Where Does the Future of Digital Signage Lie?

Digital signage is as modern and dynamic as advertising gets. It has seen huge growth, popping up in shopping malls, retail stores, transport hubs, and even along the high street in the form of outdoor digital signage.

While using flatscreen TVs like the LCD in this arena is a very modern concept, brought about by the falling price and lighter and flatter technology, there is great potential for this medium to advance in the future.

Science fiction

Digital signage as a concept has long been explored by writers of science fiction books and films. With books like the excellent Philip K Dick’s The Minority Report (and subsequent but less brilliant Tom cruise film) analyzing the marketing potential of digital signage – where exactly does the future lie?

Well, much of science fiction is already science fact. The facial recognition explored in Minority Report, where passersby are identified and items promoted to them that have relevance to their previous shopping experience, is already a reality.

There have been trials of such technology already in Japan and the potential for this tailored marketing seems to excite many marketers – although it is causing consternation amongst civil liberties enthusiasts.

3D is another popular form of advertising often examined by science fiction.  From Back to the Future II where the latest Jaws movie (Jaws 19 in the film) is advertised by a 3D shark that comes out of the screen and appears to attack the protagonist Marty McFly.

But 3D advertising is also becoming a reality. Glasses free TV is the latest in the renaissance of 3D moving imagery (which has actually been around since the early twentieth century) and 3D TV sets are already becoming mainstream and will undoubtedly be along our high streets – sooner rather than later.

Whatever the future developments of digital signage will be, one thing is probable – whatever they come up with next, a generation of science fiction writers have probably already thought of it first.