Keep calm and go digital

Digital signage is constantly evolving and, in today’s internet-fuelled, instant-access society, it is really no longer something that can be readily ignored by the modern sign-maker. When once perhaps it was seen almost exclusively in sporting arenas, or in scrolling banners in Times Square, digital signage is infiltrating almost every aspect of ‘traditional’ or static signage. This includes wayfinding, placemaking, exhibition stands, marketing, and outdoor advertising. The name itself barely manages to convey the way the medium has transformed from a purely display and information conveyor, to having the potential for interactivity, personal targeted advertising, and entertainment.

For a sign-maker looking to survive and expand in the current climate, you might be wise to consider the business opportunities made available by embracing some of the various facets of digital signage so that when a customer comes looking for a digital sign to complement, say, their external signage and branding, the answers are right up your sleeves.

A complete solution

Fairfield Displays has been supplying digital signage to sign-makers for more than nine years. Managing director Janice Fairfield says that providing this area is a lot easier than you think, How easy is it for sign-makers to offer digital signage?



“It is very easy for a sign-maker to offer digital signage if they work with a supplier who will give them a lot of advice. Fairfield Displays offers clients and the end-user a full support service plus a range of paid training programmes. This ensures that the end customer is happy using the software,” she says.

Fairfield remembers working through certain challenges when sign-makers who started being asked for digital signs by their clients. She says:  “We were one of the few companies that put together a complete package including hardware, software, and all the necessary VESA brackets. We have also run training courses to help sign-makers get started.

“The biggest challenge in the past has not been the digital signage but creating the content for the screens. Nowadays, however, the end-user clients are getting more knowledge of the technology, and this is making it easier for companies to sell digital signage packages.”

Fairfield is well aware of the fact that moving into unknown territories can be difficult for a traditional sign-maker, and digital signage is something that many are somewhat scared to approach.

“A lot of sign-makers do not know where to start,” explains Fairfield, adding: “There are literally hundreds of different combinations which are constantly changing so if they are trying to put a package together, it can be confusing. The most important part of selling digital is to get the brief right. Once this is done the rest is fairly simple if you work with a company like Fairfield.”


In her experience, Fairfield has found that asking the customer four simple questions can take care of even the most complicated sounding brief. Fairfield says: “One, what size screen and where is going to be positioned? Two, what will the brightness level be?—this is particularly important if you are positioning the screen in a sunny window. Three, do you want to update the screen either locally (using a USB stick) or remotely (via the cloud)? And four, has the client decided what they want to put onto the screen and who is going to create and then update the screen?”

Fairfield understands that a sign-maker might baulk at advising on a product they are not very familiar with. In order to be as informed as possible, and to offer a customer a clear idea of what they are being offered, Fairfield suggests a range of screens available which cater to the first time digital signage provider.

The first products are the Peach Media Players, which are available from 19 up to 65? (48.2 to 165cm). Fairfield says: “These screens range in brightness from 450 to 500 cd² and supplier with their own scheduling software. They look like large iPads.

“The Peach Smart screens range look exactly the same as the media players but have a full cloud-based solution that allows for a range of file types and the ability to point to webpages.  The beauty of this screen is the functionality of the network solution, as Wifi or LAN are all built into the screen.   So just connect to the internet and plug in and you are up and working. Fairfield sorts out all the back office connections.



“Our LG shine out screens 700 cdn² are designed to be used in sunny windows. These units can be used with a USB stick and will run jpegs on a loop. A full cloud-based unit can be added to the back of the screen called cloudscene which is our ‘all singing, all dancing’ package. This does everything that Peach Smart does, plus will allow customers to drag and drop power point files and pdfs.


“Sunbright screens available from 32 up to 65? (81 to 165cm) are incredibly bright (1500 cd²) and are designed to be used under full sunlight. This range is available as media player and has two different cloud-based software package options.”



Fairfield also adds that, it is not only the type of screen and content that the company takes care of. She continues: “In all cases Fairfield will supply all the VESA brackets and organise all the remote set-up required. So all the sign company needs to do is the physical installation.”



Finally, she says that digital signage is something that does not need to simply be a hurdle to jump, but can actually create revenue. She says: “Digital signage opens a lot of doors. Plus if the sign-maker can create simple templates and content there is a sales opportunity for long time revenue. Also, network solutions licences get renewed every three years and this is added revenue.”



A clear message

Messagemaker is a supplier of LED displays, from stadium-sized screens, to smaller shop solutions. Harry Filer, managing director of Messagemaker, says he works with a lot of sign-makers looking into digital signage for the first time, and sees a growing pattern emerging.



He says: “The classic situation is that the sign-maker has a great relationship with a client, and the relationship is so strong that they enquire about digital signage. Of course, at this stage, the sign-maker might feel that they don’t have the skills or knowledge to do that. But they don’t want to lose their customer. They want to help their customer, they want to maintain a relationship they’ve had for a while, and they don’t want to let anyone else in. Those are all good business reasons to maintain the relationship.”

Filer says that to make this easier, all a sign-maker needs to trust in and utilise the expertise of its digital screen provider. He says: “Most elements of digital signage will have a reseller programme. The answer is to use that manufacturer’s or distributor’s expertise because that’s what they are there for.”

He also says that though the return on investment might be a smaller profit percentage than with static signage, it could end up with much bigger pound number. “The honest truth is that the sign-maker will probably make a smaller profit percentage on the job than they would on a classic signage job, but it’s likely to be a much bigger pound number. This means they could end up with a very worthwhile business transaction, let’s say, making 15 percent of £5,000 rather than 60 percent of £300.”

O Factoid: The modern history of digital signage is usually traced back to the automated teller machine (ATM) in the late 1970s and early 80s. ATMs showed just how transformational digital signage could be to a marketplace, and many banking firms that didn’t implement ATMs early on suffered greatly for it. O

In essence, says Filer, a sign-maker should not be afraid of offering digital as part of a portfolio: “I would encourage sign-makers to be open to the idea of digital.

“We get a lot of calls from people who are not experience, who potentially have a once-in-a-blue-moon requirement but want to maintain a good customer relationship. It’s about knowing who to talk to, who will deliver you a good quality piece of kit so you can make a decent margin on it. Reputation and quality are stronger than anything.



“Really tying up the elements of the deal before they get too far in is important. Asking questions like, what are you selling, what’s my margin, what’s your retail price, what’s my discount? There are people out there who will simply charge the same amount as an end-user and if there’s no potential for margin, that’s not a very attractive deal.”

In the end, Filer says: “Don’t be scared. There are two groups of people. When a client makes this sort of enquiry, they say, ‘This is not for me’ and turn it down. And there are there are others, who say ‘We have this great relationship with the client and we don’t want to lose it.’ They are the guys who get home from that meeting, pick up the phone and try and find the right partners to make the customer happy. It just depends what kind of business you want to be.”

Beauty in small things

It can safely be said that, though some predicted its demise, digital signage is here to stay. In all its facets, from the simplest displays, to the most complex interactive media players, it is clearly a sector worth watching as developments move on.

The message from the industry is to keep calm and carry on, as the support is always there for those brave enough to look for it.

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