Point of sale – one of the most effective areas for digital signage in retail is point of sale. Whilst it could be argued that when somebody is queuing to pay for their items they have already completed their shopping, research shows this is not necessarily the case. Supermarkets have known for a long time the power of the point of sale, placing as they do confectionary near by to act as a temptation sale. Digital signage can work in a similar way displaying messages tailored to the point of sale customer.

Public Transport – perhaps the first industry to realise the potential for digital signage on captive audiences was the transport sector. Buses, trains and even taxis have fitted digital signage screens to act as both entertainment and advertiser for transport passengers. The transport industry also managed to find innovative methods to ensure no loss of return of investment by contracting out the digital signage to advertisers who supplied the hardware and content, providing no initial outlay for the bus and taxi companies.

Petrol/Gas Stations - Another great area for taking advantage of a captive audience is the petrol pump. Another great aspect of petrol pump digital signage is that you already know something about the audience – they drive so many gas top digital signage display marketing message for automotive or car related products. Often some consideration has to be given to ensuring the LCD monitor is not going to create  a hazrd with the petrol fumes. the European ATEX (explosve atmospheres)  guidelines govern such installs.

Lines/queues - another use of outdoor digital signage is in queues and lines at theme parks and other amusements. Not only can these systems help entertain the people waiting for rides and attractions, therefore preventing agitation, they can also market products directly to this captive audience.

However, more and more alternative uses for digital signage are springing up all the time and many of them have important and potentially life saving applications.

Because of it’s flexibility in being able to display content uploaded centrally on a networks, really important information is being able to be relayed to the public, particluarly in outdoor areas where outdoor digital signage is providing some useful services:

Wanted criminals
One useful application that law enforcers are beginning to use digital signage is in displaying pictures of wanted criminals. The great advantage of digital signage is that the traditional mugshot can be beamed onto screens across cities, counties and even states. Traditionally police forces have had to rely on TV and print media for this kind of appeal but with digital signage there is no need to only rely on those that have read the paper that morning or seen the TV news as anybody passing the digital signage screen will be able to see the wanted images.

Missing children
When children go missing, swift and speedy appeals for help are vital. The quicker a picture of a child and appeal goes live the higher chance the child will be discovered. Whether it’s a runaway or an abducted child, speed of appeal is of the essence and with digital signage, especially outdoor digital signage there is no need to wait for the local paper to go to print or the local news to start its bulletin.

Emergency messaging
Following some high profile gun related incidents at American colleges, universities and even military barracks, criticism has often been centred on the lack of information of what has and is occurring on the campus or military grounds. Warning those that use the site that there is a potential danger could have save lives and digital signage has been indicated as being an effective method of warning of such incidents.

In many areas, outdoor digital signage is quite straight forward to install. An outdoor LCD enclosure or other housing for the screen will protect the LCD (or plasma) from the effects of rain and also provide some security for the unit.

However, in many locations some extreme temperatures are reached in the winter and summer months with sub zero temperatures and scorching sunlight a problem for many LCD screens and outdoor digital signage systems.

Sub Zero Digital Signage

The extreme cold can cause problems for signage screens. Any moisture or condensation that develops inside the LCD TV will expands when temperatures drop, this can cause permanent damage of the electronics of any TV system.

Unfortunately condensation inside electronic devices is almost impossible to prevent, even by using a restricted breathing enclosure (completely airtight) . However, you can prevent this condensation from freezing by ensuring there is a heater system inside the LCD enclosure.

Often in areas that experience seasonal dips in temperature, outdoor digital signage systems are fitted with automatic thermostatic controlled heaters.

Screens under the sun

When it comes to extremely hot temperatures and direct sunlight then protection becomes rather more complicated. Heat is a constant problem for any digital signage system. Even an indoor unit will need some air flow system to carry away heat from the components.

However, in locations where the ambient temperature is also very high, multiple air flow systems have to be installed and even air conditioning for extreme heat.

The sun too can cause problems for LCD and plasma screens. Direct sunlight will cause glare, preventing the screen from being read it can also cause hotspots that can permanently damage the screen.

Anti-glare glass is often used to defend against sun glare whilst an air curtain that sends a flow of air across the TV screen prevents damaging hotspots from building up.

However, implementing digital signage is not straight forward and the process is riddled with pitfalls. However, that is not to say that digital signage can’t be an effective and practical method of marketing if it is done right.

One of the most common mistakes people make when embarking in a digital signage is erecting the screens in the wrong place. No sign, digital or otherwise, is any good if nobody sees it.

One of the most common mistakes is erecting the signs too high. While a TV hanging from the ceiling may allow more wall space but often people will walk underneath without even looking up.

