All Episodes

September 16, 2024 37 mins

Join us for the next episode of Burning Questions, where we dive into the evolving world of digital signage with industry leaders Beth Warren and Amanda Starr from Creative Realities, Inc.

Discover the latest trends and explore how cutting-edge technology shapes immersive, real-time customer experiences. 

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:10):
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Welcome back to Burning Questions.
It's a podcast from 500 Degrees.
500 Degrees is a marketing services firm that
specializes in digital content.
We work with the iconic brands in the
QSR industry, Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, Firehouse
Subs, and we handle all their digital transformation.
So they went from a print on-premise

(00:31):
experience to digital, and we're going to get
into that in a minute.
We also work in the convenience store industry
and now the automotive dealer industry, which is
totally digitally transforming themselves.
So we're excited about that.
If you want to learn more about 500
Degrees, go to weare500degrees.com and see what
we do.
So we have two special guests today.

(00:53):
We have Beth Warren, Senior Vice President, Brand
Strategy, Creative Realities.
You also have a lot of big agency
experience, DDB, Y&R, but also a brand
ambassador or a board member or both for
the Digital Signage Federation.
And I think you're at a conference today,
Tampa?
That is indeed correct.

(01:14):
I'm in Tampa right now.
We have a Digital Signage Federation mix and
mingle and board meeting, which we do quarterly,
and so that's why I'm here.
That's great.
But I'm happy to join.
Thank you for having us.
And Amanda Starr, you're the Vice President of
Content at Creative Realities.
And I had a question for you up
front.
How do I become a member of the
Digital Signage Federation?

(01:34):
Because we rip a lot of content onto
like 30,000 screens around the globe, and
we're not even a member.
How do we do that?
It's a super easy method.
You just have to register online, digitalsignagefederation.org,
and you can become a member, and if
you're already heavily embedded in the digital signage

(01:55):
or digital experience space, you can become a
sponsor.
So we are always looking to be able
to present thought leadership and, you know, showcase
and be able to give recognition to the
folks who are really raising the bar and
making a difference in the industry and the
space.
Yeah.
So again, welcome.
Thank you so much for joining us in

(02:16):
the middle of your workload.
A couple of things I wanted to start
out with, and just for the audience that
we've got, which is hyper-focused on digital
signage and digital transformation, particularly on premise, but,
you know, we've seen this transition from traditional
print, paste the walls, to screens, to how

(02:39):
do we use the screens?
And now it is anybody that's got a
half a billion impressions from people walking in,
eyeballs walking into their retail environment, are now
considering it a media platform, and I know
you guys have some experience working that with
particularly some of your products and services that
you guys offer.
Could you walk our audience through, how do

(03:02):
you turn your retail premise experience into a
media opportunity and go from there?
The beginning of the journey is the most
important, especially as we're planning for digital integration
and transformation to use your term.
We love that word because we really are

(03:24):
taking a space and blending the physical and
the digital and transforming it.
So it is intelligent, responsive, and aware.
And we have tools and techniques and products
and services that allow us to do that
from end to end, from start to finish,
from design thinking all the way through to
installation and what we call after installation or

(03:48):
day two support.
But what's really striking us and commanding our
attention these days is this notion of retail
media networks.
And for retail specifically, it is the art
and the science of blending programmatic advertising and
very important educational, inspirational, whatever kind of content

(04:11):
that would be specific to the audience at
whatever stage journey they are as they progress
from the entrance all the way through to
the cash rep and back.
And so our practice is to really unpack
that and to be able to advise our

(04:33):
clients on what's the right digital aperture married
to the right content message at the right
place in the journey.
And then how do we measure it?
And attribution is a really important part of
what we do because it's what informs how
the software works and how clients charge for

(04:53):
it.
So I'm going to pass it to Amanda
to give us additional context and color on
the role of content and how our software
and how our software works to be able
to bring it to life because, you know,
gone are the days of expecting the store

