Pushing the boundaries
Technology such as 3D, virtual reality (VR), and touchscreen has meant new ways for the public to interact with signs and displays. But aside from digital technology, physical interactivity is also a massive part of modern advertising and public displays.
Interactivity has been crucial to our now digital world which revolves around social media and engaging consumers more than ever. So, what are some of the examples and ways sign-makers can create a buzz about an exciting new project?
Solving problems
Even small additions can enhance a sign or installation to be not only fun and interactive, but also more accessible. Braille Signs UK is an example of a manufacturer that specialises in an area that needs to be interactive.
Traditional billboards such as this one by VCCP can provide just as much interaction as digital billboards
The company makes tactile and Braille solutions in contrasting plastics and metals for directional and informative signage such as restrooms, health and safety, and architectural signs. The existence of interactive signage such as this means that no one is left out of the message a sign should be detailing.
Similarly, Northamptonshire (Northants)-based sign company, xsign, has created a unique and innovative solution for those who are visually impaired or struggle with written information.
‘Talky Signs’ are programmable talking signs that speak to customers with just the push of a button. Sold as an ideal solution for buildings such as schools or hospitals, recorded messages stored in the sign can inform the user about the room, direction, or information they require.
As well as helping areas become more accessible, interactive signage can also have a big impact on the way we work and operate. Big focuses on preparing our world for the potential of future pandemics or tackling the climate crisis have brought digital signage to the forefront.
A company that has seen the evolution of this market over the past 13 years is digital signage and audio visual (AV) provider, inurface media. Starting with out-of-home (OOH) and digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, the company now provides AV integrated solutions within retail and leisure spaces.
Josh Bunce, chief executive officer and founder of inurface, says: “Ever since our inception the business has graduated to provide much more technologically advanced offerings, which more and more includes the use of interactive signage.”
As with any industry, innovation is often the key to success, and in the digital and AV space, this is very much the case. With consumers surrounded by screens and digital offerings all day long, digital companies need to do all they can to stand out.
inurface media started with out-of-home and digital out-of-home advertising, and now provides AV integrated solutions within retail and leisure spaces
Digital and interactive signage has through its very nature played a big part of the retail and entertainment sectors. The need to entice and draw in customers means that interactive signage is perfect for customers to feel a company’s worth and aesthetics through a successful digital installation.
“Bringing the interactivity of signs and the technology it involves into the high street has been a real breakthrough,” says Bunce. “It’s demonstrated that to survive and prosper, retailers need to offer more than just a convenient shopping experience. They need to bring brands to life and sell a lifestyle to their customers in an exciting and memorable way.”
The appeal of an interactive experience is core to why so many businesses use interactive signs. The recent winner of The Drum’s ‘Best OOH Work of the Decade”, O2, won thanks to the captivating visuals and narrative it sold its customers.
The ‘Oops’ campaign featured various OOH and DOOH signs which replicated the devastating feeling when a phone screen gets smashed or cracked. Several digital escalator panels that ran alongside commuters on busy train stations, depicted a phone tumbling from screen to screen, appearing to smash the screens as it did so.
“It allows people to interact and involve themselves with a brand that other opportunities don’t allow. It builds loyalty and increases a positive affiliation between brand and customer. An experience enjoyed and remembered is likely to encourage engagement in the future,” says Bunce.
Another company that is always looking for ways to increase interactivity with signage is NowSignage.
Founded by Nick Johnson, the company implements ways that digital signage interacts with third-party softwares and IOT (internet of things) devices to change content based on data. This allows NowSignage to enable customers to serve targeted, real-time content through its integrations with trigger-based and audience measurement technologies.
Johnson comments: “In recent years we have delivered many projects that advance the use-case of interactive digital signage technology.” Some examples are the ability to automatically change digital signage content in QSR and retail based on changes in weather; the integration with API’s (application programming interface) and IT systems within the financial banking sector to change customer-facing messaging based on availability of staff; and the capability to change content on a display specific basis across a DOOH network based on age or gender of the audience viewing at one particular moment.
“Interactive experiences make audience engagement more targeted to the exact person interacting with the signage at any given moment in time,” Johnson says, adding: “This makes for a more immersive experience for the audience by making the signage more relevant and more informative. However, for the company implementing the digital signage, it is also providing them with greater ROI (return on investment), demonstrable KPI’s (key performance indicators), and tangible data to analyse, measure and improve.”
Thinking outside the box
The biggest hurdle for any signage is to get noticed, and this is particularly the case for digital signs, which can often blend into the background due to the onslaught of lights and visuals. New technology in the world of DOOH has worked to solve this problem by involving the audience in the signs.
