dimanche 15 janvier 2012

DOOH: Screens at Grand Central NY, NY



Grand Central, New York, Friday night. 9 o'clock. The Main Concourse of the commuter train station is clean, slightly crowded. No posters at all on the walls, or hanging from the ceiling. No brand logos. No advertising scattered all over the place There is a feeling of luxury, order and beauty.


No advertising?
No, however.... Just a few screens (four), elegantly framed like paintings. All on the same side of the Main Concourse. There is also an Apple Store which opened in 2011 (East Balcony). Just as clean, just as elegantly organized. Modernity of the computer and iPad screens mix with the old architecture of the building. Store without walls, open space. All in all, three kinds of visitors for this site: commuters, Apple customers and tourists.

Grand Central Terminal, built in 1913, was completely restored in 1998. It is a historic building - in some ways a museum as well - and everything here is conceived and designed to preserve its monumental image (on history of train stations, see: "C'est beau une gare".
One of the screens in the main concourse
Advertising had to comply with such an image and contribute to the ambiance and style.

Two ways to use the screens in public places
  • In Grand Central, digital screens made it possible to eliminate the posters which so often clutter public places ("dedensification", as French advertising sales rep like to euphemize it). In such a case, it is impossible for the public to miss the screens, they stand out (Gestalt). Since there are only a few screens, advertising displayed on them is very efficient. The rate card is simple (dayparts); the loop is short (4 or 5 messages 15 s), with very few words in the messages .
  • In many public places (stations, malls, supermarkets, airports, etc.) screens are scattered in the middle of posters, adding to the clutter. Consequently, the rate card is complex, not to mention the measurement: one for screens, one for posters. 
DOOH is not something you add in a public area just because room is available. Screens should be installed as a main means of communication to a target public, and not just simply to passers-by. Most of the time, DOOH would be more efficient if planned upfront: design and elegance are a major part of the communication strategy. The media is always an important part of the message.
.

5 commentaires:

Julie Hesnault a dit…

Enfin un lieu où l'on n'est pas à la chasse aux panneaux publicitaires.
On prouve ici que ce média peut se lier avec l'architecture d'un lieu.
Les français devraient prendre exemple sur les américains même si dans nos aéroports français les mobiliers publicitaires restent assez épurés et esthétiquement corrects.

Bird_face a dit…

Je pense au contraire que les français ont peu de leçons à recevoir des américains, sachant que Grand Central est l'exception qui confirme la règle du tout publicité et du pas toujours très esthétique...

Chrystelle NAMMOUR a dit…

Il y a longtemps que la publicité aurait dû s'intégrer si gracieusement a l'architecture. L'esthétique confère un caractère plus noble au panneau publicitaire et par conséquent au message lui même. L’impact du message est renforcé car un passant qui est invité à regarder sans aucune agression visuelle s'attardera forcement plus devant l'écran. C’est astucieux car cela donne au passant l'illusion d'avoir le choix. Qu'ils sont malins ces américains !

Carmela UniFr a dit…

In today's technologically inclined world, the elegantly framed screens in Grand Central station are an excellent choice for the advertisers of select products or brands.

As Marshall McLuhan noted, the medium used to communicate a message says a lot about the message itself; that is, how the speaker or advertiser would like the message to be perceived. In this case, the elegance of the screens shows not only the product being advertised to the target audience, but also influences how the audience sees the product. For example, if I observe the obvious, I see that the Chanel screen is telling me to buy a product that is already well known as expensive and high class. However, the medium used - one of only four elegant, technologically advanced screens - tells me that the product being advertised is rare or uncommon, in other words, special.

I think that the way the message is transmitted would affect my perception of the message. I may feel less inclined to think the Chanel watch is special, if I see it advertised on a side banner on facebook or if one of my peers recommended it.

Whether or not I would be more inclined to purchase the product (according to a survey conducted in April 2012 showed that 90% of N. Americans trust peer recommendations!) is irrelevant in this case, but I think that the effect of the Chanel advertisement would be greatly diminished by the use of other media such as social networks or radio etc.

Reffet Loïc UNIFR a dit…

Voilà comment rendre une gare attractive esthétiquement et non dénuée d'intérêt pour un annonceur.

Les architectes, par la beauté de cette gare ont su transformer le fait de prendre le train en une expérience de vie agréable, dans un bâtiment dont l'éclairage et la simplicité donne une impression dorée et luxueuse. Un peu comme la visite d'un beau théâtre.
C'est donc dans le cadre de cette expérience que l'affichage digital va pouvoir avoir un effet rutilant.
Les temps changent et l'utilisation du numérique évoque le mélange du noble, du solide, de l'ancien avec le moderne, le technologique, l'avenir.
Le choix d'opter pour l'affichage unique du DooH focalisera l'attention que sur un seul support, même si celui-ci contient différent messages. Bien mieux que d'effleurer X affiches du regard sans se fixer. Le medium, c'est le message comme disait le célèbre Marshall Mac Luhan. Grand central a su évoluer dans le choix de ces supports publicitaires et ceux-ci semblent judicieux.