One of the stars at ad:tech was oOh! Media’s remarkable Excite retail screen – an interactive marvel that’s already a hit with food court visitors at Northwest shopping centre, Downtown, Sylvia Park and Botany Town Centre.
Under the guidance of oOh! NZ sales manager Laressa Marinovich, M+AD ed David Gapes got to play with this intriguing device, captivated – like a small boy – by the Mirror mode.
In many ways, he said, Excite is like a giant smartphone – much more than a simple digital screen.
oOh! is initially rolling out five new panels in Auckland, but has plans to install dozens more throughout the country.
The range of technologies combined within each of oOh!’s Excite panels include:
- Multi-touch screens
- Kinect 2.0 gesture control
- Voice recognition technology
- High definition web-cams
- Wi-Fi
- Audio
- Networking capabilities
“For the first time, digital advertising will have access to all these technologies across a network that links advertisers and consumers through the integration of the creative with online, mobile and social channels,” said oOh! NZ general manager Adam McGregor.
“The introduction of Excite to New Zealand was a game changer for the country’s OOH advertising sector as it moved beyond simply converting traditional inventory to digital signs.
“The expectation of every New Zealander, in how they communicate, what they can do and when they can do it, is changing rapidly. We have developed our digital strategy with that in mind and Excite is a major step in this strategy,” McGregor said.
“Coupled with our back-end proprietary content management system, we have created a partnership of technology and content that provides advertisers with new ways of connecting with consumers and at the same time delivering mass-audience reach.
“While we have been driving deep engagement with consumers in recent times by using our inventory in innovative ways for clients, Excite will enable us to take connection with the consumer to new levels.
“The opportunities of how this can be used are limited only by the imagination.”
The Excite screens are strategically placed in high traffic spots that allow a wide berth for interactivity and crowd viewing, plus a long viewing time.
oOh!’s digital strategy director Brendon Cropper said oOh! had fast tracked the rollout of Excite in New Zealand as part of its commitment to expand the national digital network, which consists of more than 150 digital screens.
“We’ve spent more than $1 million in the development of the Excite panels which take the OOH industry to an entirely new level and set the benchmark for consumer engagement,” Cropper said.
“We’ve packed in all the latest technologies we could to equip brands and their advertising agencies with the opportunity to be creative and develop interactive campaigns with both cut through and reach.
“We are pleased that New Zealand advertisers and consumers alike will now benefit from oOh!’s 10-year product development in engaging digital display units.
“The world leading capabilities of Excite can be grouped into three main campaign themes: Fun, Fame, Fortune,” Cropper said.
“Fun includes gaming, via gesture control, voice recognition and recording, Fame includes the webcam for photography and Fortune is for competitions that utilise the touchscreen that is linked to a sophisticated computerised back-end.
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