The biggest hurdle for any signage is to get noticed. This is particularly the case for digital signs, which can often blend into the background due to the onslaught of lights and visuals”
“One of the earliest and most inspirational projects I’ve seen has to be Engine’s ‘Look at Me’ campaign, produced in association with Ocean for Women’s Aid,” says David Tait, head of design and studio at Ocean Outdoor.
As long as people ignored the screen, a woman’s bruised face remained the same. It took one person to stop and look for her bruises to start healing.
Tait continues: “The more people who stopped to gaze, the more the woman’s face returned to normal. This multi award-winning campaign received global publicity and praise, reaching 326.9 million people beyond the screen itself.”
As a DOOH company with several screens and installations throughout the UK, Ocean Outdoor has brought about many new technologies and ideas into the interactive signage market.
One of Ocean’s newest technologies, DeepScreen, is an example of a not traditionally ‘interactive sign’ purely due to its lack of physical interaction. The visual effect however encourages consumers to film, take pictures, and in essence interact with the installation far more than they would have, if it weren’t for the 3D illusion.
In this campaign by Ocean as long as people ignored the screen, a woman’s beaten and bruised face remained the same
Tait explains: “Sometimes referred to as anamorphic illusions, forced perspective, or trompe-l’œil, DeepScreen uses distorted imagery which when viewed from a specific vantage point creates the illusion of three-dimensional space on flat surfaces.
“It can be used to create windows into other worlds, extend existing architecture, or make impossible objects appear to float. It’s hard to describe, but incredibly easy to view. It gives you realistic ‘3D’ images, with the correct perspective, lighting, and shadows, that require no fancy eyewear, mirrors, or technology. Brands are able to take anamorphosis to a whole new level, adding not only scale to the mix, but full motion video, too.”
Another development at Ocean’s development division, Ocean Labs, is its LookOut audience detection technology. This can identify key characteristics independent of individual identification.
“LookOut can also identify whether the individual is actually looking at a screen and then alter the screen content according to their age, gender and mood, all without breaching GDPR.” Tait says, adding: “Over the past two years, a new creative palette of technologies is taking DOOH to the next level. One example is mid-air haptics, a touchless technology which allows audiences to interact with digital screens using only hand gestures. Mid-air haptics is taking off in point-of-sale and transit environments and is being used by retail brands to connect safely with audiences in clean, experiential environments.”
Is this real life?
While digital solutions lead to many innovations and creative alternatives, as with many products, real life attractions can often be hard to beat.
“You probably can’t get more interactive than a poster with a real life human stuck to it, that’s inviting questions from passers-by,” says senior communications strategist at VCCP Media, Josh Deane.
Speaking about its recent ‘Ask an Aussie’ project, a campaign to promote Cadbury’s new Australian import Caramilk, Deane says: “Some smart folk here at VCCP wanted to make sure everyone in the UK had the chance to ask an Aussie what the fuss is actually all about. Hence how they ended up with a real-life Aussie stuck to a billboard ‘like a human sticky note’. The execution is a brilliant example of encouraging a dialogue.
“The added layer of using people in real life and sticking them to the unnatural environment of a traditional ad format, adds a layer of curiosity that perhaps conventional comms can’t do on their own. The physical interactivity of it invites consumers to bring down their walls of cynicism often associated with branded comms, by again blurring the lines between advertising and reality, which further enhances the opportunity for consumer attention and engagement.”
Holland Park Roundabout is the first ever digital-out-of-home advertising location to deliver real-time vehicle detection
But of course, with innovations and big scale ideas also comes complications and repercussions. Much like any creative project, knowing one’s limits is crucial to executing an interactive sign. Simplicity is often key.
Deane adds: “A problem with interactive signage is that often the executions can be considered costly. If you take the example of a physical execution such as Cadbury, you can often do one and only one. But the invite can often be more important than the event itself, meaning that perhaps the Cadbury ‘Ask an Aussie’ billboard wouldn’t reach a huge amount of people on the day, but the content leading up to it, as well as post event amplification is arguably far more important.”
The growth and emergence of digital signage, and AV solutions has without a doubt changed what can be achieved in the signage industry. What were once informational displays, have now become gateways into a whole smorgasbord of different experiences and data.
O Factoid: Interactive sign campaign 'Look at Me' by Engine, sought to make the public more aware of domestic abuse with a visual of a beaten woman changing the more passers-by looked at it O
But whether it be physical or digital, cost and practicality must always be at the forefront.
“As with all advertising, visual trickery alone won’t necessarily cut through or achieve wider marketing goals. The creative must be well-considered and the message right,” says Tait, who adds:
“The agencies we have spoken to tell us that if done right, 3D can potentially draw a huge online audience. If the creative is surprising, cool, or outlandish, it’s likely to be shared on social media and if savvy brands capitalise on that then you will get a solid return on investment.
“So, whether it’s a giant floating taco or a 17-metre-high Zombie Tiger, the creative opportunities are endless.”
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