The display technology in digital signage has seen several changes in the past few years. Starting out with 36-42 inch flat panel LED displays, today we are looking at displays larger than 86 inches, multiple display video walls, 4K resolution, and OLED display screens. Moreover, social media channels are becoming a means of video messaging for companies.
In creating content for new media, how can a brand ensure continuity while keeping in mind the challenges posed with the introduction of newer display technologies and the interference of other channels in the world of digital signage?
What is brand continuity?
According to LED signage experts, brand continuity is extremely important. Advertisements can keep changing, but when all ads are laid out together, there should be a feeling like they belong to the same company or brand.
In simple words, the idea of brand continuity is that all channels of communication between an organization and its customers should have a look and feel that they are initiated from the same place. Brands should keep in mind that their customers should have a consistent experience, regardless of how the customers are reached.
Brand continuity is not just about making sure the advertisement style, colors, images and so on are consistent but it also means making sure the content communicated to customers is consistent. Consistency in messages coming from the same brand means customers are more likely to remember the message.
Useful tips on maintaining brand continuity
- Repurpose content across various channels
Any brand should have some existing marketing content. Simply use this content and repurpose it for new campaigns. Although this may not be very natural, there are many reasons why the use of existing marketing material will improve a company’s image and make it convenient for marketing staff. Analyze your current and future campaigns to determine what worked in the past. Doing so will save time and will help in effectively reaching your target audience. The same content that worked well with previous campaigns can be re-used for other channels. For example, the content created for LED displays are never used on channels such as social media. Experts think this is a missed opportunity. Hence re-using that content on social media channels will reach a larger audience and will make better use of each dollar spent in advertising.
- Customize content based on the media being used
When using the same content in more than one media channel, it is important to understand features and constraints pertaining to those channels. Only then you are assured that your content remains consistent. For example, LED video walls have a large viewing area as compared to smaller LED screens. Hence the real estate available for displaying information on video walls is much more. Therefore content designers can use bigger and higher quality images and video clips in the design for video wall content. Small text, logos and faces between screen bezels can be avoided. Although a video wall is a huge canvas, it is displayed from far away and the design needs to be treated like that of a small canvas. Hence designers must be aware of pixel pitch and bezels in creating content for video walls.
As for individual displays, an LED screen that is landscape oriented cannot use the same content format of a portrait oriented LED display. This means that although the same messaging can be used, the design has to be re-done for each display. Try to avoid portrait oriented screens because they are not very text-friendly. The horizontal orientation to display a reasonably sized headline in one line is not available in portrait screens. If you are confused about what kind of LED screen to invest in, get in touch with our staff at LED Craft Inc. We will analyze your business and provide you with suitable options for what kind of LED displays you should invest in.
- Maintain a balance between text and visuals
While brands insist on the idea of ‘bigger is better’ in all their marketing efforts, this may not always be the case. While big is appropriate in some situations, it should not be used as an alternative for replacing meaningful content. Furthermore, important content does not need to appear from side to side all the time just to ensure that viewers will read it. Backing up important messages with a good visual is enough to ensure that viewers have understood the synergized content. If you have uncomfortably huge text, you are distracting the attention from good visuals.
- Don’t overuse brand logos
Indoor LED signs placed within an organization don’t need to have logos displayed on every piece of content. A customer who has visited your business means you have already won them over. Logos are not needed to keep reminding them of where they are.
- Brand personality is of utmost importance
Personality of the brand plays a major role in differentiating between a successful and an unsuccessful LED signage campaign. A brand’s personality is very well highlighted by including animation and motion graphics in its marketing content. By including reflections, lights, shadows and so on in the animation, you are enhancing your brand’s personality. The more the time spent in creating detailed animations, the more the brand personality is enhanced.