(05:15):
staff to be able to manage screens and
be able to create a connected ecosystem and
manage that, or to be able to operate
the coming together of a mobile application and
a digital experience for us.
Sort of a great lead in for me,
right, Beth is we, the first thing we

(05:38):
need to do is understand what they want
to do, you know, from a retail perspective.
But then where we come in and really,
you know, guide them is, okay, now we
know what you want to do.
Let's make sure the content and the software
work together seamlessly to make the journey perfect.
Right.
And it needs to react.
It needs to be smart.
Um, it needs to make sure that, you

(05:59):
know, we're pulling down stale content and keeping
it fresh and fun.
And, you know, speaking to the person who's
in the journey, you know, we talk a
lot about making sure that it's different when
you're in the store or you're in the
restaurant, you're in that place, then what led
you to get into the space to begin
with, right?
So really making sure that all of that

(06:19):
comes together seamlessly.
And that person whose job is to sell
a t-shirt or sell a delicious cheeseburger,
isn't thinking about it.
They're just part of the really amazing experience
for the client.
When you think about, um, the generational jumps
in technology.
So when people make a software investment or

(06:42):
even screens, um, to a certain degree, whether
or not it's an onboard media player or
it's, it's fed through wifi or through a
pipe.
Um, how do you guys handle the catch
up?
I mean, in terms of when you do
an audit and you come into a new
client and you see, all right, this is
what you're built for.
And this is what we can do for
you.

(07:02):
How do you, how do you manage up
in terms of getting into larger operational or
CapEx budgets to like, if you really want
this to work, you know, you're going to
have to order another 3000 screens.
A lot of what we spend time doing
is talking about future proofing, right?
Like you're about to make this really big
investment, right?
And so let's make sure that it solves

(07:23):
an operational problem you have today.
But then we're also thinking about the future.
We don't want you to buy a several
thousand screens and then be like, okay, next
year, when that new thing comes, you have
to do it again and then, and again,
and then again.
Right?
So we're constantly talking about a crawl, walk,
run in the crawl.
Let's make sure we get that hardware investment,
but we're thinking about the run and what
we really want to do in the run

(07:44):
at C-Store is a great example.
We want people to go from outside to
inside and then have this really amazing journey
inside and we want the audio to match
up and the coffee pour to happen when
they're, you know, fixing their coffee, that's future
state.
So let's make sure that what we're buying
today is setting us up for like that

(08:04):
really sexy, amazing future state.
So we spend a lot of time advising
through that and making sure that we're a
really good partner.
The network infrastructure side of this underpins everything
that we layer on, on site.
So I can't overstate the importance of having
a network that really functions well so that

(08:27):
we can connect into it.
And so the partners, for example, Freddy's is
a, is a client of ours who we
do lots and lots of work for handle
all of their digital menu boards.
And so much more, they've made it a
point to invest in, for all of their
locations in the infrastructure that will help them

(08:49):
to continue to progress technology.
So as tech improves, they don't have to
go back and then fix or remediate or
build or change their infrastructure.
They can have that keep pace with the
technology and that's really important.
And then as far as our software is

(09:10):
concerned, content management software is something that is,
needs to be flexible.
And so we focus on ensuring that the
product that we produce is flexible enough and
is open architecture enough to be able to
hook other data sources and feeds, whether it's

(09:32):
point of sale or Instagram, to be able
to deliver not only creativity for the commercial
purpose, but to allow the store product to
evolve.
I heard recently at, when I was out
in Las Vegas at another show that the,

(09:53):
when it comes to the screens and the
updates in terms of technology and, and all
of the new things that are happening, there
was a guy at Sam's, I think it
was the Samsung booth.
And he was saying, look, we're signing more
people up for screen subscriptions and not wholesale
buy a thousand and then reboot them in

(10:15):
three years.
And I thought that was fascinating of like,
it's probably more expensive.
It's a trend.
It's, but it's like, you're going to get
a refresh screen every year.
Well, they've, they've figured out that, um, selling
just screens is a low margin business and
so selling software and service, which is the

(10:36):
business that we're in, um, is supportable and
it's sustainable.
And whenever you hook into a client and
are able to take managed services and work
it to their advantage, that's such a tremendous
help.
And so as an integrator or as a
solutions company, that's in our DNA.

