The TV Academy (Saban Media Center)

The LG Commercial Display Roadshow can be your highway to bigger business.

We’re on the road again. Next stop LA, August 16, at the brand-new home of the Emmys, the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center.

We’ll be featuring our award-winning new OLED dual-sided display and amazing 86-inch Ultra Stretch signage, as well as our massive Clover video wall, 21:9 UltraWide® desktop monitors and much, much more.

If you’re a doable distance from North Hollywood, our roadshow can really be worth your while. Not only will you be able to get a private guided tour through the latest and greatest LG technologies, you’ll also have a totally enjoyable experience—a fun day out where you’ll be engaged, entertained and inspired. Our shows attract a broad audience of resellers, systems integrators, influencers, end-users and others.

And that’s why we encourage you to extend the invitation to your colleagues, customers and interested parties. There’s no better way to enhance relationships and build more business than to personally experience all that LG brings to the table and rethink how you can use digital signage. It’s an enlightening and informative event and we have been enjoying record turnouts in 2016.

What’s more, the venues themselves are a special treat. This year we’ve had private ballpark tours and batting practice, exclusive wine tastings, and more. And at the Television Academy we’ll be sending everyone home with a bottle of fine wine from Chateau Montelena, the internationally acclaimed winery that put Napa Valley on the map.

The new home of the Emmys is a perfect setting for LG’s next roadshow. For your convenience, you can sign up for our morning session from 9:00 to 1:30, or the afternoon session from 12:00 to 4:30. Lunch is provided for both.

About The Television Academy

The Television Academy, the only major organization devoted to the television and broadband screen entertainment industry, is made up of over 20,000 members, representing 29 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors and various other artisans, technicians and executives. The Television Academy recognizes excellence through its many annual Emmy awards programs.

Here’s a nice article about their new Saban Media Center.

Registration for the LA Roadshow has already started—don’t miss it.

Register Now

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES: Change Management is the Key to Digital Media Success


Lyle Bunn

LYLE BUNN

Digital Media Strategy Architect, BUNN
Lyle@LyleBunn.com
Lyle Bunn is an independent analyst, advisor and educator providing digital place-based signage expertise to end users in the planning, design, sourcing and optimization of their initiatives. He has published more than 300 articles, whitepapers and “how to” guides and helped to train over 10,000 end user and supply professionals. See www.LyleBunn.com.


Some banking sector case studies of digital signage use offer useful insights to maximizing the return on digital signage investment.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) was named Global Retail Bank of the Year in 2014 and 2015 by Retail Banker International and offers its services in 37 countries. RBC was one of the first banks to use dynamic place-based digital media in branches and their way of applying it offers important insights to all customer-facing organizations as provided by Alan Depencier, VP Marketing of RBC to delegates of the Interactive Customer Experience (ICX) Summit in Dallas.

Depencier summarized that “Digital is as much a cultural change as it is a communications paradigm” in describing the changes that forward-thinking consumer-facing organizations are making in applying branch/store/restaurant digital place-based media.

He added, “One of the key challenges of digital on-location media, as part of an integrated client experience, is in its change management requirement in interior design, technology and merchandising. The elements of investment validation, budgeting, layout of the customer environment, design of the engagement experience including adapting the customer interaction and adding new skills all contribute to maximizing the value.

“What makes a bank most different from other retailers, and we are a retailer”, said Depencier, “is that we do not have any physical products. This makes our marketing in this highly competitive sector of particular challenge”.

“A key to our success” he described “has been in holding up the brand value proposition against the physical location. When you do this, improvements are readily indicated and these are the foundation for improved customer experience.”

“Lead with strategy and client experience intentions, and then select technologies to enable these in a way that delivers value “in the now” while enabling economies of operations and future proofing,” Depencier advised.

“Change management is the journey of learning how to do it well. Marketers learned how to do mass communications and today are targeting messages better than ever before, but all customer-focused communications is on the path toward intuitive engagement in which customer awareness and business goals are merged to meet the needs and wants of all stakeholders. Dynamic, technology-based engagement is one of the most effective ways of achieving this” said Depencier.

Visitors to RBC branches can see many examples of tactical engagement. For example, patrons could place the coins from their pocket or purse on a digital table, which when detected illustrates how saving the amount of the coins could result in savings growth over time.

Other gamification that inform, inspires and engages customers include presenting true/false or multiple choice questions as a way to provide information about product features and benefits.

Digital place-based media should enable staff success and move the brand forward in “conversational commerce”. Depencier noted, “RBC advisors are inclined to learn what customers are learning and asking about through the on-location messaging”.