To get the most out of digital signage it has to be ion the right location, preferably at eye level. However, there are several areas where you can maximise the effectiveness of it:

Captive audiences

Anywhere where you have a captive audience is a good place for digital signage. Point of sale, waiting rooms, receptions, and even petrol pumps (gas stations) are great places for an LCD screen. Even if somebody has little interest in your message, if they are in a queue or having to wait they will more than likely watch whatever content is before them.

Outdoor digital signage
A great way of increasing the potential number of people that see your message is to take the screens outside. More people will walk past a building a see outdoor digital signage than are ever going to walk through the doors and while many of these people won’t be interested in your message several will.

Any screen erected outside will need to be protected though but an outdoor LCD enclosure is a cost effective and simple method of implementing outdoor digital signage as they are completely weatherproof and can house virtually any standard TV device in the secure steel enclosure.

The truth is, traditional print signage is not very effective at all anymore, we are too desensitised to signs proclaiming sales and special offers that we consciously, and sub-consciously tend to ignore them.
Outdoor digital signage is far more effective at delivering messages. Moving images, brightly coloured content and even sound are far more engaging and captivating to an audience than a static image.

Outdoor digital signage is still a novelty and even though it is expanding and increasing in prevalence it is unique enough to grab people’s attention. It is also far more flexible a medium to work with.
Any change of sale items or promotion can be changed centrally which means if there are multiple stores all promotions can be altered at once.

Another great advantage of outdoor digital signage is that content can be altered for different times of day to meet the requirements of say the commuter run, compared to the midday shopper.

There are some disadvantages to suing outdoor digital signage though. Keeping the screens dry and at the optimum operating temperature can be a challenge but outdoor LCD enclosures now make the erection of a TV (LCD, LED or plasma) in an outdoor location a lot more straightforward.

Outdoor LCD enclosures not only weatherproof standard off-the-shelf display devices but also ensure the optimum operating temperature inside the enclosure so the screen will continue to operate in extreme heat and cold.

Many are also solidly built from steel offering protection against impacts and vandalism, vital for any outdoor digital signage left in unmanned or public areas.

One tip when looking for an outdoor TV enclosure is to ensure it has been built to either the USA or European standards such as NEMA 4 or IP65.

However, modern LCD screens (and plasmas) simply can’t be taken into these sorts of areas without some consideration in ensuring the devices are protected and able to operate in the optimum conditions.

However, digital signage is often placed in areas that are quite removed from the warmth and sterility of a front room. Busy retail centres and outdoor locations not only mean lots of people, which heightens the risk of accidental damage through knocks and impact (both accidental and deliberate) but also screens are often placed in cold or hot environments and even in outdoor locations.

Ensuring the LCD or plasma screen is able to operate, no matter the external conditions, is often the task often the task of the digital signage enclosure.

Any LCD enclosure or other housing for digital signage needs to ensure that the perfect working environment for the TV screen exists inside the enclosure.

Some protection that is required by screens is quite obvious. Outdoor digital signage for instance needs to be housed in a weatherproof or waterproof TV enclosure to ensure the screen is kept dry. However, not all the protection that an LCD enclosure offers is that obvious.

Air flow is vital for most electronic devices, TVs included. Without a flow of air to help carry away the heat build up hot spots can develop and the screen can soon fail. Any LCD enclosure therefore requires internal fans to help remove this heat.

In some conditions, such as in outdoor areas in hot climates, air conditioning has to be considered for inside the LCD enclosure as does heaters in locations where temperatures regularly drop below zero.
So while many people assume an LCD enclosure is just a waterproof metal box for protecting digital signage in outdoor locations, there is more to them than that as inside every LCD enclosure should exist the perfect operating environment for an LCD TV screen.

Normal TV systems have come a long way since the old cathode ray tubes. Most TVs are now either LCD (liquid crystal display) or plasma and are flatter, lighter and cheaper. However, despite this advance in technology the standard LCD or plasma TV are not designed to be used outside.

The advantages of using TVs outside are becoming increasingly relevant. Many bars, pubs and clubs are finding more people socialising outdoors due to smoking bans and an increase in warmer weather. While outdoor digital signage is an extremely cost effective method of marketing and is being implemented almost everywhere - including schools, colleges, hospitals and the retail sector.

However, making use of modern TV systems in outdoor locations is not as straight forward of placing them outside and then powering up. TVs are sensitive electronics so any outdoor TV system, whether it’s for entertainment or outdoor digital signage, needs to be protected.

Protecting outdoor digital signage or exterior TVs is now a growing industry. There tends to be two solutions for protection of exterior TV systems.

The Outdoor TV

There are many manufacturers, including some of the big names that now produce flat screen TVs for outdoor use. These waterproof and weatherproof TVs have become commonplace due to the burgeoning outdoor digital signage market.

The advantages of an outdoor TV system are that they can be erected without the need for a waterproof enclosure or other weatherproof housing. However, there are disadvantages to this method. First, any outdoor screen that is to be left unattended needs to be protected from accidental and deliberate damage which would require some sort of protective housing. The other major disadvantage is the cost of such screens. The average waterproof TV costs many times more than an equivalent indoor model, a price many would-be users find difficult to justify.

