and more importantly how to monetize from it.

Turning mobile phone into remote control, in limited extent, for digital signage is a dream for networks and advertisers. This idea is fueled by increasing focus on interactivity hence spending more time with brand, tracking consumer behavior “click-through” (measurement), collecting consumer data for future communication and viral reach across social networking. Ever-growing shift on out-of-home advertising from brands along with mass penetration of mobile phone, and its’ technologies, is transforming this idea into reality.

Although at an early stage, technologies to mimic such function of remote control already exist in the market place today. SMS or text messaging technology can turn 98% of the phone into remote control and is available in the market place. MMS or Multi Media service available on most phones and mobile operators can allow user to post their own content. There are excess in 213 million mobile phone users in USA and nearly 3.3 billion worldwide.

Measurement in out of home digital or digital signage industry is a key challenge facing the industry. Shift in out-of-home spending is putting great deal of pressure to measure aggregate eyeballs and its effectiveness on the bottom line. Mobile interactive with digital signage can provide metric for the stated measurement, collect data, learn consumer behavior and opens gate for future communication. Mobile interactivity on digital signage cuts through the clutter and engages consumer in meaningful, one-on-one dialogues.

Media fragmentation is fulfilling consumers’ appetite to control their media and entertainment when and how they want. Mobile phone connects consumer with their friends and family, content and entertainment and will provide host of interaction with digital signage. These interactions can be linked to their social networking page to provide fresh and up to date content about their location, preference and likes. Mobile interactivity allows consumers to see what they want, how they want it and with whom they can share their experience at same time generate data for measurement.

Now a day’s almost all mobile phones have built in cameras due to convenience, affordability and portability. And these phones are most likely capable of transmitting MMS or Multi Media service. Combinations of these two technologies provide instant visual communication. These technologies married with digital signage allow user to post pictures and videos from their phone (i.e becoming a content platform).

UGC can be leveraged in multiple verticals. In Bars and restaurants UGC can be used for birthdays, anniversary, and costume events. This interactive can be simple as sending simple text message stating ‘happy birthday’ to a friend or voting on the best Halloween costume. Note: UGC contents should be monitored for copyrights and offensive materials.

Brands can take advantage of this technology to garner eyeballs and mindshare of the consumer. UGC on digital signage can be aligned with cross channel campaign to magnify branding. Since it’s a two way communication, impulse driven promotional messages can be delivered to the consumers directing them to point of sale or website.

Since UGC provide entertainment value to the consumer they are more open to share this experience with friends and family. UGC contents can be effectively distributed to social networking sites for vial marketing to increasing eyeball and additional traffic. Various social networking sites provide extended reach to friends and family for the brand or the venue where the interaction took place.

User Controlled Content (UCC)

Overwhelming majority of the phone and service plan offered by mobile carriers are SMS ready. SMS provides economical communication channel for advertisers and network operators to allow consumers to control what they want on digital signage networks to a limited extent. Of course advertisers or the network operator are in control of pre-defined list of contents that can be triggered via text message.

UCC can provide great deal of data on particular consumers’ interest. UCC allows advertisers to gauge consumer interest on specific product and extend accurate information to them during the dialog. Consumer information can be accurately detailed to geography, demographics, time, date and interest based on their text messages. 

Potentials of UCC are abound. UCC can flourish in LED billboards in venues with high traffic, bars and restaurants, stadiums and arenas and in retail environment. In bars and restaurants UCC can be leveraged to let consumers watch specific drink recipe. Accurate promotional material, recipe or shopping items can be delivered to consumer based on their request. In retail environments, consumer can send text message to trigger viewing of specific product or service while visiting the shop. Since consumer activities are tracked, coupon can be delivered immediately to trigger an impulse. Moreover, when the specific item user interacted with goes on sale or marked down in future, accurate SMS communication can be initiated and accurately targeted with those who were interested in that product or service. 

Since the type of interaction in UCC is purely interest based, consumers can let their friend circle know about their interest on their social pages. This is an additional medium for the brand, product and the retailer for exposure where, otherwise, isn’t available. Strategic social network applications can drive traffic from these domains to the retailer or brands’ website potentially leading to additional revenue.

While in its infancy many questions loom regarding these types of interactivity.  By linking physical world interactions with web and sametime having an instant ability to deliver accurate promotional messages as well as an avenue for future targeted communication, make this type interactivities extremely compelling. Mobile interactively is shifting digital signage paradigm of one-to-many to one-to-one communication for digital networks.

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