This is influenced by the large amount of advertising as well as the “digitalization” of everyday life. People simply do not pay attention to traditional banners, preferring the information they see on their smartphone screens. This is explained by the specifics of human brain perception: it is easier for it to concentrate on one thing. Moreover, the “peak concentration,” according to research, lasts only 8 seconds.

 

What does this mean for a marketer? That it is necessary not only to attract the attention of a potential client but also to tell them about the “product” and convince them to become a consumer within just 8 seconds. For this, video advertising on a digital screen is the best fit. But how exactly should one create content for it, what criteria should be followed, and which techniques are the most effective — many do not even realize.

 

 

What affects the perception of information from a Digital screen

 

Several years ago, the Nielsen Norman Group conducted an extensive study. The goal was to understand which areas of a digital screen or advertising banner a potential client studies more thoroughly. And a pattern “F” was discovered: a person “runs” their eyes over the advertisement in the conditional shape of this letter. That is, they first look at the upper part, then lower their gaze halfway down, and then for just a moment “slide” their gaze to the very bottom. Accordingly, it is on these sections of the digital screen that the most important information should be placed. The very information that needs to be conveyed to the potential end consumer.

 

Another revealed feature: advertising must be relevant. If it is a cold season, then a banner with an offer for a hot tour is a waste of money on marketing. It is better to tie seasonality to various promotions. Even following these simple rules, one can already count on the client making a certain decision in favor of the advertiser with a probability of 60-80%.

 

Another factor studied by the Nielsen Norman Group is intrusiveness. The average user considers advertising on TV, radio, or the internet to be intrusive. Whereas digital screens are perceived quite differently. Advertising through this method is conditionally perceived as credible, but only if it carries certain information and is not just a beautiful “cover” for promoting a brand, company, or person.

 

 

Adaptive design

 

Currently trending is adaptive design. This means that the advertisement should be clear to most of those who theoretically belong to the target audience and should not evoke negative emotions. From this, the following criteria follow:

 

– The content should not be too bright or, conversely, too dim;

 

– The font should be easy to read, not necessarily the most beautiful or designer, but enough for a fraction of a second to read the information the advertiser wants to convey;

 

– The presented content should be well visible and understandable both up close and at a distance of ten meters if the size of the digital screen allows for this.

 

You should avoid using excessively contrasting colors and playing with radically different shades. This negatively affects the perception of the potential client.

 

Special software tools, such as a Content Management System, help create content for digital screens. Using software for digital screens allows you to manage content, making it adaptive and effective. A digital screen player ensures continuous playback of advertising videos, making them accessible to a wide audience.

 

 

How to create engaging content

 

We have figured out how a potential client perceives digital advertising on a digital screen. Next, it is necessary to understand the basic criteria that the displayed content must meet.

 

 

Dynamic image

 

The key advantage of digital screens over the same print media is that the image can be animated, which attracts initial attention. The displayed content can be automated using a software suite, depending on the time of day, weather, and season. For example, if it is a daily goods store, during rainy weather you can run ads for raincoats and umbrellas. The screen will show a model demonstrating how good the product is, and that it is available at a discount today. You can learn more about software suites for managing digital advertising, particularly on digital screens, here.

 

If it’s a café or bar, you can use a scrolling menu as an advertisement. Don’t forget about the “F” rule: the most relevant items for the establishment will be placed in the right spots on the screen.

 

And the main thing: no one watches long videos on digital screens. No matter how attractive, beautiful, or sophisticated the billboard is, no one will stop next to it to watch the ad. Essentially, the advertiser needs to attract attention and within just 4-8 seconds make a specific offer to the potential client. Considering this, DOOH mainly broadcasts ads with a duration of 10 seconds.

 

 

Less words, more content

 

The simplest marketing studies show that only 20% of people first pay attention to the text. The remaining 80% look at images and videos. And if it somehow attracts their attention, then there is a 70-80% chance the person will start to study the ad in more detail.

 

The proposal itself should be as short and clear as possible and fully meet the potential client’s request. You should not create content that makes people think in order to make a decision. The same answer should be contained as a message in the video or animated image on the digital screen.