The Outdoor LCD TV Enclosure

A far more comprehensive solution is to use a standard TV in an outdoor TV enclosure. These plasma and LCD enclosures not only cost a fraction of the price of a waterproof TV (even when you include the price of the standard screen enclosed) and they also provide protection against vandalism, accidental damage and theft.

Nobody wants to spend money unnecessarily; however, it can be a common occurrence when planning a digital advertising campaign making any return on this initial investment a lot harder to achieve.

Ensuring there is no unnecessary expenditure is one way of reducing the initial outlay and getting a return on the investment and with outdoor digital signage there is often several areas where the initial outlay can be reduced.

Outdoor digital signage does differ to indoor advertising in that the LCD or plasma used for the display needs to be protected from the elements. Rain is the most obvious hazard for an outdoor advertising screen which requires the screen to be waterproofed but other methods of protection are required.

Glare from the sun, excessive temperatures and damage caused by accidental impacts or deliberate vandalism all need to be accounted for when deciding how to protect outdoor digital signage.

However, often these protective elements are often factored into the outdoor digital signage system separately when a lot off expenditure can be reduced by combining the protection methods.

Whilst outdoor and waterproof TV systems are available at a cost, they offer little in protection against impacts, vandalism or some of the extreme temperatures many areas of the world experience.

To protect against these types of elements climatic systems are inserted inside a protective enclosure where the waterproof screen is housed. However, all these separate protective elements can be combines by using a steel, waterproof and climatic controlled outdoor LCD enclosure.

Not only do these outdoor digital signage enclosures house all the necessary climatic systems, they are completely weatherproof and designed to withstand impacts but the greatest benefit of an LCD enclosure is that because of their weatherproof nature any standard LCD or plasma device can be used which means the initial outlay can be drastically reduced.

By using an outdoor LCD enclosure a return on investment is far more possible as the initial outlay can be dramatically reduced.

However, digital signage hass been around for a few years now and while its use is continuing to expand, one of the first areas that really saw the benefit of this out of home digital advertising, was in the transport sector.

Companies that run buses, trains and even taxis, were quick to place digital signage screens inside the vehicles as a way of not only entertaining passengers but also creating extra revenue through advertising.

This combination of advertising and entertainment also allowed the travel companies to install the digital signage system for no cost to themselves as the advertisers would pick up the bill.

But digital signage on the move is not the only place where transport companies are investing in digital signage. Traditional bus stop posters and billboards that generate income for bus companies are also slowly being replaced with outdoor digital signage systems.

These have a huge advantage over traditional methods as the bus company no longer has to employ a signage firm to replace the posters and hoardings. This can be done automatically and remotely.

Furthermore, these outdoor digital signage systems can also be used to display timetable information and when the standard TV device in the LCD enclosure is replaced with a touch screen, the outdoor digital signage allows interactivity, providing passengers with route, timetable and even wayfinding information.

Digital signage has proved really successful in the transportation industry with airports, bus stations and taxi ranks all being littered with these electronic billboards while inside the vehicles the passengers are being entertained and advertised too for very little cost to the transportation company themselves.

However, most digital signage deployment in indoor areas is restricted by the people that are visiting the building that it is in. many companies now realise that if they w3ant their out of home advertising to reach a larger audience then it has to be taken outdoors.

Outdoor digital signage can however, be a minefield, and there are certain aspects of it that should be clarified before embarking on any digital outdoor advertising.

Goals
The first thing to establish is what goal you are trying to achieve with your outdoor digital signage campaign. Is it to boost sales, raise awareness or drive people into your premises? Whatever the reason you are planning an outdoor digital signage campaign for, it will affect both the content and location. For instance, if you are trying to drive people through the doors of your shop then the digital sign should either point to the direction of the premises or be located to where shoppers will easily find you.

Location
Location is perhaps the most important aspect of planning an outdoor digital signage campaign. Ensuring it is seen; is eye catching and engaging is not just about the type of content that is displayed. Often outdoor digital display is ignored as it in the wrong place; often placed too high or not in a main thoroughfare leading to the outdoor screen being ignored. Ensure the screens are always located at eye-level, in main areas of footfall.

Permission
If you don’t own the property outside it is essential that you gain permission to place any digital sign outdoors. In some public areas, permits are required with proper health and safety procedures and risk assessments being conducted to ensure public safety. Another area where permission should always be sought is in using copyrighted content. This can include images, video and music. If music is being used then it possible a public entertainment licence will be required too.

Protection
If an Outdoor LCD enclosure is in the open air then it needs to be protected from the weather. Waterproof LCD TV enclosures are simple and cost effective method of doing this as they allow standard devices to be installed inside the enclosure.