KEY TO SUCCESS

Company: Fastsigns  Project: Adopting dynamic digital signage

Key to success: Having a working system in the showroom helps the product sell.

Fastsigns, Midland, Texas, and Complex Community Federal Credit Union, based in Odessa, Texas, decided on two video walls comprised of four 40” monitors. Each wall plays a different message designed to inform, sell and promote brand awareness.

Mike Hogue, owner of the Fastsigns location in Midland, Texas, saw nothing but opportunity in dynamic digital signage (DDS) when Fastsigns Corporate first rolled out its own digital signage system for franchisees in January 2009.

Though 2009 was perhaps not the best time for sign companies to adopt a new technology and compete with it for more dollars in a very challenging economy, Hogue thought it was time to incorporate DDS into his product mix.

“I felt that this was the wave of the future and would have a really good wow-factor. Plus, if we had this technology available, even if we didn’t sell it right away, it would change the perception of our shop. If there was a higher-end customer, like a college or a bank, and we offered this technology they would realize we don’t just do banners. I also felt that just having the system in my showroom would help sell our other products as well,” explains Hogue. He was right.

THE RIGHT FIT

Hogue had the perfect customer in mind for his shop’s first foray into DDS, a local credit union based next door in Odessa, which has additional branches in neighboring small towns. Not only did Hogue recognize the credit union for its leadership in the community, but also for its longstanding relationship with his shop.

“I can’t say enough about our contact at the credit union. She’s well informed and knows every facet of the business. It’s amazing to me how informed she is,” says Hogue. “It’s a good idea to work with someone you know and trust, and who you can be completely frank with on your first DDS installation.”

When Hogue suggested the concept to Lisa Wyman, vice president of marketing and human resources for Complex Community Federal Credit Union, they were already looking at the technology as a means to get their message across to their members and potential members in a new and different way.

“We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to get information out and communicate with the members, and this seemed like an awesome way to do it,” says Wyman. “It would give us a dynamic way to communicate to our members, help push out products we’re interested in selling, and at the same time catch members at a place where they need those services.”

Before installing the digital signage system, the credit union had four backlit signs.

Basically, it was the perfect fit, and the two organizations went to work on making DDS fit their goals. After discussing various ways in which the technology could be implemented—including in the drive-thru areas and at the various branches—Hogue and Wyman decided the best first installation would be in the lobby at the credit union’s headquarters in Odessa, which sits next door to Midland in a miniature version of DFW. From there it was decided to make as big a splash as possible with two video walls, each comprised of four 40" monitors on either side of the wall behind the teller stations in the lobby.

The strategy would promote products and services, solidify brand awareness and inform members about the credit union’s work in the community. So designers at Fastsigns went to work creating a playlist of messages and images that would rotate on either video wall.

“You want to build on brand awareness, marketing and community events. If you’re standing in the lobby you should know where you are, but any time you show a logo, you’re building brand awareness. We use words like trust and innovation, and we’re using these videos to build on that perception. For instance, we’ll fade in the word trust, show a photo of one of their employees, then run a quote that reinforces the message. That’s where we’re building brand awareness. On the other video wall we might be selling one of their products, like their auto refinance program, CDs or mortgages, or any of the community events they’re involved in,” explains Hogue.

Once in place, changes can be easily made and placed into the rotation via the Internet. The Fastsigns system incorporates Scala software and NEC screen hardware. This bundled system allows Fastsigns to more easily implement a cohesive system with certain failsafe features, like NEC’s three-year warranty.

DIGITAL DETAILS

At first, Hogue was concerned that he didn’t have the right skill sets readily available to make the system work to its full potential. However, he quickly found that his designer and other team members were more than up to the task and together they embraced the challenge. In fact, says Hogue, once the system is installed, it’s actually easier and more profitable than putting up new static signs.

“From a sign company’s standpoint, if a customer ordered a banner, they would call us to build the banner and deliver it. We’re taking the production part of it out of the equation. Once they’ve paid for the hardware, the banner’s already on the wall; it’s just a matter of changing the message,” says Hogue. “I don’t see any difference between digital and static. We either send the message to the monitor or to production, but in this case we make more money because we don’t have to go through the physical process of building it.”

Fastsigns set up a three-year contract with Complex Community Federal Credit Union to manage their content, install and maintain the system. The hardware side of the system is part of NEC’s program whereby NEC installs and repairs or replaces defective hardware over that three-year period.

Hogue explains that you can and should provide tiered options of service for content management. In this case, the client chose the top tier, which basically provides for any content changes the client wants to make. A lower-tiered example would be one in which the client gets two changes per month and then is charged for any additional work that month.

Installing the monitors on the brackets: Once the monitors were up, the necessary cables were run though the ceiling into a conveniently located attic area where the players for each video wall, along with each mouse and keyboard, can be easily accessed.

THE INSTALLATION

The units were delivered to Fastsigns before the installation. Each set of four monitors has its own player, which is a CPU with a keyboard and mouse. The system was taken to the credit union to be installed by NEC. The monitors were attached to brackets, which were drilled into place by the installation team.

The only hiccup in the process came when they couldn’t get the content to the player on installation day. After going back through the files, they found some that were corrupt and had to be replaced. Now off-site, it was also more difficult to stream that content to the players.

“I learned that it’s best to have the content pre-loaded before installation. You might find you’re having some bugs getting new information to it and you can deal with that more easily while the units are in the shop. That would have saved me about 16 hours of anguish,” says Hogue. “But now that they’re in, we can upload and have new content on the monitors immediately.”

Otherwise, the units were installed without a hitch. All the cables were run into the ceiling and up to an attic-like area that holds the CPUs. It’s easily accessed and allows someone to work directly with a CPU and its mouse and keyboard if necessary.

“We’ve used backlit signs in the past, but now we’re the only ones in this area with this technology,” says Wyman. “Our members think we’re the coolest thing ever. We have a lot of people who come to our lobby who are not members, and it telegraphs to the whole community that we’re different than the next guy, that we’re more forward-thinking and willing to step out and do new things. That certainly can’t hurt your reputation or your business.

“Our tellers are primed to do some tracking for us so that we can get a better handle on the results, but so far it’s been outstanding. We have branches in two smaller communities and we really think it will catch on in a big way in those smaller towns. We could use it as a community showcase. When you’re doing things like that, it endears you to a community. People start talking about you and you grow membership that way.”