Outdoor digital signage has become an incredibly popular form of out of home advertising. Used by all sorts of businesses it has many advantages over traditional outdoor advertising.
Firstly, digital signage is a hands-free form of advertising, unlike static media there is no need to visit the sign once it is installed as all new content can be uploaded remotely. Secondly, a single screen can display multiple advertisements enabling advertisers to maximise the revenue stream for each screen.
Finally, digital signage displays are a far more noticeable media compared to static advertising. Moving images, transitions and the familiarity of TV screens makes them more engaging and eye-catching in areas with a high level of advertisements.
Despite this, integrators of digital signage are always looking for new ways to get an audience more engaged in their content, and one method is to use interactivity and offer the audience a service.
Providing some form of information, whether it be wayfinding, news or travel information, is one way of luring and audience to take note of the content being displayed on a screen, while providing interactivity ensures the audience engages with this content.
Good examples of this type of technology is the Yahoo bus stop games currently deployed in San Francisco which provides commuters waiting at the stops with entertainment, whilst also reinforcing the Yahoo brand as they play.
To provide interactivity, some form of touch screen is gong to be required, but thanks to the increase in use of touch screens in mobile phone and tablet PC technology, touch screens are not as expensive as they once were. However, just as using an LCD outdoors requires the screen to be protected if they are to be used outdoors, then so do touch screens.
There can, however be more added challenges to protecting a touch screen outdoors compared to a standard LCD. The biggest difference is to ensure the interactivity works on the touch screen, either a new resistive face has to be installed over the top or the existing touch screen has to be kept open.
But with the right outdoor touch screen enclosure these problems can be easily countered enabling interactive touch screen use, almost anywhere.
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