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Retailers switch on to digital screens again
Go back a few years and in-store TV was the big hope for retailers as they reckoned it was a neat little way to divert the advertising spend of the big brand owners away from terrestrial TV and into retailers' in-house networks.
By Glynn Davis
This didn't quite pan out and the supermarkets, which were at the forefront of this move (especially Tesco with its Tesco TV), failed to attract the big brands' bucks. It then all went quiet as
Well it is back - under the umbrella of in-store digital media. This time around the business models of in-store screen networks have been re-assessed and the revenue from third-party advertisers is no longer core to the proposition. Instead they are much more about delivering messaging from the retailer such as promotions and highlighting own-label goods and services, with advertising from other organisations just one element of the equation.
Highlighting the renaissance in in-store screens is the move by Wal-Mart to roll out 27,000 units to 2,700 stores throughout the US between now and 2010. Using internet protocol TV the retailer is planning to use response measurement to determine what messages are working in each store and to swiftly tailor the content accordingly.
This is its second-generation network and is the result of two years of research that cost $10 million, which suggests the company is backing screen technology with serious intent this time around. This must be good news for everybody involved in digital media as it could prompt further activity in a media that has its place in the retail sector but has been largely mishandled in the past.
Tagged as: digital media | glynn davis
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