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Maximizing the Spend
Building a playlist is labor-intensive. The process begins with an insertion order. Someone then:

• Organizes the information.
• Puts the ad copy into a playlist.
• Picks stores/venues to direct it to.
• Organizes it in the desired order.

Last-minute changes require the process to begin anew.

Digital signage targets the consumer at prime time and at prime locations, so a separate playlist would be needed for each type of venue in each market. The need for multiple customized playlists could become unmanageable. Whether you plan to manage the network yourself or outsource the content management, the labor hours—and attendant room for human error—can become extensive.

Where’s the magic behind 3,000 to 10,000 screens if there is only one playlist? Since in-store technology allows you to reach every shopper in the store, the goal is to maximize the message you send by focusing on customization. The content delivery must consider such issues as:

• Special buys for holidays and promotions.
• On-the-fly announcements about quick sales, liquidations, or specials.
• Day parts. Traffic flow is different in the morning than in the afternoon.
• Custom flights such as movie trailer content changing upon its release date.

Since continuous repetition of a static playlist does not address these needs, we recommend a dynamic loop. A dynamic loop generates its own playlists customized to a location and to a day part based on programmed rules. For example, content targeted to parents with school-aged children might be programmed to play more frequently during after-school hours than during the rest of the day. The loop algorithms handle the business logic of assembling playlists.

A dynamic loop addresses the flow, but not necessarily the order, of the playlist. The rules consider adjacencies. If two items need to be merchandised separately from each other, it doesn’t matter which content piece runs first since you don't know the exact moment a customer will walk into the store. All you need is for the customer to not see those two pieces back to back. So rather than decide which piece to run when, you simply program the system to separate those two pieces of content within the loop. Similarly, content for items that need to be merchandised together can be programmed to play back to back whenever they play.

A dynamic loop strategy not only targets the message better, but saves labor. Rather than requiring 12 full-time personnel to manage the content of 3,000 advertisers on 250 screens, one person might manage the system through dynamic loops on an all-integrated system.

Digital signage is a medium that addresses a unique type of consumer audience. The programmable loop is the tool for reaching that audience most effectively. While the playlist is the legacy of broadcasting, the loop can fully tap the potential of narrowcasting.