University of Toronto

The Challenge The University of Toronto Recreational and Wellness Center (RAWC) is a brand new state‐of‐the‐art facility. The Center is quite diverse with community outreach programs to other schools and the local hospital where it provides rehabilitation and fitness instructor services. With the various programs taking place, communication within the building was a full‐time job and the limited tools they had were proving ineffective. The Fitness Coordinator, Andrew Bellerby, was looking to improve the process with a solution that would grow with their needs and achieve their communications goals.

 

The Solution MyMedia took on the challenge of delivering a system that fulfilled all of U of T's requirements in an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement system. As a Scala value‐added reseller, MyMedia recommended Scala 5 working in conjunction with MyMedia's content manager server to hold all of U of T's content and playlists. The content was developed using a series of templates and scripts giving the coordinator and his team the ability to change content on the fly and in real-time. The second part of the project was to overlay digital signage with television programming from a satellite feed. Since Scala software is able to accommodate and display two distinct content feeds using a dual head video card, along with the TV input card, MyMedia was able to deliver two independent channels of content. The first channel is digital signage with four zones playing announcements, news, weather, time and date. The second channel plays the overlay of digital signage and satellite TV simultaneously. The last requirement was to display the facility’s daily schedule on their LCD screens. In order to do this, data needed to be extrapolated from their scheduling software and a VBScript was developed to display a seven‐day schedule tailored to the University’s needs. This gave the coordinator a time‐saving and green solution for not having to post print ads every day throughout the facility. 

 

The Benefit This powerful communications tool has enabled the Centre to cross market information at the same time while people are being entertained. The system is so easy to use the administrators are able to make updates and random announcements now as they are needed. And with the launch of displaying the facility’s schedule electronically the department has saved a tremendous amount of money, time and resources not having to print and post daily programs. With the success that the University of Toronto Mississauga campus has experienced they are considering expanding their digital signage network in the near future.

Digital Signage and Social Networking

Social networking is engrained in the everyday life of shoppers today.  Facebook, Twitter, and the daily emergence of new social networking platforms.  Luckily business have recognized the opportunity to use social networking as a way to communicate with their customers.  But what has proven to the the biggest challenge is to generate a strong following. In order for any social networking initiatives is that regardless of how valuable the information is on the social working sites, people need to know that the retailers are socially connected. 

Retailers can now take advantage of digital signage to tap into their social networking feeds and have their posts displayed in their store.  These feeds could take up a small zone on the screen, a large zone, or have the ability to have a scrolling feed of posts on the bottom of your advertisements.  The main advantage of using digital signage to promote your social networking is that it lets people know it exists.  Digital signage draws shoppers into the retail outlet, and upon noticing that the store posts on social networking platforms, the shopper can follow the newest promotions from home.  Given the growing amount of time people spend online, there is a high likelihood that people may visit your face page before seeing your ad in the newspaper.  What essentially seems like advertising your advertising, is actually handing out a digital brochure. 

MyMedia specializes in zoning your digital signage and giving you the ability to promote your social networking.  Digital signage has countless in store benefits, but paired with social media, customers have access to your message anywhere. 

Multicultural and Multilingual Signage

How do you communicate in a Multilanguage environment without creating a cluttered of static signs posted everywhere in English and foreign languages?

Communication coordinators are using digital signage as a tool to communicate in multiple languages without creating extra clutter.

Since digital signage is dynamic it can effectively communicate the same message in multiple languages ensuring all visitors are clearly understanding the same message. 
 
Canada is fortunate to be a cultural mosaic.  Our multiculturalism has grown to the point where French, our second official language, is not even in the top 10 languages spoken in Canada.  Retailers, by advertising using static signage, limit their advertising potential by reaching only one demographic of shopper or by created cluttered static signage. 
 
Digital signage offered by MyMedia gives retailers the ability to have adaptive digital signage that can be tailored to each individual retail location’s needs.  Adopting digital signage gives retailers the ability to not only communicate with a more diverse audience than ever before but additionally allows the retailers to experience the benefits of increased sales and awareness that eye-catching dynamic digital signage provides. 
 
Digital signage would allow retailers to display information in as many languages as they want by either rotating through different languages or even effectively displaying more than one language at a time.  Digital signage reduces the clutter that exists on static signage when displaying more than one language with the ability to transition to a new ad.  This allows every ad displayed to be as effective as possible, and yielding the highest likelihood of success from each sign.   
 
Being able to communicate with all shoppers in a manner most comfortable to them is a major step in improving the customer experience.  MyMedia is offering turnkey digital signage that facilitates seamless multilingual digital signage without creating clutter, or increasing costs.  Contact MyMedia to learn how to get the most out of your advertising.