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		<title>Are buyers missing the point of 'networked' digital signage?</title>
		<description>Discuss Are buyers missing the point of 'networked' digital signage?</description>
		<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage</link>
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			<title>Bill Gerba says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-670</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi Stephen,
I'm not an ad sales expert by any stretch, and I don't think there's any kind of "add water and mix" formula that I could write out for you anyway.
However, from the customers I've spoken with, the general consensus is that the same kinds of approaches that work for other forms of local ad sales -- think local newspapers -- work well for digital networks focused on hyperlocal marketing.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill Gerba</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:09:10 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-670</guid>
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			<title>Stephen Cowley says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-669</link>
			<description><![CDATA[PS - Bill: I read the following from an article you wrote a while back about 'going local' ...
"By comparison, less ambitious sales to local firms are more straightforward and even somewhat formulaic to the point where once you hit upon the correct formula for success, it's reasonably easy for a larger sales force to get trained up with the appropriate technique and start making additional sales."
Can you direct me to info on such formulaic approaches to sales. At present i am only interested in selling DS to very small businesses (one store/office outfits) and i need input on selling advertising. I hope to start with a pilot project.
Thanks.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Stephen Cowley</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:30:22 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-669</guid>
		</item>
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			<title>Stephen Cowley says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-668</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Does anyone know of any Digital Signage conferences/expos happening in Canada over the next months?]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Stephen Cowley</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:43:53 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-668</guid>
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			<title>Bill Gerba says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-667</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi Brendan,
To begin with, there are tens, if not hundreds of millions of posters, POP displays, billboards and other static signs out there. Of these, a very, very tiny percentage are digital today. Needless to say, there's a lot of growth potential left, so that isn't something that anybody today is seriously worried about.
Next, about software. Scala's primary business model is to sell you software on a per-license basis, with an optional annual plan for technical support. Others, including WireSpring, have what's called a software-as-a-service model, where there's an annual fee that bundles software and support together. Either way, you're still paying for software, and probably technical support. This will probably remain the case for the foreseeable future, since these packages do lots of things that are very specific to the digital signage industry.
Finally, your assertion that one might "get a personal IT person" to manage the network makes the assumption that DS is mostly an IT project. It isn't. It's a content project, a management project, a marketing project... and so on. An IT guy isn't going to be able to monetize your network or keep it looking good. Consequently, there will be the need for professional assistance as far into the future as I care to look :)]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill Gerba</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:12:08 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-667</guid>
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			<title>Brendan says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-666</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I have one question.. Digital signage companies are in for massive growth potentials, considering every billboard, indoor and outdoor are INEVITABLY going digital in the years to come. One QUESTION.. But first i must state a few points..
#1 DIGITAL SIGNAGE COMPANIES charge monthly fees for managing content.
#2 Software like the scala is what digital signage companies use to make the whole industry work.
Question 1: What if softwares like scala reduce prices to balance out the INEVITABLY growing demand for digital signs? Won't the digital signage companies run out of business if the Customers themselves purchase the software and get a personal IT person to manage content?]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Brendan</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:06:20 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-666</guid>
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			<title>Brad Pianta-McGill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-665</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi Franois,very interesting issue you raise and hard to comment without being too specific about the montioring solution I actually sell to my customers.
My view is that there are a number of software tools avilable that come with a very good IT heritage, typically for remotely monitoring server environments. These can operate through a central server, so you can start to automate the monitoring and analysis of your network while still being able to direct connect to any specific player for individual diagnostics or remote working when needed.
The good news is that the wealth of tools and options are excellent, the solutions very robust and usually easy to use. However, the real benefit comes in thinking creatively how these network tools can be used to deliver useful information, alerts, triggers etc that is actually going to make for a more efficient and reliable network. TCPIP is the way to go for monitoring the players, screens etc (in my view)
To finish, my personal crusade at present is the use of such data to predict failures and to study patterns of problems to increase overall reliability and manual intervention.
Bit off topic, but couldnt resist.
