Advanced screen hardware, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & so on…The digital outdoor advertising industry offers impact, interactivity & impressive features unlike anything previously experienced.

So are you excited about the next big thing coming to a screen near you? It can be anything expected from today’s highly advanced and constantly improving digital signage market that rules everything from mini, hand-held ordering screens at your favourite restaurants to advertising billboards and much more.

The trend has been around for more than a decade however, given to the Google’s algorithms constant updates, online traffic management and other web-based activities, digital marketing industry as a whole, has experienced a massive transformation. Following the shift, digital marketers should also be flexible in their work to keep up with the competition.

Digital signage is looked upon as a budding tool for marketers to effectively build and lift-up a brand using efficient, creative and visionary marketing strategies. All that said; let’s have a look at the importance of digital signage in Dubai, from hardware and software perspective, with advertising and branding industries in particular.

Artificial Intelligence

All the latest and future-focused technologies these days are powered by A.I. and digital signage isn’t an exception! Supported by advanced hardware mechanics, brands can smartly analyse their target audience as well as geographic to customise the message thus ensuring it makes an impact. AI-Powered Smart Digital Signage in a smart provided ease to customer during Branding & Marketing;

Source: Cisco Canada

Digital billboards at the shopping centres, on the highway streets, outside the restaurants and at many other public places are equipped with facial-recognition and proximity sensor technology. It can tell the distance of a person from the advertising screen as well as features such as gender, age and even their mood from the facial expressions which prompts A.I. powered signage screens to customise the content to be displayed once the person nears.

All relevant data s fetched from cloud-based network rather than the memory card thus allowing the smart technology to update and customise the message accordingly. Educational campuses, airports, manufacturing industries are a few other sectors, besides branding and advertising that now prefer digital signage screens over typical video walls and projections; thus blurring the uniqueness between both.

Customer Interaction

The way a user interacts with digital signage units and technology is also an area of significant interest that’s constantly evolving for the better. We aren’t far from the day when all person-to-person interaction will be replaced by touchscreens as even today, around 60% restaurants across the world have deployed touchscreens for customers to place order whereas digital kiosks at the airport and other public places help people to find their way around easily.

The technology itself has come a long way ever since its origination and today, it’s nearly error-free with increased efficiency and speedy order-processing for maximum convenience. Other than that, customer interaction and experience also heightens when branding and marketing is being done by creative, witty videos and interactive games while customers wait for food. Retailers have also introduced ‘virtual shelves’ to the range of products thus allowing savvy buyers to shop via ‘virtual windows’.

Mobile-Tech Integration

Brands and advertising agencies are always looking into new ways to smooth their existing customers’ journey and experience while bringing on-board new ones. This is yet another area where integrating digital signage tech can make a big difference. 

With smartphone technology getting smarter day by day, customers are able to pick their preferred product and pay for it via digital currency in the form of Bitcoin or simply electronic banking payment system; thus relieving customers from carrying countless bank cards and paper currency. It can be said that mobile technology is used to complement digital signage, rather than compete with them.

Improved Hardware

Overtime improvement and advancement in hardware also resulted in better, faster, securer touchscreen technology which further drives customer interaction forward. Cheaper, energy-efficient and better micro LED lights power-up bigger screens, highly useful for outdoor advertising. Screen resolution, brightness, visibility; all has improved over the years which further increase the demand for digital signage in branding and advertising industry. With this, we’re about to see the next-gen tech once flexible, roll-out screens and 3D holographic displays are released by future-focused brands.

Cloud-based Solution

To update marketing collateral is both time-taking and expensive but using a cloud-powered digital signage solution, you can easily access the platform, upload media, change message in real-time, promote new deals and do amazing new things. That’s not all; scheduling the content calendar, weeks, months and even a year in advance isn’t a problem anymore especially if you’re putting cloud-based digital signage solution!

The Challenges Ahead

So what can be the challenges for brands and advertising industries? Much like any other, newer technology brings new challenges and brands need to take a faster, futuristic approach in order to stand above all. Mentioned above are a few areas that allow brands and ad agencies to make the best use of digital signage technology.