Signs of Growing Up - What's in Your Media Mix?

It's no secret digital signage to this point has been aadvertising market, announced last month that it was
child amid grown-up media outlets. But a couple ofexpanding its digital signage network with several new
signs have emerged that indicate this new mediuminstallations in Tampa, FL, and Milwaukee, WI.
may be reaching -if not maturity- at least adolescence.Reporting on the move for MediaPost.com, author Erik
While its boosters have long proselytized the mediumSass quotes company CEO of Clear Channel
as a powerful complement to other in-storeOutdoors Paul Meyer as saying the move will help
promotional techniques and messaging, dynamicClear Channel attain its 2006 goal of deploying digital
signage in the retail environment has remained "wellsignage in four to six markets.
poised," "an emerging voice," and other euphemismsAs with conventional billboards, the LED signs, which
for not mainstream.measure 14ft by 48ft, will be positioned near heavily
That's easy to understand, based on the timing of itstraveled roads. However, use of digital sign technology
arrival on the communications scene. A recent Selfwill allow Clear Channel to "day part" advertising to
Service article reporting on the "Building Your Digitalbetter meet the advertising needs of its clients and
Signage Business" conference in Chicago last month,potentially charge a premium.
quotes CAP Ventures analyst Norman McLeod asAs with news of the UK directory of digital signage
saying that reasons beyond the control of the digitalnetworks, the latest announcement from Clear
sign industry have held back its growth.Channel demonstrates the congealing of the digital
The article, by Bryan Harris, quotes McLeod as sayingsignage market into a medium advertisers can easily
the 2000 bust of dot com companies sucked venturegrasp. One can imagine national brand television
capital from the market. Then, "we saw the biggestadvertisers supplementing their brand and product
decrease in advertising since they started tracking it,"commercials on such giant electronic billboards. That
he's quoted in the article as saying, in 2002. Only inopportunity will only grow as Clear Channel Outdoors
2005, did the market fully rebound.and others build their inventory of outdoor digital signs
However, with that rebound have come a couple ofacross America.
signs that in-store and out-of-store dynamic signs mayWhat appears to be happening in the digital display
be hitting its stride. In Britain, the Screen Associationmarket are the first signs of an amalgamation of
has published the first-ever directory of UK-basedindividual signs and networks into something that more
digital signage networks that accept advertising fromresembles a definable medium than a scattershot
third parties, according to a report from The directory,straying of public venues and retail shops with
"The Screen UK Advertising Networks Directory,"unrelated networks and signs.
provides a full index of 62 such networks with detailsMarket researchers frequently set about measuring
about the networks and contacts at each.the strength of the digital signage market in terms of
Publication of the directory indicates that diffuse digitalforecasts, such as researcher iSuppli's recent
signage networks -at least in the UK- may beprojection of a $12 billion dollar value by 2010, its true
congealing into a definable market that advertisers,health may better be predicted with the formation of
advertising agencies and marketing professionals canviable advertising markets that exploit these sorts of
quantify, measure and ultimately specify in their mediadigital signage networks.
plans. That's a big step for in-store digital media on itsWhile no one would argue that these networks
path to reaching maturity.trumpet the arrival of a fully mature medium, such
In the United States, a similar development indicatesdevelopments indicate digital signage is reaching
dynamic signage may be entering adolescence. Clearadolescence.
Channel Outdoor, one of the leaders in the outdoor