Food for Thought

Guerilla Marketing and Digital Signage: Why don't we see campaigns that leverage the two in tandem?

Given its targeting power and just-in-time flexibility, isn't digital out-of-home media ripe for integration with guerilla marketing?

Companies like Adwalker (wearable digital screens) are just beginning to scratch the surface of the opportunities that can be realized at the convergence point of digital out-of-home media and guerilla marketing.

Use street teams to foster interactivity with digital screens. Create conversations that live and breathe through the digital signs around us, crossing time zones and oceans in real-time. Use digital billboards as the backdrop to an experiential marketing campaign. Change content in response to actions taken by people on the street.

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Digital Television Transition Gets Digital Signage Treatment

No more analog television signals. No more rabbit ear antennas. No more network programming (for those Americans with television sets not equipped to accept a digital signal on the transition date of February 17, 2009). It's been estimated that over 19 million Americans rely on over-the-air TV. Without specialized digital converter boxes, their TV's will go black on February 17.

A widespread effort has been undertaken by the FCC and the National Association of Broadcasters to educate consumers about the DTV transition. The massive consumer education campaign is valued at more than $1 billion. Dominated by television advertising and in-store workshops, the campaign is now leveraging digital signage to spread the reach of the education program.

The National Association of Broadcasters has linked up with PumpTop TV to broaden the scope of the campaign and ensure that as many people as possible know about the impending transition. To have a digital signage network used for a campaign such as this illustrates the power and reach of the medium.

How better to educate consumers then advertise at a location they can't possibly avoid - the gas pump. And, with gas prices declining so rapidly these days, its fast becoming a more pleasant place to be.

"With television messages driving awareness of the DTV transition, our new partnership with PumpTop TV provides an exciting and innovative way for broadcasters to extend their consumer education efforts outside the home," said Jonathan Collegio, NAB vp for the DTV transition.

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Retailers Look to Cinema Advertising

Our economy is in a recession, the unemployment rate is at its highest point in years, and the greatest economic minds in our country have no idea when it's all going to turn around. Our country's current position touches all sectors of the economy, especially retail. A recent article in Advertising Age cites the current downturn in the retail marketplace and how television advertising is no longer the holy grail that it once was (I know the last part is something that we all know).

What I found interesting about the article was that it highlighted retailers' movement to cinema advertising as a means to drive shoppers into their stores. Brands such as Gap and JCPenney are increasingly looking to the likes of National Cinemedia to deliver captive audiences that are ripe to receive their messages. Focusing on the fact that many cinemas are located in shopping malls that include these retailers, this type of advertising becomes an even more powerful media format. Tying in sweepstakes and location-specific offers further supports the efficacy of such advertising.

With cinema advertising it's all about engagement. There's ample opportunity to leverage the power of the medium to support brand recall. Adding in mobile and interactive components to their on-screen advertisements extends the brand conversation.

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