Which of the big-picture questions about digital signage/DOOH still need to be answered?
To tap the wisdom of the crowd (yikes), I posted that question to my Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Quora accounts this week. So far, I've only gotten one response (I know, I know, people are busy!), but it was a good one. Here's what Stephen Gladden at Horizon Display replied with:
#1 - What is a digital signage network?These are all interesting questions, though numbers three and four are more introspective -- in other words, I'd love to answer them for the benefit of my own company or our industry, but I doubt they'd come up in a big customer pitch. Looking at the other two questions, though, there are a lot of articles on the web and elsewhere that try to answer them already. For example, the question of "what is the value" has been studied extensively on this blog:
#2 - What is the value :)
#3 - Who are the customers in "digital signage?" The network operators?
#4 - Rhetorical: shouldn't we be speaking with brands/businesses that utilize DS, and stop trying to find ways to "make a market" for operators?"
- Digital Signage Benefits: Quantifying the Value and Advantages
- Elephants in the Room: Measuring the Value of Emerging Media
- Calculating Digital Signage ROI: The Ground Rules
- Calculating Digital Signage ROI: Understanding the Limits of Your Data
- Calculating Digital Signage ROI: 3 Metrics that Matter
- Calculating Digital Signage ROI: Methods to Gather your Data
- Calculating Digital Signage ROI: Managing Expectations
What about business models, product selection and price analysis?
Again, there's no shortage of "information" out there on these topics -- just look at this blog, for example. You want business model information? We've written not just about the basics, but even about business model myths, silly digital signage gimmicks, and even a sales paradox or two. Price analysis? Just refer to any of our annual pricing studies or the surveys that give rise to them. And as for product selection, I truly believe that there is an infinite amount of "information" on the Internet about digital signage software options, kiosk hardware, services and the like.
My point with all this: whether you hear it from me or any of the 10,000 other sources out there, many of the simple questions have already been answered. The quality and veracity of those answers -- as well as your ability to pick them out amidst all the noise of the Internet -- is a separate issue. So where does the real work still need to be done? What questions do you hate hearing from your customers and prospects? What questions do you have trouble answering? Worse, what questions do you feel you have to evade? Those are the things I'm most interested in exploring. So I'll pose the question one more time:
Which questions about digital signage/DOOH would you like to see answered? Leave a comment and let us know. For email and RSS subscribers, click the link below to access the comment form.
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