Jun
McDonalds Interactive Experiment in Outdoor Digital Signage
A recent experiment in giant outdoor digital signage in London’s tourist packed Piccadilly Circus serves to prove just how entertaining and interactive digital signage can be, and how a great digital sign can actually become an attraction for visitors itself.
A giant digital billboard was posted by burger giant McDonald’s not far from its Piccadilly Circus branch. Not so unusual to see a giant digital billboard here, as there are dozens, advertising everything from banking to bingo.
What makes this sign so special is what it displays, no its size. Not images of burgers and fries as one might imagine. This billboard takes advantage of the concept of perspective. The digital dynamic sign displays a series of rotating images that the tourists at ground level can “pose” with, adding an extra element of fun to their vacation photographs.
There is an umbrella that one can seemingly “hold”, various items of headgear ranging from top hats to furry earmuffs that the subject can “wear”. The effect in the final photograph is surprisingly good. If posed just right, it can really appear as if you are holding that 200lb dumbbell! You just may get some rather strange looks from passersby who have not looked up at the sign and have no idea why you might be posing in such a strange manner. A discreet image of the famous golden arches appears in one corner of the red “postcard” background, but Ronald McDonald is nowhere in sight.
The sign has become something of a new tourist attraction by itself. McDonald’s has a good profile in the UK, but it certainly helps the idea of a quick Big Mac stand out from the hundreds of other food choices in the area.
Another London example of great digital signage can be seen in some of the windows of the famous upscale department store Harrods, here digital posters are used to maximise effect. Instead of the traditional mannequins that have been used for over 150 years, clothes and models are now being displayed on constantly changing digital signage screens. What makes the Harrods’s display clever though is the unusual shapes that the images are displayed in. The unusual is always a great eye catcher. Inside the store digital signage has been a fixture since 2005. There are over 100 digital signage displays placed all over the store that display constantly updated product information and pricing, as well as short snippets about the interesting history of the famous store and other advertising content.
LCD Enclosures Global have been working to provide digital signage solutions to Harrods in the UK and McDonald’s on a worldwide scale. Their protective outdoor TV enclosures are extremely robust, offering vandal and weather proof protection. They even offer an anti ligature TV enclosure, perfect for correctional facilities.