A SUPPLEMENT TO MAGAZINE

THE INTEGRATION GUIDE TO

DIGITAL SIGNAGE

SPONSORED BY

MAXHUB • PEERLESS-AV • SHARP

DIGITAL SIGNAGE INTEGRATION GUIDE

CONTENT
Content Director Mark J. Pescatore, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Senior Content Manager Wayne Cavadi

Contributor Michael Grotticelli

Art Editor Rob Crossland

Production Managers
Nicole Schilling, Heather Tatrow

A DV E R T I S I N G S A L E S
Managing Vice President of Sales, B2B Tech
Adam Goldstein, [email protected]

SALES
John Casey, [email protected]
Janis Crowley, [email protected]
Zahra Majma, [email protected]
Debbie Rosenthal, [email protected]
The Carousel Daily service expands the boundaries of traditional digital signage by sending targeted Andi Tureson [email protected]
messages to mobile phones.

‘Visually Absorbable’ SVP, MD, B2B Amanda Darman-Allen

VP, Global Head of Content, B2B

Information Delivery Carmel King

MD, Content, AV Anthony Savona
VP, Head of US Sales, B2B Tom Sikes

Crafting the Right Message Is Key for Digital Signage Success Managing VP of Sales, B2B Tech
Adam Goldstein
Head of Production US & UK
By Michael Grotticelli Mark Constance
Head of Design, B2B Nicole Cobban

T
FUTURE US, INC.
he benefits of today’s digital signage systems go well beyond image resolution and screen
130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor
size. Within the education, retail, and corporate markets, they have become flexible IP- New York, NY 10036
based networked infrastructures that can target individual screens and/or groups of users
COPYRIGHT 2024, Future US, Inc.
with important and timely messaging. All Rights Reserved.
With this new network sophistication has come a renewed focus on creating the right content
that delivers the message in a concise and often colorful way. Many agree that it’s more about what
you put on those screens (and where) that counts most. Dense text and static presentations have All contents © 2024 Future US, Inc. or published under licence. All rights
reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or
given way to interactive widgets and innovative graphic designs that successfully deliver the reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the
publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is
registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The
Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for
required information. information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going
to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies
in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers
directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this
publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under

Academic Achievement
our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes
or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in
any way with the companies mentioned herein.

Carousel Digital Signage has been working with digital signage systems since 1997, primarily focused If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or
have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and you
automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your
submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of
on the K-12 market. “I try and create content that is ‘visually absorbable,’” said Amber Ward, publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated
websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material
you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken,
creative director at Carousel. “If you’re looking at a mass of text all over the place and everything’s neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees shall
be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for
publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend,
not properly organized and your eye drifts, you’re not going to retain the information, right? So, to adapt all submissions.
Please Recycle. We are committed to only using
place things properly on a screen, you need to make sure you’ve got enough breathing room in magazine paper which is derived from responsibly
managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free
manufacture. The paper in this magazine was
between the different elements on that screen.” sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to
strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.

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DIGITAL SIGNAGE INTEGRATION GUIDE