Bank of America has also been a long-standing user of in-branch digital signage. In 2014, the marketing division launched a concerted effort to further exploit the benefits of their system that had been installed in over 2000 branches.

The bank provided an in-depth briefing of the six major creative and ad agencies it used for video production, marketing campaigns, outdoor advertising, online promotion and static poster programs to rally agency efforts toward improved in-branch content. Not only did the Chief Marketing Officer want to better harmonize communications along the customer’s path to purchase/service, but also the “transmedia” opportunity was clear. Content created for use in other communications was to be re-purposed where suitable for in-branch displays that spoke to patrons as they were in the branch.

This process was very successful as the Bank Of America was recognized with an APEX Award during Digital Signage Expo in March 2015. Change management to better take advantage of the digital signage investment was focused on better engaging marketing communications suppliers so that their contributions could also benefit in-branch communications.

While creative production for the online experience made significant contributions, it was the agency that produced static posters that had the most to offer. Chicago-based based TPN (which had nominated Bank of America for the APEX Award), leveraged its capabilities to craft simple, core messaging by adding animations so the combination of the medium and the messaging maximized marketing spending.

In summary, change management in support of the brand objectives is the key to the success of the in branch, store and restaurant digital signage program success. When the current brand objectives are considered against the current on-location experience for patrons, the ways in which in which the medium can serve the enterprise become quickly evident.

Digital signage is one of the brands most influential communications tools for customers that express and want alignment with the brand, and the products and services that are promoted on digital signage help both the brand and the customer benefit from the brand-product-customer interaction.  

July 20 Roadshow Recap

blog_hero_img_7-22-2016

 

“As beautiful as the views are of San Francisco out the window, the displays in here are that much better, they’re incredible.”   — Jeffrey Fitzgerald (@JeffInHighDef)

It was an amazing display of achievement as our Commercial Display Roadshow brought in a record turnout this week—the highest participation to date. And the venue was incredible—the historic Westin St. Francis Imperial Room on the 32nd floor, with a floor to ceiling panoramic view of downtown San Francisco.

A big thank you our guests and everyone that supported us at the show. The Chateau Montelena tasting and giveaway was a tremendous success—it’s always nice when our guests can take home a souvenir—and this one was a truly exceptional bottle of Chateau Montelena wine.

Fine wine and outstanding displays make an exceptional pairing, and this one defined the event: Forty years ago Chateau Montelena forever changed the world’s view of California wines in a tasting called the Judgement of Paris. And today, LG’s OLED displays are forever changing the world’s view of the customer experience.

This was the second time we used the interactive Facebook Livestream with monitored chat for live onsite coverage. We aired four segments, with the OLED segment drawing the most views so far. The other segments covered the 86-inch UltraStretch Display, Clover Video Wall, and 21:9 UltraWide™ monitors. If you weren’t able to watch them live you can see the videos here.

We’re really liking the Facebook Livestream capability, as are our fans. So we’ll be using it again for our next roadshow in Los Angeles, which will be on August 16 at the brand-new home of the Emmys—the Saban Media Center at the Television Academy. You can sign up and register using the link below, and please feel free to extend the invitation to your colleagues, customers and other interested parties.

Registration for the August Roadshow will start soon.

Come Grow with Us – Introducing the new LG PRO partner program

Margaret_Fetting

 

Margaret Fetting
Senior Channel Marketing Manager
LG Electronics USA Business Solutions

Hello readers. For those of you that do not know me, I’m Margaret Fetting the new channel marketing manager with the LG commercial display business. I joined LG in March and the last few months have been quite exciting.

What was so exciting? I’ve been a part of an amazing team charged with building a new partner program designed for growth. It’s finally here and it’s called LG PRO.

We had a good program already in place when I joined, our Gold Partner Program, so we used that as a starting point. We knew we could do better. So we spoke to all our sales reps, the ones you work with every day; we reached out to Gold Partners; and we took input from resellers, systems integrators and ProAV companies that do not sell LG.

We heard a lot, some good and some bad, but I loved it all. Based on the feedback from the channel we created a new three-tiered program that will make LG even more rewarding for you to work with, all while providing a wide variety of benefits and tools to help you close LG sales and grow your business.

LG PRO has three tiers—Associate, Premier and Elite. Each tier offers its own incentives and benefits that increase as you grow with LG. From sales and marketing to training and support, LG supports you every step of the way.

This isn’t a one and done program. While my role in channel marketing has many facets, LG PRO and the partner portal are my programs and I’m excited to continue to improve them and watch them grow. 

Learn more about the LG PRO partner program today and let’s grow together.

LG OLED is all the rAVe!

