subject: See That Sign? It's Talking To You! [print this page] We were really excited when Ridley Scott's movie, Bladerunner, first came out. The scenes defined what would become the apocalyptic cyber-punk view of the future. I remember looking at the futuristic depiction of Las Angeles and thinking that in spite of the obvious vice of the city, it would be really great to be there.
The one image that stood out in my mind when I thought about the movie for the past few decades was the giant digital sign, showing video feed of a geisha eating a strawberry. I thought the future would indeed be cool if we had clones, flying cars, and digital signage like that someday.
Well, we can clone now, although it hasn't worked out nearly as well as we had hoped. Flying cars are possible, but the dangers and liabilities are too great to make them practical by any means. The only thing that has really panned out is the digital signage. Now a company can rent eye popping digital space on billboards, in stores, retail parking areas, roadside, sports stadiums, or in prominent downtown spots. There are, of course, several advantages that digital signage has over traditional signs:
*Dynamic media: Traditional signage is static. It's a single collection of images that neither moves nor interacts with the customer. Digital signage companies have incorporated sound and motion, immediately demanding the customer's attention and engaging them in the selling process.
*Reusability: Static signage is a flat printed image. It becomes useless once the product is no longer relevant, or once age and weathering have faded and destroyed the quality of the image. Digital signage consists of data that can be rearranged, replaced, or transferred from one sign to another with the click of a mouse. If one product becomes irrelevant or a special comes to an end, the new ad can be uploaded easily and quickly.
*Versatility: With digital signage, several advertisements can occupy the same sign, scrolling or moving from one ad to the other, which maximizes the value of the signage while reaching out to customers on with several different offerings. The only way you can to that with static media is to replace the sign, which takes a lot of time and effort.
Digital signage companies have brought the future to us today, without all of the dirt and crime from the old movies. I'm alright with that. I'd much rather have great signs without having to shoot it out with enemy clones.