(10:58):
And so we rely on Samsung to make
great product and we make great software that
connects to their great product.
And then we're able to make sure that
that product can stand this or that experience
can stand the test of time.
If something fails in the field, it's rarely

(11:21):
invited.
That's for sure.
Particularly for franchisees.
The importance of getting it right.
The importance of getting it right is it's
a matter of your cash wrap.
It's a matter of your, your, um, you
know, your cash register.
That's how you have to think about it
in terms of, you know, Amanda on the
content side, who's, who's somebody that you've walked

(11:43):
by and go, hmm, they're, they're really doing
it.
Well, that's it.
That's a big question.
Cause there's people who are doing it well
in every industry, right?
Every vertical.
Um, I happen to be a Lulu lemon
fan.
I think they're doing a phenomenal job of
digital signage today.
Uh, really, really, you know, connecting with their
brand, connecting with their person, even checking out

(12:03):
the other day.
I was like, Oh my gosh, they just
drove me to go buy something else while
I was checking out.
I mean, they're doing a phenomenal job.
Um, and QSR Taco Bell killing it.
I mean, they're just think about their LTOs
and their cult following.
It's huge.
I mean, they're doing a phenomenal job in

(12:23):
sort of their new age stores and having
people come in and even just drive in,
they're getting people into the drive-through and
that cult following is posting about it on
social and showing the pictures, they're doing a
phenomenal job.
Um, you know, we have a client, we
have Panera and Freddie's both as clients that
are doing really cool things.
Um, Panera is listening to their customer and

(12:45):
changing their menu.
Yes.
Yes.
And that was all customer feedback.
That was all the customer saying, I'm overwhelmed.
You're kind of pricey.
You've got good quality, but I need you
to change the experience.
And Panera said, okay, let's do that.
So they're doing a phenomenal job of reacting
to what the industry is telling them to
do.
And I'll, I'll shout out to Freddy's because

(13:07):
Freddy's is testing like nobody else.
That's a big thing in the industry.
Why not use your digital signage to react
and test?
And so they're testing new concepts, new LTOs,
and then doing that before they deploy.
I mean, every week they're coming to us
with a new one.
And I think it's brilliant.
Why not?
Do you guys do a lot of on
-premise, um, sort of discovery research, you know,

(13:29):
observational research, time and motion research with your
customers?
We partner with them, right?
We want to do that with them and
then talk them through it.
Like sometimes it's just, I got a hundred
spreadsheets and I don't understand what it means.
And so we go on premise with them.
We, we deal with that together and then
we talk through what it really means and
what's tangible.
What we can do today and what we
should do in the future.

(13:50):
I think Freddy's is a great example for
us.
Um, we're on our fifth iteration of partnership
with them.
When we talk about the connectivity of, of
all these systems, we've got the ecosystem of
on-premise and, and the, the app and
web experience that driving traffic, let's call it
to, to the QRS, QSR industry, the other
side of it is also a point of

(14:10):
sale technology that is, you know, for the
10, 15, $20 an hour.
Uh, uh, person associate, uh, behind the glass,
um, you know, they're getting cross-selling messages
coming up on the screen.
So if somebody comes in for an individual
$1.99 stack of nuggets, there are cross

(14:31):
-selling messages, bundling messages that are coming up.
The, have you guys started working on the
connectivity between POS and what is being served
into your, your systems?
Yes.
And it's the future.
It's the future.
It is the future of QSR and digital,
right?
It's making sure that we're learning and we're
making sure that when that person orders the

(14:53):
bagel, we immediately offer the cream cheese.
When they order the combo, we immediately go
towards the custard.
When the weather is hot, we're pushing the
iced coffee.
Right.
And it's, it's a constant reaction.
All of that is coming in via AI,
via the point of sale data, even think
about, um, expiration times for hot foods.

