How retailers can use digital signage to engage consumers and promote their brand.
The mall environment is a staple of American life. It’s a community place where families and friends shop, bond and spend time. During a visit to the local mall, consumers expect to discover new trends and styles in fashion, beauty, food or technology. People are receptive to brand messages, open to suggestions and looking for solutions. How can brands that aren’t sold at retail in the mall use this receptiveness to their advantage?
Digital signage networks located at strategic hotspots present a perfect channel for associating a brand with the same implicit promise of visiting a mall – discovering fresh ideas for improving life. Brands can utilize video networks to target specific demographics while they’re on the move and engage them with the power of sight, sound and motion when they are open to receiving a marketing message.
To assure an effective campaign, bear in mind the most prevalent demographics in a mall. Mall visitors trend to skew high for moms, so the video campaign should speak to moms’ priorities and the way they tend to absorb information. Moms are by nature efficient multitaskers. So to capture their attention, the execution should be clear, concise and embedded in content that specifically appeals to them.
You can also leverage the geo-targeting capabilities of the smart digital signage networks to react to subtle changes in audiences from location to location based on the neighboring community’s unique factors, like household income or ethnicity.
Here are three ideas for activating audiences with digital signage networks in malls:
1. Have compelling content that resonates with consumers’ needs and values. Align your brand with 1-2 minute video segments that carry news, insights, tips and trends in interest categories such as fashion, food, travel and parenting.
2. Bring your brand’s world home to them. Is your brand an active event sponsor? Video networks let you transport your event wherever and whenever. You can also use video in the days leading up to the event to promote it and follow up afterwards with video highlights.
3. Let interested consumers engage immediately with their mobile device. Make sure the video has offers that can activate consumers while they’re at the ‘moment of truth.’ It’s easy to include coupons, rewards or include information in your campaign that can be accessed from their smart phones or tablets.
— Paul Shyposh is the president of RMG Media Networks. He is responsible for the company’s overall sales strategy and managing teams in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. He can be reached at [email protected].