 

 

Proper color combination

 

To attract initial attention, it is essential to use the correct combination of colors. General rules:

 

– The overall color scheme should stand out well against the background of the everyday cityscape;

 

– Follow color combinations: black looks good with white, red, pink, green, but not gray or brown, while green combines best with light shades, purple, and so on;

 

– Alternating color schemes is not the best solution because the human eye needs some time to adapt to what it sees on the screen.

 

If a company already has “corporate” colors, it is not necessary to focus on them, as many mistakenly try to do. The exception is only those situations where the advertisement is specifically aimed at promoting brand recognition.

 

 

Working with text

 

Text is a supplement to the content, not its basis. It is important to remember that the advertiser has only up to 10 seconds to introduce the client to the product, point out its advantages, and make a specific offer.

 

Therefore, it is recommended to follow these rules:

 

– Display the text block several times while the video or animated image is shown;

 

– Do not write the text directly on the image, and even better, create a conditional interaction with it (for example, a person in the video gestures towards the text block);

 

– Use simple, easily readable fonts with a straightforward structure.

 

The text itself needs to be made contrasting in relation to the rest of the content on the screen. If the overall background is blue, white or yellow letters will look good on it, but not green or purple.

 

Digital advertising on screens is effective due to its dynamism and the ability to adapt to different conditions. A player for Digital Signage ensures continuous playback of advertising videos, making them accessible to a wide audience.

 

 

Experiments with style

 

Many, when creating content for digital screens, orient themselves towards competitors and sometimes even try to adopt their style, slightly modifying and adapting it to their own product or service. This creates an effect of intrusiveness. The potential client sees similar ads in many places and eventually just stops paying attention to them.

 

Do not be afraid to stand out with your style. Experiments are encouraged if based on practice and statistics. You can get general examples of lightboxes from foreign platforms (for example, they are often posted on YouTube). By the way, some of the most original advertising options for digital screens are traditionally created by the Japanese. There, competition in most commercial areas is extremely high, which forces advertisers to experiment. Very often — successfully.

 

 

Client expectations and reality

 

The content on a digital screen must match the actual offer from the advertiser. That is, it is necessary to promote the goods or services that the company actually provides and under the same conditions that were indicated on the screen.

 

If the content does not correspond to the real conditions, even a potential client who responds to the advertisement will not become a regular customer. Moreover, a negative attitude towards the brand or company may form, which they will certainly share with their friends and acquaintances.

 

The same happens if the information on the digital screen is simply outdated. For example, there was a recent promotion offering 30% discounts. The offer has already ended, but the advertisement was not changed in time or was forgotten. This can cause significant reputational damage to the advertiser, completely negating the previously gained influx of the client base.

 

 

How to make interesting content

 

The following criteria can be highlighted for easily perceivable content that is likely to attract the attention of a potential client:

 

– Conveys a formed opinion or offer. That is, it needs the completeness of the “order.”

 

– Fully corresponds to the current input parameters. This includes seasonality, weather, and the geography of the city or region.

 

– Has its own style, which indirectly or secondarily may remind of the general design used by the brand. But the latter is not necessarily required.

 

– Clear, readable font. However, do not focus on textual information. Most often, this includes contact information or addresses.

 

– Easily distinguishable from any distance. As an extreme point, you can focus on the mark of 10-20 meters, depending on the size of the digital screen.

 

As for playing background soundtracks, even if available, they should be used only to attract attention. It is not worth transmitting the main information about the advertised object through sound because it can only be heard up close. Additionally, the noise level in crowded places, where digital screens are most often located, is too high.

 

 

Content options

 

For display on digital screens, the following content formats can be highlighted:

 

– Announcement: This involves informing about an upcoming event or sale. The focus here is on information. It can be done in a conversational style: for example, a “host” offers the viewer to participate in a planned event.

 

– Native advertising: Informing about an available product/service. It can be supplemented with a call to action. Such content is most often done in the form of graphics, without filming.

