The Digital Signage Ecosystem

We look at the digital signage and DOOH business as a steadily evolving ecosystem, withvarious groups that all have roles to play in keeping the system in balance. We think the ecosystem is stronger than the sum of its parts, and our partners each with strong skills, deep experience and an earned reputation for quality service delivery.

We place a huge amount of time and effort into the people and organizations surrounding our company.  That’s one of the reasons we don’t sell directly and instead use a channel-only selling strategy around the globe.  We have excellent relationships with top-tier resellers in the industry and are continually building strategic partnerships with hardware, software, and service providers that bring value to the ecosystem.

Hardware vendors

CoolSign works with vendors for server hardware, playback PCs, special-purpose media players, and screens that range from standard monitors to specialty displays that are defined by their scale or use, such as ruggedized outdoor applications and new, fast-emerging tiled and ultra-thin displays.

PCs that can be ordered online or picked up at an electronics shop have the basic processing power and speed to drive digital signage displays, but those are consumer products not well suited to the heavy duty needs of business applications. CoolSign works with vendors and clients to determine the specifications and system design that will ensure reliability and high quality performance, but also predictable, reliable component supplies and high quality support.

Through years of hard-won experience, we know what’s really important in making hardware decisions, and have developed strong relationships with some keep suppliers. Our display partners include Vertigo Digital Displays, Jaco Electronics and Planar. For devices, we work with such companies as Dell, BrightSign and HaiVision.

Software vendors

The software that network operators use to plan and manage digital signage networks is offered in two ways: operators can buy it and run it themselves; or they can rent it, using something known as Software as a Service, and put IT needs in the hands of a third-party.
We sell our software, and have reseller partners who work with end users to make the most suitable, flexible arrangements on how the software is hosted and managed.

The CoolSign software eco-system includes companies such as Billboard Planet, a major player in the traditional out of home ad booking software business. We’re now fully integrated with Billboard Planet’s engine, which gives our clients a direct bridge into the advertising media planning industry.

We also work with software development companies, who use our applications interface to develop their own “front-end” user interfaces to CoolSign that are tailored to the specific look and feel, and emphasis requirements, of their end-user clients. Our APIs allow clients to tweak the platform to their needs.

AV and IT Systems Integrators

Critical to the CoolSign eco-system are audio-visual and systems integrators who resell our software and put all the pieces together for end-user clients, usually sourcing the hardware and software, subcontracting the trades and getting the network up and running.
Our partners include smaller regional players and those with unique sector expertise, to large national and multinational firms capable of installing and servicing thousands of sites and developing sophisticated, many-layered systems that may have digital screens as just one of several service and communication elements.

CoolSign’s partners include Diversified Media Group and CRI.

Audience measurement and research firms

Measuring and validating the size of potential and actual viewing audiences is fast becoming a core component of the advertising part of the industry, and also plays a strong role in how to optimize digital screen networks for retail. There are two core types of research – one using manual counts and interviews, the other applying technology such as sensors and cameras to automatically count audiences and measure behaviours and patterns.
Directly, and through clients and partners, CoolSign works with many of the mainstream audience research firms that measure and validate audiences. We have also developed direct integration with Tru-Media, one of the leaders in the emerging audience counting technology sector.

Content

What’s on the screen, to the audience, is infinitely more important than how it got there or what’s under the hood. The best networks in the digital signage sector are those that provide a well-considered balance of marketing material and content and other messaging that interests and engages viewers.

Digital signage operators have for many years made broad assumptions that what’s good for TV or good for the Web is good, as well, for digital screen networks. But it’s really not. Digital signage is a new medium with different audience dynamics and therefore different content needs.

CoolSign works with partner companies such as Datacall to can offer the news and weather feeds that many network operators use to capture viewer interest. But Datacall also has a much broader range of data that can be fine-tuned to the context of the venue and the audience. If the venue is a medical clinic in South Texas, for example, and the patients are predominantly Latino, news and other information fed in Spanish makes more sense.

We also work with a partner company, ScreenFeed, that has changed up the way news and other content is presented, using MediaRSS feeds to provide more compelling presentations than news tickers we believe are ineffective.
CoolSign also works with partner LocaModa, which taps into the fast-changing social media and mobile phone businesses to present content in ways that are unique and compelling.

Other elements of the system

The eco-system goes beyond partnerships. To fully realize a successful digital signage project, that project also needs to include people and companies that do:
Creative – What’s on the screen matters, and just as there are you hire a plumber to get your home’s pipes in order you need creative motion graphic designers to produce advertising and marketing creative that really drives brand image and measurable results. There are software tools that enable anyone to produce creative, however that does not mean what they are producing is creative. There are pure-play companies focused on doing creative for such networks, and a range of different companies all the way down to individual freelancers. Some companies hire creative talent and bring it in house. CoolSign and its partners can help define what you need.
Consultants – The digital signage industry is now old enough and large enough that there consulting groups and individuals – some highly specialized like content strategy or research – are working with client companies to help build and manage their plans. Their experience can be invaluable, and CoolSign and its partners point clients in the right direction when that help is needed.
Carriers – Moving content around a screen network is almost always done using Internet connectivity. A network’s need for speed and often the challenges brought on by location dictate whether that connection comes by DSL, cablecos, mobile phone carriers with high speed wireless, one-way or bi-directional satellite, or newer technologies such as WiMax. We have experience with it all.