The number of screens around us is growing and how we use them is  changing. Remember when your only screen was the TV? Then mobile web browsing overtook desktop for the first time. As we’ve mentioned once or twice, we expect digital signage, the idea of using the big screens around us to extend the screen experience, to be next.

We’re extremely excited about its potential and with that in mind,  here are six examples of how digital signage is becoming so much bigger  than just screen advertising alone. 

You may think you don’t need screens which can also give out scents, but maybe you do?

Japanese telecommunications company NTT  has taken digital signage and launched a version with added  aroma-emitting devices. The idea is to strengthen the communications of  their online fragrance division by allowing digital advertising screens  to emit ‘mood-heightening’ aromas. 

These screens, strategically placed, allow the level and type of  fragrance to be adjusted depending on the area it is enabled in. They  believe that these aromas increase the chance of viewers noticing the  sign and remembering the product advertised, which when you own a  fragrance business that’s solely online, is really kind of genius. 

This idea of sensory experiences has been a big one in events and  ‘experiential’ installations and it seems natural that it will soon move  into our everyday experiences, paired with digital screens. 

Digital signage and corporate communication

PwC had over 2000 employees when they decided to relocate their  offices to Dublin. The question (which many of us face in corporate  comms) was; how do we keep employees up to date with the latest  information in these new offices?

They could have used the company intranet sure, or maybe the mobile  devices that all employees were equipped with. But both of those options  either required something on the part of the user (i.e. logging into  the intranet), or disrupted the viewer's day rather than becoming part  of it.

So instead, PwC decided to install 29 digital signs  in high footfall locations throughout the 22,000 sq ft office complex.  That way, staff were kept in the know of new information and updates as  they walked to lunch or between meetings. Visitors to the office and  potential clients also got a look in, allowing them to view the company  strategy and policy through the digital screens which were placed in  lobbies and other busy areas. 

For a long time, corporates have been looking for a better way to infuse that all important “company culture” and improve the way they interact with staff. Maybe through digital signage they’ve found it?

This is not so much a trend of the future, as one that our clients (and many others) are already using. 

Feilo Sylvania  used digital signage at the Light + Building tradeshow this year, to  help display content to visitors to the booth. Rather than leave it  there, they then took the virtual showroom on offer and installed it in  their physical locations throughout Europe. 

Feilo Sylvania - Virtual showroom explained

This transforms the standard experience (being shown content within a  showroom from a digital display) and allows viewers to think more about  what their experience would be with that product or service.

Interactive screens and technology is not new, but using it for  better communications and experiences will be something we’ll see more  of in the future. 

If you need a hint to where digital signage is heading, your best bet  is to look at retail. They were one of the first industries to add  large digital signage displays to shop windows and to understand the  power of using these displays for more than just advertising.

Burberry for example (one of the first retail brands to embrace  social media) have mirrors that double as digital signage agents  throughout their flagship London store. The mirrors show advertising  content but also react to the items the shoppers pick out in front of  them. Walk past one of these mirrors with a top, skirt or trench coat  and the RFID-enabled screen will trigger catwalk footage of the item you  hold. So neat. 

This is similar to the use of beacons. Integrating beacons with  digital signage lets the signage screen reach out to a second screen,  the customer’s smartphone, and deploy (hopefully) relevant messaging and  tools. 

Here’s an example; you walk past Target and as you pass the shop  window you get a notification on your phone. It offers you a URL, which  you follow to get a 10% off code for shopping in Target. But wait, the  catch! It’s for today only. Likelihood is, you step inside the store.  You know, just to see if there is anything you might need.

As well as providing value to the customer (hopefully the number one  aim of all signage displays) this is also a powerful tracking message  for brands. Brand Diageo used beacon technology  as part of its out-of-home campaign with Pimms to track how many people  were around various transport hubs during rush hour in London. How did  it do it? By counting the number of smartphones in the area using  beacons installed in nearby pubs. 

From this, it then checked which pubs were full and changed the  transport advertising accordingly, sending anyone above capacity to a  different area.

In 2013 Tesco were reportedly  rolling out a huge batch of screens equipped with facial recognition  technology. Did they do it? We couldn’t find any evidence to suggest  they had, but perhaps that’s down to the panic that ensued (how many  donuts we buy at the till is our business).

The idea is that checkout screens in supermarkets and gas stations  scan the faces of customers to determine age and gender. From this, the  screen can then show more targeted advertising displays. Herein lies the  super thin boundary between helping customers to see stuff they’re  actually interested in and not encroaching on privacy and consent. 

If you knew you were being scanned each time you walked into a store  would you still go? Perhaps not. But you only have to search “facial  recognition technology and digital signage” in Google to see just how many companies are now offering it. Some like Sightcorp even claim to be able to track ethnicity, facial expressions and sentiment. 

Technology which tracks sentiment is an interesting idea and could help businesses to monitor the reactions of their customers.

At a 2014 TED talk session in Amsterdam a ‘Mood Sensing’ experience  using screens measured the real time audience response to each TEDx  talk, which are renowned for being emotive. The information was then  categorized by gender and age and shown back to the audience. 

While maybe not the most ‘innovative’ digital signage use in the  world, we’re excited about the use of digital signage in education.  Education is traditionally an area which misses out on technology  because of low budgets and weighty implementation processes. 

But when it does get the chance to use technology; schools, colleges and universities are a great example of how to do it right!

One of our customer’s Merchant Taylors’  spent eight years trying to find the right digital signage company to  fit its budget and limitations! But when it found one (humble brag: us)  the digital signage strategy they implemented was strategically perfect  and targeted to location, viewer and time of day.

They use digital signage to show Economics students live feeds of  current exchange rates, stocks and news from the Financial Times, CNN  and BBC. These real time events are discussed in lessons and now  students can improve their knowledge just by viewing the content on the  screens, delivered as they walk to lessons.

Similarly, the school uses different social media feeds for different  classes and year groups, then displays them on screens outside lessons.  These feeds are updated by the teacher of those lessons sending a tweet  (from wherever they are) and the students can automatically see lesson  times, room changes and class notes just by viewing the screens. 

Other colleges, use digital signage to connect multiple campuses and even to create digital signage scavenger hunts that welcome Freshman and get them used to their surroundings. 

In education, where process often gets in the way of innovation,  these simple displays are revolutionizing what information can be shown  and shared.

Digital signage looks great and studies prove that it works. But it’s changing all the time.

What started out as mere TV monitors showing ads has evolved into a  core component of a sound marketing strategy. Every day, we’re excited  by the new uses we see and how our customers are extending the  boundaries of what can be done. 

For a 14-day trial of the easiest digital signage software platform you’ve ever used (no contracts, no commitment) sign up for our free trial. 

Future digital signage trends used in retail, corporate comms and education including beacons, interactive digital signs and facial recognition technology.

We discuss some of the biggest trends and how everyone from schools, to offices, to stores are using them.

6 Examples of What Future Digital Signage Displays May Look Like