(15:13):
So all of that's coming through the point
of sale and making sure we're saying, Hey,
this expires in an, in 10 minutes, let's
do 50% discount and try to push
it.
And then the ad reacts, the person at
the cash wrap reacts.
And it's like a full experience inside the
store to make sure that we're getting, we're
not having food waste, right?
We're getting those products out the door.
Even before someone comes to the drive-thru,

(15:35):
we can talk with them or, or present
something that's desirable as part of the pre
-order experience.
So curating the must-haves, the best sellers,
according to day part, time of day, um,
and be able to really help people make
decisions when they're in motion.
That's something that we take very seriously.

(15:58):
And, you know, we arm ourselves with the
physical journey experience in knowing that in all
the different combinations, permutations, and iterations that will
help us be able to anticipate a guest's
need and be able to get the right
thing in front of them.
So, um, those are, those are important trends
that, um, are, are right here.

(16:21):
And right now that we're able to, what
is the, the digital signage federation consider what's
hot right now in terms of the top
five trends that we need to pay attention
to.
Direct view LED everywhere.
So instead of LCD screens, LED is the,
is super hot, um, anonymous analytics, being able

(16:41):
to understand who is in front of the
screen.
Um, not creepy aggregate, of course, but that
helps inform what content should be triggered and
served up really important, um, immersive experiences.
So, um, this is in response to a
continued demand for environments going out and experiencing.

(17:07):
And, um, you know, during the pandemic, we
were pent up for, uh, quite a long
time and I think everyone, um, enjoys online
shopping, but it's linear.
And so people crave those non-linear impulsive
discovery moments.
And so how do you bring digital signage
to deliver that wow factor and also be

(17:28):
able to, you know, beyond just serving up,
you know, goods and merchandise and visual merchandise,
but how do you make that really special?
So those are the, those are the, I
think the top three that, um, we hear
time and time again, and being able to
bring digital solutions to, um, verticals that, you

(17:49):
know, aren't traditionally sexy.
So how does a bank become better?
You know, food wasn't all that sexy.
The sexy part of food is the actual,
you know, the menu item, right?
But now it's so cool.
I love going to Chipotle and driving through
the lane and not having to even deal
with a menu board because it knows my
order because I've only, they've removed the drive

(18:12):
-thru.
Oh my God, that is so clever.
No, I'm just coming in.
I can get my food immediately.
I don't have to wait.
So making things, um, more experiential without having
friction and allowing, uh, people to have something
that's memorable and artistic is, is what we,

(18:38):
we hope to inform and impact in the
Digital Signage Federation anyway, and what many of
us are practicing.
I just wanted to add to that, Beth,
is not, not just, um, the experience, but
a personal experience.
So, and, and that's what we're seeing from
younger generations is I'm going to get up
off the couch, you know, and I'm going
to go out and I'm going to do
something, but I want it to feel personal

(18:59):
and special for me and making sure that
everyone in that space is having a personal
journey.
That's difficult when there's 50 people in the
store, right?
Or 50 people sitting there.
How are you making sure each one of
them feels like you're speaking to them individually?
It's a huge hurdle people are having to
cross, but it's what younger consumers are demanding.
Yeah.

(19:20):
Personalization was probably be the fourth and the
fifth, if we were to round up, round,
round up that list, because it makes the
difference, it makes such a difference to be
able to speak to an individual versus the
masses.
And now we have the tools.
We have Maddie Brinkman on who's a, um,
a leading, uh, consultant contractor in the Gen
Z business.
She is also Gen Z.