With Carousel, content can be separated into on-screen

sections called zones. “Your most important information should
always be in the largest area of your screen, not your ticker along
the bottom,” she advised. “You can guide people not only with
headlines but also by just the size of it, the color of it. Font choice
is also really important to get your message across.”
According to Ward, the key for successful content creation on
all devices is taking a holistic marketing approach and clearly
articulating your messaging to the intended audience. “When I’m
sending messages out, I’m not just blasting thousands of people
with content that is not relevant to them,” she said. “The content
designer needs to know what the school wants to say and know
who you need to say it to. So, target your audience with the
content and materials that they need to hear.”
Carousel’s digital signage platform is cloud-based, so
subscribers can update screens and systems within minutes. Korbyt offers a library of templates to simplify digital signage design.
Recently, the company announced that Carousel Cloud customers
can leverage content they create in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, digital signage more interesting to the viewer.
and Word for distribution throughout their digital signage “Digital content helps improve brand consistency and
networks. This is key for K-12 schools, as morning announce- conversion by promoting products like investment opportunities,
ments and lunchtime menus that are created in Microsoft Word bundled insurance packages, insurance rates, loans, credit cards,
can be easily distributed. and other offers,” he said. “Korbyt Anywhere helps these
The company also offers its Carousel Daily service, which businesses automate communications to simplify marketing
sends targeted messages to mobile phones. Some messages can promotions, while tailoring their offers by segmenting specific
be sent to teachers, while others can be sent to the entire messages for different locations. We even offer the ability to
student body or subsets, such as student athletes. Ward said personalize content to in-branch audiences using facial optic
designing and delivering content for the small screen can be recognition to identify and display popular content.”
challenging, but should tie into the main messaging being sent Content that stays the same over time can appear stale and
out by the school’s administration. irrelevant, while extracting real-time data feeds reinforces to
“We can ask students to download an app or subscribe to a viewers that the content is current and curated. For example, a
secure feed and they will get everything they need to know over financial services office could deploy templates that feature a mix
the course of the day on their phone,” she said. “It’s a little widget of branded content, special offers, and stock tickers that mirror
that pops up. It’s also interactive. So, if there is a video that they exchange market activity in real time. Weather and sports
need to watch, a phone number they need to call, or anything like updates are also popular in retail locations, helping to entertain
that, they can click into it and do it all right on their phone.” customers while they wait in line for assistance.
Creative elements like clip art, animations, and even font
Banking Done Right choice all ad to the success (retention) of a digital signage ad
Another company that leverages the cloud is Korbyt Digital campaign. Clopp said that campaigns of any sort need compelling
Signage. Its Korbyt Anywhere “workplace experience (WEX)” content, which is why Korbyt offers a library of templated content
platform helps enterprises, universities, and corporate organiza- to make it easy for staff with little (or no) design expertise to
tions curate and deliver engaging content to any screen, anywhere. create digital content that captivates, educates, and motivates
The company does a lot of work with retail deployments in viewers to act.
banks, financial services offices, and insurance agencies. For “Our banners are designed to maximize the visual impact of
example, to redefine its branch experience, Santander collabo- the displayed content,” Clopp explained. “Avoiding common
rated with Korbyt and OpenEye Global to incorporate digital pitfalls like too-small text or overcrowded layouts is crucial, but
signage solutions in more than 700 retail banking locations. even the best-designed ad will fall short if it doesn’t reach the
“Enabling an integrated communications strategy is a major right audience. That’s where our Clever Playlists come in, offering
benefit for our customers,” said George Clopp, CTO of Korbyt. content managers a smart way to schedule and publish content to
As far as designing the right content, Clopp said that digital diverse audiences based on predefined criteria. With data-driven
content in any retail setting needs to be impactful and eye-catch- machine learning, Korbyt Anywhere even automates content
ing, but also needs to be relevant to the audience. He added that delivery, learning which key messages resonate with specific
integrating data in real time is another compelling way to make audiences to make your content even more engaging.”

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DIGITAL SIGNAGE INTEGRATION GUIDE