This just in—LG won the BEST of InfoComm 2016 Award from rAVe [Publications].

rAVe awarded our Dual-View OLED Display for Best Flat-Panel Display (Overall).

Winners were announced Wednesday on the rAVe website, and rAVe will post a story in the rAVe ProAV Edition newsletter that will go out later this month.

According to rAVe, “It’s tough to pick out the best and the brightest from the thousands of products and hundreds of exhibitors introduced on the show floor. After much consideration, our entire team picked what we thought were the best things on the show floor.”

Thanks, rAVe.
We are very proud to accept your award.

 

Have a look at all the rAVe InfoComm videos:

 

 

 

The future looks amazing for LG commercial displays and B2B solutions


Kim Mun

 

Kimun Paik

Senior Vice President of Commercial Displays
LG Electronics USA Business Solutions

 

 

 

Part 2

Last week I presented a few examples of LG’s many B2B (business-to-business) successes in the United States. I attributed much of this success to a foundation of trust.

LG B2B: Built on a foundation of trust

Outstanding product technology and personal relationships are not enough to be successful in the B2B sector. In fact, the B2B market requires solid business relationships, satisfaction, and trust.

Trust underpins a company’s reputation and investing in it serves the future. There is a great need for trust in all areas related to a product, such as operation, shipping deadlines, support, and after-sales service. Our partners work in accordance with their own business schedules from product supply to installation, so we must meet deadlines no matter what to continue to earn their trust every step of the way.

And that trust doesn’t end with the installation of the products; after-sales service is just as crucial. A B2B project is generally a long-term process, and customer relationships based on trust last even longer.

Our Chicago Business Innovation Center in Lincolnshire, Illinois, was launched less than six months ago, and over 30 leading U.S. businesses already have visited to experience LG’s B2B products in action. In fact, some businesses inspired by the products and solutions displayed at the center often come back with their end customers to learn more about the products.

The potential of the B2B market for creating business opportunities is the center’s most notable strength. Customers in need of refrigerators focus on refrigerators only, but B2B customers look at a range of solutions in addition to the products they need.

In order to provide a multitude of solutions, the B2B market involves taking various factors into account, which eventually creates the opportunity to expand the business further. For example, the TVs supplied to a medical facility need to have remote controls that affect only the targeted TVs, not any other TVs in the vicinity. LG Electronics, therefore, develops the products based on such needs. In the process of supplying the products to the end customer, the medical facility, LG learned about a company developing technologies that allow adult children to check the health of their elderly parents in medical facilities from a distance. LG is able to incorporate the solutions provided by the partner into its healthcare TV business, further expanding its business scope.

Also, in one corner of the Business Innovation Center, the LG Styler clothing care system is on display. The LG Styler has started to receive attention from newly built hotels and LG’s existing partner hotels as they consider installing the product in luxury suites and guest clubs. This is an example of how LG’s hotel relationships can lead to future business opportunities, including commercial air conditioning as well.

I believe that LG was able to expand its presence from a B2C (business-to-consumer) company to a B2B company by building on LG’s technical capacity and strong brand identity in the United States. We have products, technology, and customers, but equally important, there is the valuable competitiveness which is our well-respected brand.

Since many of our B2B partners already trust LG as a leading B2C brand, we’ve been able to expand our presence in the B2B market building on LG’s strong brand reputation. In addition, LG possesses diverse professional capabilities in the specialized fields of energy, automotive displays, and batteries, to give a few examples. That means we can gradually cater to the needs of B2B customers in diverse areas.

The U.S market is one of the largest in the world and its industries are continuously achieving sustainable growth. At stake for LG are enormous

LCD, LED, OLED—what’s the difference?

In an age when online merchants are offering so much, brick-and-mortar businesses are looking for exciting ways to communicate their value proposition clearly and effectively. Their products and services need to get noticed, and their brand equity must continually be reinforced to maintain customer loyalty. And in order to increase in-store traffic, a business needs to stand out more than ever.

When used strategically digital signage can be a strong differentiator, and now there’s a choice of display options to suit virtually any business. Let’s look at the technologies.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panels offer bright, high-resolution images. LCDs require a light source to illuminate the screen pixels, and the first-generation displays used CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps). CCFL backlights did a fine job but had a few drawbacks—their physical size required the overall panels to be thick, they used a lot of electricity, and they had a limited life expectancy.

In the next generation, LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology solved the challenges associated with CCFL. Using a LED light source to illuminate the pixels, the display panel could be thinner and use less power. LEDs also have a much longer life expectancy. NOTE: While commonly referred to as LED displays, these displays are actually LCDs that use a LED light source.