(19:41):
And, um, it's, it's, it helps for sure.
Okay.
I'm not a Gen Z consultant.
I'll tell you that, but what was interesting
when, when you consider how they interact with
a traditional on-premise experience, it's really not
an interaction at all, and it's a head

(20:01):
down experience.
The, the interaction experience is basically like the
pickup table, tray, whatever it is, or it's
the lane that they go for pickup.
That's about it.
You know, you're basically backing out of the
on-premise experience and how we're going to
have a, a, a full funnel of, of

(20:21):
sell ups and sell forwards to, um, one
moment.
It happens in your hand versus being on
site, even because of the, the tendency now
for that footprint to shrink and shrink because
people are taking their favorite things and they're
consuming them on the go.
And so that also poses additional pressures on

(20:43):
technology to be able to resolve that, those,
those tension points of wanting to get in
and get out.
All retailers, multi-unit retailers, they always go
through their, um, their, their rehabs and the
idea that we're going to create a new
experience.
And of course, since COVID drive-thru has
become super important, 80% plus in terms

(21:04):
of utility of that versus going into a
QSR experience, um, since everybody is digitally transformed
and moving away from print on the windows.
Uh, the tube dudes, the wind wavers, all
of the traditional jewelry associated with how do
we, you know, carny bark our customers into

(21:25):
the location.
Now they seem to be from the exterior
denuded of any kind of, of, uh, promotional
impact.
You guys have great experience in some of
those big mega installations, you know, at, um,
you know, I, I would call it the
Times Square effect, but would you see, you

(21:45):
know, with the landlords that, or the zoning
laws that would approve perhaps utilizing the exterior
of buildings almost as digital out of home?
Well, you just hit a big one.
Who's going to allow it, right?
So that's a big thing we're hitting is
which cities or regions or whatever are actually
allowing that to be facing the road.

(22:08):
Um, so that's something we're having to work
to overcome.
Um, and then what's the messaging to, you
know, to catch their eye and get them
in.
Um, you'd be surprised at what you're actually
not allowed to show, um, facing out, um,
or you have to do it in a
very discreet way, um, but Beth, I'll let
you speak to the technology.
I think it's a great idea.
And I think we have clients who are

(22:28):
executing on that right now.
It's just overcoming some of those operational or
the, the, um, challenges to do it, the
restrictions, the compliance and the zoning restrictions are
real struggle is real and that's here to
stay.
So Simon properties is going to be very
specific when you're in a mall.
And Dunkin' Donuts is, is going to fight

(22:50):
for what they would like to do in
the front of their store.
But each region and each local market has
its jurisdiction rules.
And so that's real.
And that's what we have to overcome.
I'm not necessarily convinced that wrapping a building
in LED is going to be the way
forward.
I, I honestly think being able to use

(23:10):
all of your technology tools together as a
connected ecosystem from offline, offsite and offline to
online and back.
That's the way you drive preference.
And that's the way you drive, um, not
only awareness, but that's the way you get
people, people in.
And so we have to be clever about

(23:32):
the media vehicles that our target is consuming
and then be heroic about those, making sure
that we have the right content that pulls
them in.
So we love window posters and we love
anything techie on the exterior, if it's going
to be purposeful.
And if it's going to do the job,

(23:52):
it should do of presenting really important brand
information about why somebody should come in.
But that's, that's a secondary lift, not the
best answer.
Cause it's very agency, right?
It's the full, it wasn't like it's the
full, you know, marketing, you know, plan is

(24:12):
what gets them there.
And then we speak to them differently when
we get there.
When you're there, we say this guest mode
versus consumer mode, you know, mindset so that
we're hitting them when they're a guest, we're
not, you know, our specialty and it's a
practice and it's really a science in addition
to an art is what goes on when

(24:33):
you're inside a three dimensional space, you know?
So that's, that's the, that's where we live
each and every day.
So that's what we try to have our
clients focus on.
Uh, which over the last, over the last
five years, they cobbled together an incredible national
digital out of home network.

