Q & A: Digital Signage
I want to install digital signage in various buildings and retail locations in New York City. To make the system profitable, I want to digitally display advertisements from advertisers that would pay to have their ads shown. My question is: Are there any advertiser agents, broker companies, or agencies that I can contact that sell advertising from multiple advertisers to a person like me who is offering prime advertising viewing locations?
Q: I want to install digital signage in various buildings and retail locations in New York City. To make the system profitable, I want to digitally display advertisements from advertisers that would pay to have their ads shown. My question is: Are there any advertiser agents, broker companies, or agencies that I can contact that sell advertising from multiple advertisers to a person like me who is offering prime advertising viewing locations?
A: Currently, there aren’t any specialty media brokers for the digital signage industry that I am aware of. However, I believe this will emerge in the coming year now that the networks are being monitored and measured by the likes of Nielsen and Arbitron. Generally, media has been solicited on a network-by-network basis and is usually specific to the location of the displays — such as Wal-Mart stores or Westfield shopping malls. In New York City, one media company that has been getting some attention for being bullish on digital display networks is the media giant Clear Channel Outdoor. It’s handling the media for the displays seen outside many subway stations. Another large media company that has handled digital signage networks is JC Decaux — known for its airport signage and its Tesco supermarket network in the UK. There are also many smaller companies handling media on a local basis, but these are two to watch in the national scene.
—Brad Gleeson, president and COO, ActiveLight
