In-store TV Evolving in the Right Direction

When I was home in L.A. over the holiday break, I took the opportunity to check out one of IBN's latest installs of their PerfectMedia In-store TV network. Conveniently, it happened to be in my parent's favorite Ralph's, so as I made the ever dreaded Christmas day "fill-in trip" for whatever ingredients mom's was missing, I killed two birds.

Overall, I was impressed with the offering. Large perimeter screens with their vertical orientation do standout, and the choice of locations, produce and bakery, meant that shoppers might actually slow down long enough to take in some messaging. Also, the creative I happened to see were nice in-store specific executions featuring video within a seeming flash-based branded environment. You can check out some creative samples here.

More interesting however, were the in-aisle placements. In the fabric care aisle, there was this placement. Right at eye level and with audio just loud enough to hear within close proximity of the screen, but not so annoying that you heard it beyond more than a few feet away. As I passed it, there was some content, I think sponsored by Better Homes, about organizing your home or something to that effect. Relevant enough for a placement in the household needs part of the store.

If in-store TV networks are going to live up to the hype currently in the marketplace and truly become a medium of the future, its networks like this, focusing on increasing relevance through context and quality placements over quantity, that will take this vehicle to where it needs to be. Now, unfortunately, they just need to roll out into more stores. Currently only available in less than 100 Kroger stores, PerfectMedia is evolving in the right direction, now they just need build their reach.

In-store Digital Video is a mess...

Really? Is about the only way I can address this situation.
Here is my view of the in-store video landscape to date:

Wal-mart TV (PRN) - Just sent me a very nice letter basically saying "oops, we may have jumped the gun". They are going to conduct a small pilot to work out kinks that even I could have predicted and will run somewhere from 6 months to a year behind on roll out. So much for my 2008 plans. However, I will applaud their efforts to get it right rather than just moving forward collecting $$$s but ultimately doing a disservice to in-store media. So thanks for your diligence.

SignStorey - Used to be my number 3 choice in in-store video, but rapidly moving up. Just ate up Captive Audience, to add ShopRite and Big Y stores into their network. Also, SuperValu (the back bone of SignStorey's network) gave an impressive little display at the In-Store Marketing Conference last week in Chicago. Along with technology partner DS-IQ, they are paralleling video logs of ads, with sales data to provide a better idea of effectiveness of the video product. Very Interesting.

IBN - Not even sure where these guys went with PerfectMedia. I liked the idea, but the roll out in all Kroger stores just never seemed to happen. Oh well, there's always in-store radio...

NewsAmerica - Often labeled "the dinosaur" by their high tech competitors, NAM is going a different route. Saving money on NOT buying hundreds/thousands of 42" plasmas, they created a simple at shelf video option which can be placed directly in front of product. No, its not a fancy "Internet Protocol Driven Vertically Oriented LCD Magic Carpet Ride" type of offering but it does do a few things the others don't.
1. Brings video down to the consumers level. (this has long be an argument from the anti-in-store video front, if such a thing exists)
2. Also, its user initiated. Instead of pushing our pre-determined mix of messaging we assume shoppers want out on big screens, it simply invites shoppers to push the magic button if they want to learn more.

I'm not sure where this is all going to net out...that's kind of why its annoying. We plan a year in advance, and I can't predict who'll actually have things where they're supposed to be. But its entertaining to watch and I hope someone gets it right. The opportunity for richer in-store messaging would be welcomed by most brands, but it can't be a turn off to shoppers and I would love a little measurement as well.

That's all for today.

Macro Trends + In-store Trends = New Opportunity?

With our Trends and Technology conference still recent in memory, and a lot of 2006 recaps/2007 predicitions for in-store in the press, my brain spit out an interesting dicussion... Does Storytelling and the rise of digital signage in-store create a new forum for brand engagement. (Also, do shoppers want it)

"In-Store TV is Hot
Target launched "Channel Red" in its entertainment departments, Kroger discussed its "Perfect Media" plans for integrated TV-radio networks, and Meijer went live with a chain-wide network...Wal-Mart best exemplified the issues surrounding in-store media...by placing monitors in aisles and on endcaps"
- In-store Marketer 2006 trend recap...

Also, more recently it was announced...

"Two divergent players in the world of in-store advertising are teaming up for a test that would surround shoppers with an ambient, multimedia advertising and marketing experience. The test, which will rollout in a sample of supermarkets owned by The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., will combine the place-based programming of InStore Broadcasting Network (IBN) with personalized shopping media developed by Cuesol.


During the Stop & Shop tests, IBN will deliver synchronized advertising messages via its audio and video platforms in the store, which will be combined and integrated with Cuesol's technology, a high-tech shopping cart equipped with a digital personal shopping assistant dubbed the "Shopping Buddy."
- MediaPost 2/6/07

These applications in-store allow us to provide more in depth brand experiences to shoppers. Do shoppers want them? I don't know, we'll have to ask. If we push a bunch of complicated messaging at people, I'm guessing they won't be happy. But if user initiated content can be served up to shoppers to bring them further into our brands, how valuable is that? What does this mean in a world where we have espoused the notion that we have 3 seconds to seal the deal or shoppers will be lost.

Anytime we have a challenge to our conventional thinking, I smell opportunity. It may be an opportunity to fall flat on our faces, but opportunty none the less.

Storytelling: Consumers want to hear our story and share their own...
Technology: Shoppers can have an interactive, audio visual in-store experience...
The intersection of these two concepts has to mean something. I'm curious to see what.