Digital Signage Content Displayed While You Ride
updated 12/01/10
Digital Signage in Taxicabs
A new trend in digital signage is hitting taxicabs nationwide. The big question is, "How effective can it truly be?" Through the incorporation of credit card payment terminals in taxicabs, advertisers & companies have been able to expand their advertising efforts through the implementation of digital signage. Typically found on the back of the front seats, are small 10-inch screens displaying advertisements, weather, news & even trivia games to entertain & inform riders. While features vary based on provider, state & taxicab companies, standard traits include touch-screen interactivity, audio & full motion video. How does it work? For the most part, the digital signage content is downloaded periodically throughout a day & stored on the units themselves. Digital signage content is usually played once a meter is started, which means a taxi driver only has to listen to the advertisements when he or she has customers. But does it work?
Content is typically purchased or sponsored by advertiser. For example, an advertiser could sponsor an on-screen clock, provider riders with information they'd appreciate, while still displaying the company's name & services. Short advertisements or commercials could also be played to entertain & inform guests. This is especially effective towards tourists or those unfamiliar with the area. Many of the digital signage players can even be connected to the taxi's GPS to play location-based content. A store, for example, could program a player to display their advertisements when a taxicab is with a certain mileage of the building.
According to an article found on DigitalSignageToday.com, the average taxi ride in New York City is 14 minutes. On average, there is 1.4 passengers per ride & 42 rides per shift. What does this mean? Advertisements will run 21 times per shift and will be seen by approximately 30 people per day. That's almost 1.2 million times! Another great feature of digital signage within taxicabs is the ability to track what viewers watch. Advertisers can see during which commercials are the TV screens switched off, or to another channel, if possible. This gives them real-time data about successful advertisements & information.
As someone who has recently experienced digital signage advertising within a taxicab, I can tell you that it is both annoying & informative. As someone who was not familiar with the area, having advertisements & information thrown at me about the city was both exciting & interesting. However, I found the product-focused advertisements to be annoying, loud & distracting. Personally, I like to daydream out a window when riding in cars or taxis, so to have a loud commercially screaming at me for attention was rather distracting & frustrating. As a result, I turned the screen off & therefore did not view any advertisements following the loud commercial. Although I believe it's a great idea & an awesome tool to expose advertisements to a broader audience, the nature of the ads would have to cater to my needs.
Which leads us to another form of content management: demographic-based ads. Many companies are using camera-based setups to cater their advertisements towards a specific demographic. Would having cameras in a taxicab violate peoples' trusts & privacy though? Where is the line, & can it be crossed? Is the increase in revenue & exposure of advertisements truly worth the removal of privacy altogether? How personal do we really want to get & when is it enough? Personally, I would rather just enjoy the views of the city I'm riding in, but some may differ in opinion.
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