LCDs are great for picture quality, especially those with IPS (In-Plane Switching) screen technology. They are available in Full HD (1080p) or Ultra HD (4K) resolution. Full HD is beautifully crisp and sharp, and 4K is amazing for detail, ensuring that every element on the screen pops. 4K also makes it possible for customers to be closer to a big screen without noticing the pixels that make up the image.

Direct View LED displays are something different. These displays eliminate the LCD panel and use a surface array of LEDs as the actual display pixels. Direct View LED displays feature outstanding contrast, vibrant colors and brightness levels several times that of LCDs. They can also be made in virtually any size, including very large sizes of 100 feet or more, making them the perfect choice for outdoor spaces such as sports arenas.

Fast forward to now. Thanks to LG, businesses can display their best on OLED. OLED displays incorporate the most advanced display technologies, and yield an unprecedented combination of picture quality and installation flexibility. OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays eliminate the need for a separate light source—each pixel emits its own light, and can turn itself off, resulting in a more exact control of image quality.

OLED displays yield incredibly accurate color, perfect black and infinite contrast. They also provide wide viewing angles, a major advantage in larger environments. Fast action scenes are crisp, clear and free from blur, thanks to OLED’s extremely fast response time. It’s the same unrivaled picture quality that consumers recognize from LG’s state-of-the-art OLED televisions

LG’s amazing OLED displays are available in sleek, pencil-thin, open-framed designs that can also be curved and customized into convex or concave forms. Dual-sided OLED displays show images on the front and back of the panel, with the ability to swap and mirror content on either side. In the world of commercial displays, nothing else compares.

The effective use of digital displays can create the differentiation businesses need to better engage their customers, enhance presentations or provide valuable information in attention-grabbing ways. To learn more about the types of digital displays, which applications are recommended for each and how to choose the right displays for your business, please download and read our new eBook: LCD, Direct View LED, and OLED Explained.

The future looks amazing for LG commercial displays and B2B solutions


Kim Mun

 

Kimun Paik

Senior Vice President of Commercial Displays
LG Electronics USA Business Solutions

 

 

Part 1

This is perhaps the most exciting time I’ve experienced for LG Commercial Displays and for LG Electronics’ B2B (business-to-business) area as a whole since I joined the company in 1993. I have never been more proud to be part of this company.

LG has many competitive advantages in commercial displays. But today, LG has another competitive advantage in being the only company to produce double-sided OLED displays, advanced new commercial products that satisfy all of the requirements needed in public displays. Such competitiveness has led LG to lead the commercial display market not only in the U.S., but also globally.

Owing to LG’s competitiveness, the digital signage B2B sector has achieved remarkable success. LG Commercial Displays recently won a contract worth USD 50 million—the largest in the history of the digital signage business—for the replacement of all menu boards in the leading quick serve restaurant chain in the U.S. with our signage displays.

With the success of this project and others, LG’s digital signage business is expected to grow by over 200 percent since last year. More business is on the horizon, as many other restaurants in the U.S. are about to digitalize their menu boards as the U.S. government plans to require restaurants to list calorie information on the menus. In addition, the commercial display market is growing as many retail shops are planning on placing digital displays to set them apart from competitors.

Such a shift to digital signage can also be seen in areas related to transportation, such as airports and bus stations. LG recently won the contract to replace all flight information displays at Orlando International Airport. LG competed with three other companies for excellence in areas such as display color spectrum and viewing angles, and was finally selected as the sole display provider after eight months of rigorous testing and comparative studies. More than 2,000 LG digital displays will be installed at this busy airport in the coming year.

In hospitality, LG has the largest market share in the hotel TV business in the U.S., with double-digit percent growth compared to the last quarter. In fact, over half of the hotels in the U.S. use LG TVs, and in the Chicago area, where we just opened our new LG Business Innovation Center, LG TVs are installed in the majority of hotels.

These are just a few examples of the many successes LG B2B businesses are achieving. I attribute this success to a foundation of trust. Next week I’ll explain LG B2B’s foundation of trust and how the company is bringing innovation to life for commercial display customers from coast to coast.

 

Wishing you an amazing display of freedom

july4blog-sqOn this July 4th weekend as we celebrate America’s independence, we can’t help but think about the incredible fireworks shows that will be sparkling skies across the USA. And we want to do it justice with our own celebrations too—ever watch the Macy’s fireworks on an LG video wall? Add a great sound system with rocking subwoofers and it’s one spectacular experience! Now just wait until you see it on our new OLED products. More great things are coming soon.

We hope you have a safe and exciting Fourth. And join us next Friday for part one of a very special blog.