Digital Signage and Charity

Recent tragic events in Japan, and charitable campaigns in the UK and elsewhere, have highlighted the effectiveness of digital signage displays at raising awareness and money for charity.

After the triple whammy of an earthquake, tsunami, and problems at their nuclear reactors, the Dooh industry was pretty quick of the mark when it came to assisting in charitable appeals.

Within days of the tragic events, the website dooh4relief.com was set up to provide free spots for appeals to the Red Cross and Red Crescent charities, to enable screen owners whether for indoor or outdoor digital signage to run appeals to the public to assist the people of Japan.

So far, hundreds of these spots have been downloaded and being run on screens in the USA, Britain, Canada, France and Ireland with more foreign spots being created to widen the appeals.

Digital signage is a very effective media for charity appeals due to its prevalence and its ability, like television to provide images, which create sympathy and bring home to people the events that are unfolding on the other side of the world, stimulating them to give.

Because of the low cost of displaying charitable content, and the ability of digital signage to play moving images for a fraction of the cost of TV advertising.

Last week saw the UK’s annual Red Nose Day appeal for Comic Relief, an annual telethon and charity day, aimed at generating money for the developing world and charities within the UK.

Amscreen, perhaps the UKs leading provider of in-store advertising screens donated £100,000 of ad space to the charity last week. Amscreen, who reach 25 million people a week in the retail, pharmaceutical and leisure screens, and have over 3,000 sites across the UK, carried the Comic relief appeal which featured famous British comics Harry Hill, Dawn French and Michael McIntyre.