Good Job, Jobs

The world acknowledges and mourns the passing of one of the most influential human beings (in terms of business, communications, entertainment and productivity) in history: Steve Jobs.

Much has been said about this remarkable man and his many accomplishments.  Many revere him and some revile him, but the fact remains that he transformed the way the entire world works.  His demand that technology be nice to look at, easy to use, and bottom-shelf in terms of accessibility (ok, well perhaps not always in terms of pricing) and elegant, set a standard for his own industry and many others.

He is lauded for his impact on computing, and particularly personal productivity and entertainment, but not enough credit is given for the sheer breadth of his impact:  the man transformed (and in some cases, co-opted) the music, movie and cellphone industries, and boosted productivity in many others.  And he was likely in the process of doing the same once again for tv.  Under his leadership, Apple was transformed into one of the largest businesses in the history of the world.

Absolutely incredible.  Farewell, Steve, we'll miss your impact.

Retail Window Displays

OK, I admit it: Messaging is my personal hobby horse.

But it's so totally justified, because I just don't see people doing a good job with it. Either they don't create compelling messages, or they don't know how to target, or they don't target correctly, or they don't understand their own target, or they don't know how to motivate the target.... ad nauseum. There are so many ways to message poorly.

But rather than talk in generalities, let's focus on one very important thing: How to message effectively with large-screen lcd, or better yet, with Window Video Systems (WVS).

To define even further, let's talk about clothing retailer's need to display and message to people passing by their mall store. What people do now is dress up mannequins and place them in the window, and perhaps add posters, signs, or an lcd. The posters/signs might give pricing or promo info about specific product, but it can only do that in a blanket way, (Everything 20% Off!) or a specific way (Shoe Sale). But you can only do so much, usually one thing, at a time. And then you have to live with it for a while or replace and reprint constantly. And the LCD is usually used simply for ambience like music videos or fashion-show looking loops.

What the customer wants to know is, "what do you have for me, why is it better for me, and how do I get it (for less)?

Window Video Systems, displaying the Digital Mannequin, allow the store to display clothing on a "live" looking model, front and back, with pricing or promo offer, along with any other important product info (i.e., "It's Green! Made with only Organic Recycled Hemp, Domestically Grown, with a Negative-One Carbon Footprint, Endorsed by Al Gore!")

Ok, sorry for the sarcasm, but you get the point: that's a lot of very specific messaging AND display info that you can get out of one system in a very short period of time. And THEN, Digital Mannequin enables the store to go to the next ensemble and do it all again with new information. Or not. They could just repeat. Or go to a different type of info, or mini-campaign.

The advantages are numerous:

1. Better display capability
A. life-size,
B. multiple poses,
C. multiple views,
D. multiple ensembles with multiple articles
E. different or changing backgrounds
F. different presentations - stills, motion, video
AND

2. Better Messaging capability
A. multiple messages,
B. multiple offers,
C. variable appearances - colors, size, motion
D. faster changes in messages/campaigns - even to the day or days, or daypart,
E. no changing out of posters,
F. no waste

That's a LOT of improvement in your messaging! That's a lot of flexibility and potency with which to improve your message to your target customers!

And to think you can do that for a comparable price to a large LCD? Fuggedaboutit! Who do I call?!

Call Looknglas. We'll hook you up.

The Window of Opportunity is here.

Rear Projection Digital Signage

We like rear projection as a Digital Signage tool because of the "WOW" factor. It is just so cool to have the images right on your window!

Can YOU do that?!!! This is so powerful and we are continually refining the method and content. These aspects are critical. Everybody wants to buy a widget. Sorry. It doesn't work that way. This is a sophisticated method, and we don't intend to allow the clients to diminish or devalue it. However, having said that, this is not difficult for us in most cases. There are exceptions, but typically, in low light, nighttime, and indoor situations, rear projection is simply beautiful and exciting. Why aren't there more people doing it? Give it a chance. Within 24 months you will see it everywhere.

Did I mention we can do this in the rear window of your car?

Retailers - Step Up!

It's about time retailers started becoming more aggressive about real change. Not just changing displays, or ordering a new set of posters; that's tantamount to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. With something close to the same consequences.

I am talking about really significant change in how you display and message. That is why we started Looknglas Window Video Systems: To usher in an entirely new medium for retailers to exploit and change the way they do business.

Customers will buy if you show them your best product, and your best selling proposition. It's that simple. Either you have product that is important and relevant, or you don't. If you do, then displaying it the same old way, will not sell more product.

You must put more product, in a more compelling way, on display RIGHT NOW, and change it up tomorrow. Competition is moving too fast. You must improve the buying experience, otherwise customers will go elsewhere, or just not spend their money. You must message to them, relate to them, bribe them, entice them, cajole them, reason with them, excite them, and service them.

You have to do it in a compelling way. Dummies in the window doesn't quite do it anymore. This is the hi-tech age, and dummies are hundreds of years old, static, and uninteresting. Put a live model in your window, or better (cheaper anyway,) put a Digital Mannequin in your window. Or a large-scale Window Video System (Digital Window Display.) These are large, colorful, moving, and changeable from one moment to the next. You can literally change campaigns in the middle of the day.

Wow them. Bowl them over. Intrigue them. Invite them. But just don't bore them with the same old stuff.

Looknglas, the Window of Opportunity is Here.

LCDs - Problems with DS

So much of Digital Signage (DS) is focused on LCD screens, and LED types of boards. Much of the implementation is kinda clunky. It seems that the DS Industry is dominated by techies, and even the people who plan advertising campaigns are often not real swift at creating compelling ads or playlists.

Further, many retailers have installed LCD screens, but are merely streaming television or just a limited playlist loop. I think of a restaurant chain here in Southern California with a beach theme; they play surf videos non-stop. Neat-o. (But I thought they wanted to sell more burgers?!!!) Many clothing chains have LCD screens playing music videos. As if that has something to do with selling clothes.

I don't know; I guess I'm not sophisticated enough to realize how useful that is. From my point of view, I would rather spend 5 minutes selling than 5 weeks entertaining. I think, ideally, the retailers would too, but the ad industry and their own in-house marketing people probably have them bamboozled into thinking they have to do this.

Or then there's "Walmart TV". Large LCD's hanging in Walmart stores playing who knows what. Sound on, blah blah blah, some fake tv show. I have never observed anyone standing there watching those things. I think it's because the content is pretty useless relative to making a buying decision right now.

So Looknglas works with clients to create and mnanage content designed to sell, to cement their relationship with their customers, to motivate them to buy something else, RIGHT NOW. Or to cross pollinate with the client's web-based strategies. Or to get the customer to use their mobile phone to get a promotional benefit, offer, coupon, whatever.

Because of this lack of focus in the use of LCD's, Looknglas now offers integration and management of existing LCD's. A chain with standalone LCDs in their stores can now have a network that runs company-designed playlists, updated as often as everyday, with new, fresh selling messages.

So now companies can leverage their existing investment into something a lot more powerful and effective. A few low cost digital control devices installed, and Voila! Instant retail POP network prodding customers to buy more. Yeah!!! Use technology to make more sales and more money?! What a concept!

Looknglas - Window Video Systems, and LCD System integrators. The Window Of Opportunity is Here.