(24:54):
I put it to him.
I said, you know, our model is because
we want to join kind of like agency
speak.
We want to join the traffic driving impetus
that drives people on premise to an order
or to a pickup or to, um, uh,
delivery, whatever the access point is, is required.
And our point of view is four miles,

(25:15):
four blocks, four walls.
So we can't do anything about the zoning
laws on the exterior of our buildings.
In fact, a lot of them are just
taking down the ability to even put, uh,
you know, yard sale signs, uh, for a
specific new protein or a sale that we're
having.
But how do you, and his mind switched
on to, Oh, I see what you're trying

(25:37):
to do.
Okay.
So what we'll do is I will map
out all the digital of out of home
that are in the closest proximity to these
locations.
This is what we're going to feed here.
Then we're going to have an attribution model
that goes here and see if we can't
pick up three or four or 5%.
You do the correlation.
Absolutely.
And that's very smart.

(25:57):
You know, that's being strategic and it's, it's
also being sustainable and not causing pollution.
That's true.
You know, it's really important, you know, it's
really important.
And by the way, design is more important
than ever.
And aesthetic is more, what are the big,
what are the big places that you guys
have just wrapped and are, are feeding outside

(26:19):
of, you know, hardcore retail?
Have you, have you done, uh, tourism experiences
or, uh, downtown location experiences and how has
that worked out?
How do you pitch a municipality on, you
know, the, the money behind that?
We're not, that's not the business we're in.
We're not in municipality or public spaces where

(26:40):
we are, where there is a commercial opportunity
for scale.
And we have six verticals that we do
that in.
It's retail, convenience, QSR, automotive, sort of the
dealer ecosystem, stadium and arenas and point of
care.
So those are the verticals that we really

(27:00):
play in and focus on because it also
allows us to utilize our entire spectrum of
managed services.
Our software engines are built for those verticals
and, you know, that nets us recurring revenue
back to that license or subscription, um, aspect
that you were talking about that Samsung's quite

(27:21):
interested in chasing.
And so, um, you know, project we're big,
immersive project work is fantastic.
The one that is my crush right now
and probably will be, um, long into the
future is, um, the discovery center in Dallas,

(27:42):
the AT&T discovery center.
Is that the big giant wall mural downtown
Dallas?
Yes.
It's the wall mural, which uses generative AI
for content.
It is the interior lobby structure, which is
all clad in LED and absolutely stunning and
constantly changes for the theme, for the season,

(28:04):
for whatever reason, for whatever event is happening.
And it's all of the other lighting and
digital touches that complement that experience.
I just think it's just awesome.
Really very, very well done.
We know all of those that is, I
mean, that's AT&T, that's SNA displays, and
that is Gensler architects.

(28:27):
And so to pull off something like that,
you certainly need that ensemble of talent.
Yeah.
The content calendar just must be exhausting.
It must be like every, every three minutes.
I'm not sure I would want that job,
but, but, um, that's a good job.
So just like the sphere in Las Vegas,
right?
Like, can you imagine having to schedule that

(28:48):
and think about that all the time?
That, that's kind of, uh, you know, Vegas
is always leading.
And when you think about the sphere, you
know, could you imagine a retail experience that
are like mini spheres around, maybe it's too
much, you know, maybe, you know, you do
have to eventually, well, if it's single-minded,
if it's single-minded and it's purposeful, then

(29:11):
it's not too much.
When it's bullying and disparate, um, experiences that
are happening concurrently, that's when it becomes a
little bit sensory overload.
But if it's structured as a journey with
a beginning, a middle and an end in
a cohesive storyline narrative, that's when it's absolutely

(29:31):
mesmerizing.
Sorry, I was going to say we Puma,
right.
Puma in New York city does that really
well.
It is sort of that immersive, like you're
shopping and you're looking up and just seeing
all of these beautiful ideas and they're streaming.
So there, there are people who are doing
it very similar to this sphere and doing
it well.
It's just not widespread.

(29:52):
Yes.
Go to Puma on fifth Avenue in the
forties in New York city.
And it is the best connected experience.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.