 

– Viral advertising: Potential clients are intrigued but left with elements of ambiguity. This is suitable for large-scale advertising campaigns that take a lot of time.

 

Which option will be optimal in certain cases depends on the product being promoted and the company’s format of operation. More details on the main trends in 2024 and what will be relevant soon can be found here.

 

 

Managing Digital Signage

 

To manage a Digital Signage system, it is important to use a digital signage player that allows you to create, modify, and control content. Modern Digital Signage solutions provide efficient content management, ensuring that your messages are always up-to-date and appealing to viewers.

 

 

Where to get content

 

The simplest option is to shoot a promo video. However, such a format of advertising for screens is not the most interesting for the client, and there is a high probability that the advertisement will go unnoticed. Therefore, it is complemented with graphics and editing to make the content more dynamic, bright, and, most importantly, to convey the necessary information to the target audience.

 

A more complex option is purely graphic content created using editing software. In this case, everything is limited only by imagination. Creating truly high-quality videos for a digital screen is expensive, but these investments pay off handsomely with the right approach.

 

Generated content using AI is becoming increasingly popular. However, this is not free. Specialists who know how to work with artificial intelligence and create video content based on it are few. The amount of work is no less than creating a graphic video manually. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that companies are increasingly integrating AI into their marketing programs. Machine learning allows for more precise analysis of the target audience, their reactions, and subsequently forming the most effective advertisements. For implementing a long-term marketing campaign, it is recommended to pay attention to this direction.

 

Using ready-made templates for advertising screens is convenient. They can be found easily on the internet, absolutely free. However, the attractiveness of such advertising is the lowest, and you should not expect a significant influx of the target audience. If a template is publicly available, it has already been used by someone, and therefore, the advertisement created based on it will be secondary.

 

Therefore, the optimal options remain either natural shooting combined with video editing or fully graphic content. Which option is better depends on the marketing promotion goal and the available budget.

 

The most expensive way to obtain content is to contact an agency specializing in outdoor advertising. They will handle the creation of the video or animated graphics “turnkey.” However, the client will need to provide a very detailed technical specification and describe the target audience. Even so, the result may not be impressive: there are agencies that are not interested in their reputation and focus only on obtaining maximum net profit. It is necessary to choose a partner for cooperation carefully.

 

 

Technical nuances

 

A common mistake: preparing content starts even before the technical parameters of the digital screen, on which the advertisement is planned to be displayed, are determined. This is because video editing and shooting most often involve videos in Full HD or UHD resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

 

However, this is not suitable for digital screens with a portrait orientation (so-called “lightboxes”). Therefore, these nuances should be discussed in advance. It is possible to create universal content where the aspect ratio will be adaptive. In this case, the central part of the video is formed, and the remaining parts are filled with a background image or animation. The output should be 2-3 videos with different aspect ratios.

 

It is also necessary to consider what type of matrix is used in the digital screen on which the content will be displayed. This affects the color rendering parameters and the type of supported color space. Based on this, final color correction of the content is carried out according to basic rules: without overly bright or dark colors, with the correct play of contrast.

 

To implement an effective digital signage system, high-quality digital signage software is necessary. Software for screens helps create and manage content, ensuring that it fully complies with the technical parameters of the advertising screens. Using digital signage software and an indoor radio player can significantly increase the efficiency of advertising campaigns, reduce implementation costs, and ensure high quality.

 

Thus, creating content for a digital screen is a multi-level task. It always starts with market analysis, competitors, and setting tasks for the created advertisement. The most important aspects are the concept, style, and understanding that information needs to be conveyed to the target audience within just 5-10 seconds. Based on these criteria, you can already launch a marketing campaign on digital screens and, on average, increase client inflow by 18-20% from the first advertisement. Subsequently, the results should be analyzed to make the ads more relevant.

 

Advision — Content Management System for remote management and media planning of broadcast video and audio content. We help offline businesses and advertising companies automate workflows and implement a robust Digital Signage infrastructure using our proprietary software and hardware solutions.

 

Contact us, and we will help you implement the most modern technologies to solve your problems!