subject: Contributions Of Modern Technology In The Form Of Digital Signs [print this page] Advertising strategies have a range of different media in order to get the message across to the public eye, and putting up signs is only one of these methods. Static signs have been the medium for mass outdoor advertising campaigns for many years, and with the many improvements in technology these have slowly been replaced by digital signs.
Static signs were the first versions of out-of-home outdoor advertising media and this advertising space is usually paid for by many companies that need advertising exposure to the general public. Signs that are painted on buses, walls of train stations, panels along walkways and other outdoor painted or printed media are the different versions of non-digital outdoor static advertising that is still widely used today.
Traditional billboards are still commonly used worldwide, and these are still seen along roadsides as well as in large cities playing their role in catching public attention. Digital signs, however, are rapidly replacing these billboards as technology continues to develop and equipment becomes more affordable for more and more team players in the advertising game.
Digital signs are simply an alternative for static signs, especially if the corporation or company can afford to pay for more dynamic advertisements that are great for attracting the attention of the general public on the streets. The digital content is actively looped on a repetitive sequence and displayed on large plasma or LCD screens that make them too obvious to ignore, and this medium is used in many modern cities today.
The steadily dropping prices of LCD screen units also play a role in the growing number of digital screen advertising that is gaining more and more exposure today. Smaller companies can now actually afford to pay for their own digital media to be displayed on a smaller scale and these can be found along walkways, train stations, and other public areas.
The technology that runs the digital advertising media uses hardware such as a server for storage and management of content, display screens, and media players. Some even take advantage of networking technology to be able to consistently play the same content on different screens all over the city area, saving much time and effort in having to keep playing content on several servers and players.
The content that is displayed on the digital media signs differ from animations to slide shows, commercials, as well as all types of graphic arts that utilize all types of software design programs. Some companies share the cost of using digital systems for advertising by having their adverts run on the same media, paying only per minute charges or charges per loop or repetition of the advertisement.
Other types of data played on digital signs are also public service messages, news, travel tips, travel information, and health information. By allowing for these types of data to be played, many individuals are given a reason to look up and check on what pertains to them during the course of their day, allowing attention to be directed to the screen, and possible media exposure for certain products as they advertise in between.
The benefits that digital signs have over static signs are that changing signs are more interesting, receive more attention from their audience, and can offer possible returns for a company due to the consistent exposure that is given on a dynamic scale. When advertisements play on emotions, consistent exposure to the advertisements can gain positive public reaction on a larger scale.
Technology is always regularly upgraded and consistently moving forward towards better things, so the digital media signs are just in their developmental stages. It is expected that digital media signs will eventually replace static signs and simply move forward from there once market surveys begin to show positive results from the use of this mode of advertising.
