5.11.2016
Avoiding Distraction with Digital Outdoor Signage
There's no question we're in the midst of a digital signage revolution. The innovation for the technology's uses seems endless. All you need to do is go to a modern-day retail store and see an animated display next to the dressing mirror. It's a little Harry Potter, a little Back to the Future, and all beyond our wildest dreams. It's today's world, and it's incredible.
This technology has become more invasive, integrated, and interactive. It's literally to the point where two-way screens are being implemented to interact with visitors. Because they're so invasive, more caution has to be taken when it comes to exactly how the signage interacts.
Signs that capture a customer's attention should be taken seriously
As this revolution becomes televised, more and more studies are conducted on the technology and the message's impact on viewers' attention. There are concerns that messaging that becomes too captivating (distracting) can cause accidents.
Here are a couple of those studies so far.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
- Road Safety on Four Continents Conference - 2013
- ScienceDirect.com
While initially, the studies typically focus on billboards, the truth is that many storefront signs perch close enough to streets that they have the same impact as billboards. Their messages should be heeded with caution.
There's a fine line between being "viral" and being a virus
If you get too ostentatious with your messaging, you'll capture attention for all the wrong reasons. But, if you do nothing, you get lost in the shuffle. It's a fine line between being on the edge, going over the edge, and being left behind.
Exercise caution. You're better off semi-famous than infamous.
We're all still getting the hang of the incredible impact of digital signage, especially when used outdoors. As messages such as retargeting, geomarketing, and facial-recognition marketing continues, we'll all have to show a little restraint whenever we come up with new, imaginative ways to simulate interactive experiences
