Technology in Displays

Skokie, IL -- In today's world, we are surrounded by technology. "Young people today have grown up with it and can't imagine living without it," says Tom Nook, vice president -- research & innovation with Harbor Industries of Grand Haven, MI. "Teenagers have never known life without cell phones and instant messaging. Twenty-year-olds wouldn't dream of going anywhere without their cell phones, and most of them have never seen a TV without a remote control. Even 30-year-olds can't remember what life was like without Pac-Man, which was invented 25 years ago in June. Trying to reach, let alone influence these people without using technology is just useless."Bruce Bieber, president of Seattle-based Perpetual Promotion doesn't agree. "Most of the work we do is for smaller beer/beverage companies so budgets are usually lean. What we often produce is a printed piece with little in the way of electronic bells and whistles. We created standees for the Blue Boar character for Henry Weinhard's Ale, for example. They were just graphic pieces, but the graphics were so outrageously energized that the pieces were being stolen from retail stores by our target audience of 21+ males and taken back to their dorm rooms. Now that was a level of shrinkage we didn't mind!""Technology in and of itself is neither good nor bad," says Jeff Pacelt, CEO of DNI Marketing, St. Charles, IL. "It all depends on whether or not it helps the display achieve its objective."Some Determining Factors"If you're trying to get people to buy a new video game, for example, a static display is useless," adds John Wyer, DNI vice president -- marketing. "You have to provide something that will allow the prospect to experience the feel of the game itself. The same is true of a movie DVD for which you want to show previews or trailers."Nook of Harbor Industries agrees. "One of the most profitable and fastest growing areas for many supermarkets is wine. We produced an interactive display that allows the shopper to scan the label of a bottle and view all the relevant information about the vineyard where it was produced, whether it is sweet or dry, and so forth," he explains. "The display can also tell shoppers what type of food it goes best with and where they can find it in the store. It can even offer them a discount on the food item if they purchase it today. It's a very powerful tool for selling wine. On the other hand, I don't think you could use it to sell water."It also depends on the type of display. "We use very few electronics because we produce only temporary displays," says Michael Draver -- president, Wetzel Brothers Inc. of Cudahy, WI. "On the other hand, we are currently developing our lenticular technology capabilities and view this as a possible design element for our temporary customers."The location of the display is another factor that must be taken into consideration. "An electronic display is fine if there is a convenient source of power," says John Naill, DNI vice president -- national accounts. "If the display needs to be battery powered, however, forget it."Technology does not necessarily need to involve computers, touchscreens and digital signs, however. In fact, it can be as simple as creative use of lighting. "Illumination is a technology that we view as critical to good merchandising," says Joe Berzok -- senior vice president, account management of Diam International, Yonkers, NY. "We have a portfolio of displays that use lighting throughout to create an open display that allows light to pass through and showcase products. Especially in the case of cosmetics, creatively placed lightboxes can create a playful, engaging environment that can draw consumers into the display. Lighting can also be used to create hot spots that focus on new products or special features."What About Cost?"Cost is often the elephant in the room that cannot be ignored," says Alan Katz -- senior executive vice president, managing director for Henschel-Steinau of Englewood, NJ. "We have designed displays that utilize technology, but their cost has been a large factor in gaining any kind of mainstream support. Return on investment is a very real deterrent."Sometimes, however, if used properly, technology can actually reduce costs. "A good example is the touchscreen that GE hangs from its refrigerators in dealer showrooms," says Nook of Harbor Industries. "Many local appliance dealers with limited space have been badly battered by the big box stores that can stock hundreds of appliances with many different options. By using the touchscreen, consumers can instantly view a multitude of options, such as different types of ice makers or storage bins, for example. Once the shopper has selected the exact configuration he or she wants, the exact model can be shipped from the factory, eliminating the need for the dealer to incur the huge inventory cost of stocking dozens of different models."It is also possible to find ways of reducing the cost of the technology itself. "We created an internal Innovations Group to explore integrating electronics technology into cosmetic walls and other display programs by sourcing new technologies in China," says Diam International's Berzok. "We already have a substantial network of suppliers in China and we recently opened a new office in Shanghai. We see China as the wave of the future for competitively priced materials and technologies."Lead times can also be a problem. "The combination of long lead times and tight schedules can be as much of a deterrent as cost to use of a new technology," says Wetzel Brothers' Draver. Cost also seems to be less of a factor in lenticular technology than in electronics. "Lenticular is getting much more popular and price does not currently seem to be a problem," says Henschel-Steinau's Katz. Regardless of cost, however, technology is not always the answer. "Too often, the temptation is to add a new element because it is 'cool' or the latest 'hot' technology," says Wetzel's Draver. "It's more important to keep in mind that our objective is to improve the results of a specific program."Placement can also be a factor. "A lot of displays are ordered and shipped, but then stay on a distributor's floor or in a store's stockroom," says Perpetual Promotion's Bieber. "If the use of technology can help it see the light of day, it's a good thing. If not, you're just paying extra for something that might never be used."What Does The Future Hold?"I think you'll begin to see the use of technology to appeal to other senses besides sight," says Nook. "We already have the ability to focus sound waves so they can be heard only when a person is occupying a particular space. A message can be narrowcast, for example, to only one person in a checkout line. The senses of smell and touch can also play an important role in influencing a consumer to actually buy something if we can figure out effective ways to appeal to them."Suppliers of technology products are working hard to help brand marketers and P-O-P producers find new ways to motivate consumers. "Our CommandPoint software lets you manage kiosks and digital signage anywhere, any time, from a web-enabled PC," says Brian Ardinger, v.p. of business development for Nanonation, Lincoln, NE. Active Displays of Seattle is partnering with Display Werks of Olympia, WA, on the Active Light TActive LCD40, a 40-inch digital touchscreen for digital signage applications. It supports multiple video inputs and offers a 170-degree or better viewing angle. Either the whole screen or just parts of it can be touch-sensitive. Compared to a plasma display, the LCD configuration reduces the chance of image burn-in.Planar Systems Inc. of Beaverton, OR, is launching a line of touchscreen monitors that combine its flat panel display expertise with 3M's touchscreen technology to provide improved touch accuracy, optical performance and resistance to surface scratching. The PT touchscreen has a slim profile designed to fit applications such as a cash register environment where space is limited, and the LA open-frame line is designed for displays that require touchscreen monitors as part of a larger system.OLED Micropops from Solaris Labs, Montreal, Quebec, are miniature organic light emitting diodes, a new form of backlighting technology that combines low-power consumption and an ultra-bright display. Each unit consists of an OLED screen and a fully programmable miniature circuit board with one or two megabytes of memory. These displays can be placed right on the edge of a shelf or embedded into another display and can be programmed to provide video, animation, text and still images.Clegg Industries, Torrance, CA, has a new line of voice boxes activated by light or motion sensors. The company also has message panels that operate on ambient light and do not require batteries.DUCO Technologies, Henderson, NV, provides several types of electronics specifically for point-of-purchase applications, such as wide-angle LEDs, bottle glorifiers and single-line and multi-line LED moving message signs. The wide-angle LEDs, introduced this year, have a 60-degree viewing angle.

Technology in Displays

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