Brad]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Brad Pianta-McGill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:01:07 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-665</guid>
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			<title>Bill Gerba says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-664</link>
			<description><![CDATA[June: Ah, sales. That does seem to hang up quite a few fledgling digital signage companies, doesn't it? After thinking about it, that was the most remarkable part of the whole story from above -- even with stupidly high cost projections, they were still somehow managing to turn a (small) profit.
Franois: Congratulations on managing even one, let alone multiple, signage networks. Per your question, I'm not aware of a particular tech-oriented forum. Every product on the market is different enough that we have trouble speaking the same language (though POPAI has a very active interoperability group trying to work on this right now). For example, my customers have online forums in our web management system that they can access. Scala has something similar, as, I'm sure, do many other software makers. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful here :)]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill Gerba</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:34:36 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-664</guid>
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			<title>Franois Reeves says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-663</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Well, I'm completing financing and about to start yet another digital signage network. I think the possibilities of cutomer interactions with the media are amazing compared to any other offering.
The networked aspect allows narrowcasting and remote updating (no gas required). The only part that is still unclear is how you remotely monitor all hardware characteristics (monitor on, off, sound level, cpu overheating, hard disk failure, etc.)
I'm sure my guys will find Linux solutions but I am wondering what the trend is for professional monitors as I have noticed that manufacturers are getting rid of the legacy RS-232 port gradually. Bluetooth? TCP-IP right to the monitor? Sorry if I'm a little off topics but where do DS geeks go to if not to this site?]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Franois Reeves</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:39:23 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-663</guid>
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			<title>june hagman says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-662</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Paul: Love it! Your messages to both entities are priceless.
Meanwhile, I've heard of 3 digital sign companies in my area that have folded (and 2 of them were in the computer/IT consulting business!)...but they were missing two magic ingredients: good content for their target demographic and SALES (imagine that).
june]]></description>
			<dc:creator>june hagman</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:41:36 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-662</guid>
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			<title>Paul Shwabe says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-661</link>
			<description><![CDATA[June-
Let's talk numbers here. Various sources quote small businesses failure rates at 25% - 1st year, 50-55% by year 5, and by year 10 at 70%-80%. Could be your Rival was warning the State of his own impending doom since he was at year 8 and out of fresh ideas and providing state-of-the-art technology to his customer. However, let's not argue this point of percentages because you need to consider the industry, the means to track a small business through the years (generally these percentages are based upon a compiled yellow page listing) and possible sale of the small business.
Finally let's talk FAILURE - Bear Stearns Securities, Countrywide, Enron... who would have known.
To your Rival - Start a new business
To the State - Don't over react & see a demo of the technology or pilot the Vendor's solution.
My percentage of time is done here.
- Paul]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Paul Shwabe</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-661</guid>
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			<title>Bill Gerba says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-660</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Great story, June! Even as a relative newcomer I'll bet you've figured out that there's a lot of fluff and hyperbole in this industry. (And for reference, you can probably count the number of real, \\bona fide\\ "old timer" experts on two hands.).
Thanks for sharing.
-Bill]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill Gerba</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:30:19 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-660</guid>
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			<title>june hagman says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-659</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I recently competed for a project involving a RFP from a state government agency. In my enthusiastic zeal, I admitted that while I had 30 years' worth of experience in marketing, broadcast journalism, production and PR, I was relatively new to field of digital signage. However, I claimed that since this is fairly young technology, most of us are on the "ground floor". My proposal scored the highest, beating my nearest rival by about 30 points. So he filed a robust protest, saying that I was "naive". Since he'd been providing cutting edge technology in indoor digital signage for eight years (as opposed to my first year rollout), I would obviously fail, since 85% of all new businesses fail. I felt a little stung by the criticism. So I traveled to his home state to see this competitor's "dynamic digital signage". I discovered that his product is a consumer HD screen with a DVD player (wires hanging everywhere). The store manager grumped to me that no one ever watched his screen, because the content was so poorly designed & new DVDs were replaced only once a month. Dynamic digital sneaker-net, indeed! Seems to me that it's not only the clients who need to understand the definition dynamic, networked digital signage!]]></description>
			<dc:creator>june hagman</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:25:58 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/675-are-buyers-missing-the-point-of-networked-digital-signage#comment-659</guid>
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