A recent report from market researcher iSuppli reveals what anyone who uses the latest electronic gadgets intuitively knows. People love to touch screens, interact with technology and get the results they desire. From Apples popular iPods and iPhones to most of the GPS navigation devices on the dashboards of many cars on the road today, touch screens are becoming the de facto way folks like to interact with technology. Perhaps you have a friend like mine who is a control freak. If so, then this technology is just what the doctor ordered.
When I question him about why the set is on, he never has a very definitive answer, just some nebulous comment about background noise. Without question, my friend and millions upon millions of other Americans- have found a way to tune out the endless stream of information, commercials and promotions and selectively focus in long enough if something arises to pique his interest.
At the same time the popularity of touch-screen interactivity is growing, the cable TV industry is hard at work developing new standards and systems to let viewers interact with programming through their remotes. What they envision far exceeds the rudimentary implementations of interactivity popping up on cable systems across the nation. The next generation of interactivity potentially will be far more grandular than todays offering, allowing viewers to click on on-screen items to get information about the blouse an actress is wearing or far deeper information about a car than what can be presented in its 30 second commercial.
The cable TV industry has a good reason to push hard in developing this next generation of interactivity as companies like AT&T and Verizon roll out competitive offerings that push the interactive envelope.
For digital signage marketers, the message should be clear. Millions of people are demonstrating by their technology spending they like to reach out, touch a screen and be in control. In a digital signage context, that means increasingly that networked flat panel monitors used to playback linear digital signage content that is, event after event after event- will begin to look dated as the technological milieu transitions to a state where touchscreen control is commonplace.
Fortunately for digital signage marketers, a variety of interactive technologies are being built into some of the latest digital signs available, delivering the same sort of touch-screen interface thats gaining broad popularity. Best of all, incorporating touch-screen technology into a digital sign is doubly powerful because doing so combines the best of the kiosk world with the strengths of digital signage.
Even the monolith of linear program presentation the television industry- has been forced by technology to re-evaluate its business model and begin making the transition from so-called appointment TV to the anything, anytime model of video-on-demand. Spurred by DVRs, VOD, pay-per-view, IPTV, and cable television, those whose business it is to generate revenue from commercial television sales are working hard to develop a business model that makes the most sense. While all of the details are being hammered out on a daily basis with each new media sale, its safe to say the future of TV will be built on interactivity.
Consider the ramifications from digital signage content. Marketers who rely on the presentation of endless linear digital signage content are likely to find their messaging becoming less effective as their audience increasingly finds their experiences with consumer devices, like an iTouch, and their television, to be more interactive.
To do otherwise is out of step with consumer expectations nurtured through a succession of technologies, including iPods, Blackberry devices, and GPS navigation units to name only a few, that put them in charge and promise that control is just a touch away.
When I question him about why the set is on, he never has a very definitive answer, just some nebulous comment about background noise. Without question, my friend and millions upon millions of other Americans- have found a way to tune out the endless stream of information, commercials and promotions and selectively focus in long enough if something arises to pique his interest.
At the same time the popularity of touch-screen interactivity is growing, the cable TV industry is hard at work developing new standards and systems to let viewers interact with programming through their remotes. What they envision far exceeds the rudimentary implementations of interactivity popping up on cable systems across the nation. The next generation of interactivity potentially will be far more grandular than todays offering, allowing viewers to click on on-screen items to get information about the blouse an actress is wearing or far deeper information about a car than what can be presented in its 30 second commercial.
The cable TV industry has a good reason to push hard in developing this next generation of interactivity as companies like AT&T and Verizon roll out competitive offerings that push the interactive envelope.
For digital signage marketers, the message should be clear. Millions of people are demonstrating by their technology spending they like to reach out, touch a screen and be in control. In a digital signage context, that means increasingly that networked flat panel monitors used to playback linear digital signage content that is, event after event after event- will begin to look dated as the technological milieu transitions to a state where touchscreen control is commonplace.
Fortunately for digital signage marketers, a variety of interactive technologies are being built into some of the latest digital signs available, delivering the same sort of touch-screen interface thats gaining broad popularity. Best of all, incorporating touch-screen technology into a digital sign is doubly powerful because doing so combines the best of the kiosk world with the strengths of digital signage.
Even the monolith of linear program presentation the television industry- has been forced by technology to re-evaluate its business model and begin making the transition from so-called appointment TV to the anything, anytime model of video-on-demand. Spurred by DVRs, VOD, pay-per-view, IPTV, and cable television, those whose business it is to generate revenue from commercial television sales are working hard to develop a business model that makes the most sense. While all of the details are being hammered out on a daily basis with each new media sale, its safe to say the future of TV will be built on interactivity.
Consider the ramifications from digital signage content. Marketers who rely on the presentation of endless linear digital signage content are likely to find their messaging becoming less effective as their audience increasingly finds their experiences with consumer devices, like an iTouch, and their television, to be more interactive.
To do otherwise is out of step with consumer expectations nurtured through a succession of technologies, including iPods, Blackberry devices, and GPS navigation units to name only a few, that put them in charge and promise that control is just a touch away.
About the Author:
David Little is a digital sign enthusiast with 20 years of experience helping advertisers use technology to effectively communicate their unique marketing messages. For further digital sign insight from Keywest Technology, visit our website for many helpful tips and examples.
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