Just like that, the first quarter of 2024 is all wrapped up! While we don’t have big industry updates for it just yet, we do have updates from the entirety of 2023, now that the stats analysis and collection is complete. Furthermore, we look to the future as Wendy’s announced an exciting experiment they’re looking to implement in 2025. We also have exciting news about InfoComm 2024 to share, alongside intriguing digital signage world records to talk about. Let’s go!
Price-changing menus at Wendy’s
Wendy’s recently revealed their plans to experiment with “dynamic pricing” in 2025. As part of a $20 million investment in new digital menu boards at its US-based restaurants, it will feature menus with discounted prices during slower times of the day. In an official statement, Wendy’s said the company doesn’t plan on raising prices during peak demand, as some may have feared.
“Any features we may test in the future would be designed to benefit our customers and restaurant crew members.”
The practice of such dynamic price-changing is certainly not new. It has been present in services like Ticketmaster and Uber. However, the restaurant industry is rather new to it. This is partially comes from the amount of effort to update the menus. Considering the possibilities of digital signage software, however, it quickly becomes clear that this will not be much of a challenge in the future. It’s very likely we’ll see this feature roll out more in the coming years.
Las Vegas Sphere to host InfoComm kick-off event
InfoComm, one of the much-awaited events in our industry, is set to take place from June 8-14th, 2024. This month we learned that the, now world-famous, Las Vegas Sphere will kick off with “An Evening at the Sphere.”
This special opening event aims to welcome AV professionals from all around the world and excite them for the trade show. The event has limited seating, with tickets available through the official InfoComm website. The event is planned to last for 3 hours, featuring interactive experiences in the Atrium and Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth.
AVI Systems is the presenting sponsor of An Evening at Sphere. “The AVI Systems team is thrilled to join InfoComm to kick off the show at Sphere and share this exclusive experience with hundreds of our customers at Sphere,” said CEO Jeff Stoebner.
Digital signage world records!
Dubai is a home to remarkable things, in particular when it comes to its buildings. With that said, it recently added not one but three digital signage related Guinness World Records in architectural projection mapping. This was achieved through a collaboration between BUREAU BÉATRICE, the luxury creative technology company, and One Za’abeel, a landmark development in Dubai. Together, they set up a colossal display across two skyscrapers of Dubai.
The first of the three digital signage records was the Largest Architectural Projection-Mapped Display (temporary), covering 30,662 square meters (330,043 square feet). The second record was the Longest Architectural Projection-Mapped Display (temporary), with the projection spanning 272.25 meters (893.21 feet). The third was the Largest Mesh Screen on a Building (multiple screens), covering a total area of 28,665 square meters (308,547 square feet).
Take a look!
US Out-of-Home grew by 2.1%
By now, sufficient time has passed where all the stats from 2023 have solidified. Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) released figures looking at OOH ad revenue for 2023 in the United States. Revenue increased by 2.1%, compared to previous years, amounting to $8.7 billion. Digital Out-of-Home represented 33% of total OOH spend, growing almost 10% in 2023. This is in line with the predictions that the demand is gradually switching over to the digital variant.
Furthermore, the report included the top ten product industries that saw the greatest growth. This includes Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts, as well as Local Services & Amusements. Meanwhile, among the frontrunner product categories ranked by their spending on OOH were Legal Services, Hospital Clinics & Medical Centers, and Domestic Hotels & Resorts. If you’re interested in more stats, such as the top 10 advertisers of 2023, check out the full report!
Digital signage is enhancing senior living
This week on the OnSign TV blog we covered an area where digital signage doesn’t appear often, but is very important nonetheless. Senior care homes consist of many fields where digital signage can help. You can use them to entertain residents, fill the day with activities, inform visitors, and even recognize staff members. Displays can also keep everyone on the same routine by focusing on schedules and maintaining organized content.
Digital signage software is quite valuable here as it can reinforce information the residents may easily forget due to conditions prevalent in senior citizens. With digital signage it’s easy to schedule and repeat the content steadily throughout the day. It can also section up the display to provide information to visitors, without compromising the main content for residents or staff.
Cover image by ZQ Lee.