Boosting Bagel Sales (SoC) processing. With nsign.tv already embedded in the
The Bagel Factory, a U.K.-based chain of convenience food screens, there’s no need for external media players, extra cables,
outlets specializing in freshly baked and filled bagels, has or complicated installations, making the setup more stream-
digitized its stores with menu boards powered by the nsign.tv lined and easier to manage, especially across multiple locations.
digital signage software platform. The technology is now
powering the chain’s menu boards across 50 outlets at most A Healthy Sign
major travel hubs in Ireland and the U.K. with a mix of static and Visix offers a group of applications that make up its AxisTV
dynamic content, while allowing quick updates with centralized Signage Suite. AxisTV Manage is the CMS with easy content
cloud management across all locations. creation, importing, and scheduling tools. AxisTV Design is a
“Digital menu boards, like those powered by nsign.tv at The desktop design app for more customized content, with exten-
Bagel Factory, are making the customer experience more sive data integration and visualization options. AxisTV Engage
engaging and dynamic,” said Mónica Fernández, managing is the player app.
director of nsign.tv, based in Barcelona, Spain. “They allow for “Retail content is always working to drive sales and brand
real-time updates to pricing, promotions, and menu items, loyalty, whether it be a product ad, limited-time offer, or
ensuring that customers are always seeing the most current rewards program,” said Sean Matthews, CEO. “Imagery and
options. This flexibility helps to reduce wait times, minimize calls to action have to take center stage in retail to prompt
order errors, and increase overall customer satisfaction. people to act immediately. Whereas, for corporate, campus, and
Additionally, the visually appealing content captures customer other settings, content can focus on motivation, culture
attention more effectively than static displays, leading to building and long-tail campaigns.”
increased impulse buys and higher sales.” Matthews added that widgets and templates are the
As part of the ongoing project, The Bagel Factory has adopted foundations of every good CMS. “In every industry, people want
nsign.tv for the majority of its new store launches and is to show live info like weather, menus, KPIs, queuing, or events,
transitioning from its previous poster booking solution. Content and to be able to set those up once and have them automatically
on the digital menu boards is dynamically adjusted based on the update is a massive timesaver,” he explained. “The same goes
time of day, thanks to the advanced scheduling capabilities of for templates. Most people don’t have the time or design skills
nsign.tv’s software. For example, breakfast menus are automat- to craft every message from scratch, so using templates lets
ically replaced with lunch menus as the day progresses, and more people contribute so content doesn’t get stale. Pre-ap-
special offers can be targeted during peak hours. Before adopt- proved templates also standardize your branding across
ing digital signage, these changes would have been made messages, which supports a more cohesive and attractive
manually, which could lead to inconsistencies and delays in design aesthetic.”
updating content. Earlier this year, Visix customer Boston Medical Group
With nsign.tv, the stores can manage the appearance of transitioned its AxisTV 9 digital signage network to AxisTV
price adjustments, new menu additions, limited-time offers, Signage Suite, giving patients a range of features that provide a
and more across store-wide menu board systems, the majority helpful digital signage experience. This includes a software
of which are supported by iiyama displays with system-on-chip calendar app that can connect with Outlook for conference
room bookings and other departmental needs. BMG has grown
from 20 to 50 screens, and now have 29 departments with a
presence on a secure network.
“One must have a grasp of good digital design principles,
whether that be aspect ratios, color and contrast, negative
space and juxtaposition, or font choices,” Matthews said. “The
advantage of designing digital signage content versus a print
campaign is that you can include motion, animation, and video
to grab more eyeballs and make your messaging more dynamic.
However, just like print design, if your content is boring or
looks bad, people will ignore it.”
Designing and creating the best look and feel for the content
on the screen is what sets deployments apart. “We often talk
about customer experience, visitor experience, or employee
experience, but it’s better to just concentrate on people
experience,” Matthews said. “Know your goals, know your
Boston Medical Group has transitioned to AxisTV Signage Suite to
improve the digital signage experience for patients. audience, and design to those ends.”

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 INTEGRATION GUIDE DIGITAL SIGNAGE

At Issue
the system be self-contained on one screen?
It is essential to understanding the complexity of the setup,
integration, and whether additional components are needed.
What are some of the important
questions integrators need to ask when Megan Zeller
clients are considering the deployment Senior Director, Business
of a digital signage system? Development, Peerless-AV
In the beginning process of deploying a
Andy Teoh digital signage system, there are several
Director of Products, MAXHUB important questions integrators should
When clients are considering the ask clients to prepare for a successful
deployment of a digital signage system, installation. For example, what are the
it’s important to ask the following primary goals of the installation? And
questions: how will the installation be integrated
• Can the signage system be deployed with existing infrastructure? Integrators play a key role in
remotely and easily? ensuring the final product aligns with the client’s goals, as well
• Can the signage system be managed as environmental and operational needs. By addressing these
remotely? preliminary questions, integrators are one step closer to
• Can the signage system generate alerts if it is offline? bringing dream displays to life effectively and efficiently.
• Can an IT remote desktop be added to the signage system to Choosing custom-built solutions is a great way to check every
troubleshoot further? box on a client’s list, especially as the rise in unique dvLED video
• Do I need a complicated setup for the system to work, or can walls continues.

avnetwork.com // October 2024 // SCN 7

DIGITAL SIGNAGE INTEGRATION GUIDE

Benjamin Hardy goals for the digital signage system?

Senior Product Manager, Large • Who is the target audience and what type of content will be
Format Displays, Sharp Imaging and displayed?
Information Company of America • What is the budget and timeline for the project?
When considering the deployment of a • Are there any specific hardware or software requirements?
digital signage system, integrators • Is 24/7 operation necessary?
should ask clients several important • How will the system be monitored, managed, maintained,
questions to ensure a successful and updated?
implementation. Key questions include: • What are the integration requirements with existing
• What are the primary objectives and systems?

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MAXHUB XBoard V7 Interactive

Flat Panel (IFP) Displays
The MAXHUB XBoard V7 Interactive Flat Panel
(IFP) display series is the ideal solution for online
meetings and other forms of collaboration.
Available in 55, 65, 75, 86, and 92-inch (ultra-
wide) sizes, the MAXHUB V7 Interactive Flat
Panel Series is powered by the MAXHUB
MeetingOS. These displays have a built-in UHD,
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(65-inch and above display size) as well as the
ability to support active speaker tracking and
auto framing.

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