Before I dive into this week’s article I want to apologize for using a word incorrectly last week. I did not realize the word had alternate meanings until it was brought to my attention.
Throughout college I worked many positions in the hotel industry and loved every job but one: changing the marquis letters. Rochester New York is known for its long cold winters and every time the hotels would host a new event meant me standing outside with a long suction cup mounted on a pole. Each letter needed to be changed one-by-one until the entire event name was spelled or I developed frostbite.
Around the same time, gas stations started advertising their wares at the pumps on little screens built into the self serve islands. Prices for a gallon of milk and a carwash would dance across the screen pulling in a captive audience of equally cold travelers. If the store manager wanted to change the price or advertise something new it was a simple matter of reprogramming the screens. That was the first time I noticed advertising technology at work.
One of the banks I do business with has an active LCD screen flashing advertisements behind their counter. Every visit has something new dancing across the screen enticing me to apply for a home loan, invest in an IRA, or something similar. According the branch manager, she has no control of the display because it’s programmed through the corporate office.
Fast food has adopted some amazing technology as well. Recently, I stopped into my local McDonald’s and was amazed at the new menu display. The young man behind the counter was perplexed with me as I gazed at the changing pictures of hamburgers and milk shakes. Even though I wasn’t enticed enough to order food, I was still mesmerized at how effective the advertising worked. Their average customer sat for three minutes watching the display.
Similar technologies have been used in many retail businesses to promote products. I decided to try the new Tide Pod product line simply because the display featured a mini computer with an audio/video display illustrating the convenience. Are they really more convenient? I can’t answer that, but I can tell you the advertising media enticed me to make a purchase I normally wouldn’t.
Setting up a similar sign for a business is fairly simple and a lot of sign can be created for little money. One of the displays that attracted me based on simplicity is at a KFC in New Hampshire. The store used a standard flat screen television combined with a NanoPC and mounted the whole contraption on the wall. With the push of a button, the franchisee could display the standard menu or rotate through specials.
The motivation for writing this week’s article comes from visiting Boston with my daughters this weekend. Bubble-berry smoothies are a Taiwanese drink my girls and I have fallen in love with and the best place in New England is in Chinatown. For the first time this weekend I noticed the owner implemented a new digital sign which replaced marker scribbles on cardboard. For the first time since I’ve been their customer I actually know what I’m ordering ahead of time.
Display technologies take many different forms and can be used to flash daily specials or simply rotate through standard offerings. A simple television and existing computer can be used or a specialized display can be acquired for the purpose. No matter, adding dimension to a billboard or marquis definitely can spice up any bottom line and can save a worker from shaking snow from his shoes.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him directly at (978) 919-8059) or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.