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![]() TOYS 'R US: Toys with Digital Signage
Add a 60-foot Ferris wheel, a human "kid" Barbie doll house, a Candy Land shop, a computer game wonderland and an animatronic 20-foot tall, fiercely bellowing Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur and any children let loose within this store knows they're in toy heaven. The Toys 'R Us (TRU) Times Square store is not only the company's flagship store, but also very busy with thousands of people who move in and out of the store on a daily basis.
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Electronic signs directing customers To operate and continually update the Toys 'R Us electronic displays is a background sign management system known as a 'the Conductor ™ show controller.' For Toys 'R Us, this one-of-a-kind system was developed by Show and Tell Productions, a Manhattan-based full service multimedia agency that provides creative consultations, graphic design services, custom software development and multimedia operations for many of the spectacular LED video signs in Times Square and dynamic media distribution systems for large-scale A/V installations for Fortune 500 various client companies projects.
To understand the depth of organization in managing an on-site electronic sign display system of over one hundred video screens, Show & Tell's president, Phil Lenger discussed the operation and the scope of management of TRUTV's show control system and how it functions. "A show control system refers to electronically controlling controls various audio, video and mechanical devices. Generally these devices are found in Broadway shows or within theme park attractions to control the following; lighting effects, mechanical devices, audio effects and the deployment of content on video screens”, which for the purpose of this article could be electronic signs.
To coordinate these theatrical effects in such a grand orchestral sweep, Show & Tell has developed their own proprietary show control system, the Conductor™, which manages all of the multimedia operations of the Times Square Toys 'R Us store including its store-wide audio system, its lighting system and all the various electronic sign messages through the store. TRU signage is a disparate collection that includes an two outdoor marquee LED video signs (manufactured by Saco Smartvision), a unique one-of-a-kind motorized widow shade, scrolling sign system comprised of 165 synchronized, window- mounted units, and inside the store, (which is the primary focus of this article) a large scale electronic display system composed of various collections of LCD, plasma and CRT displays. In a traditional retail setting that employs electronic signage, there is usually a format standardization where either LCD or plasma screens are selected and then deployed as a singular format throughout the store.
Displays as part of the show Here, the different electronic screen formats works to Toy's 'R Us's favor, noted Lenger. "By creating a mixture of display sources, it helps to create a feeling of excitement and diversity within the store and within each toy department around the store. For example, there are dedicated product displays in specific departments, there are screens that strictly show off brand imaging for Toys 'R Us as well as product promotions and third party advertising. There is also way- finding signage that appears periodically on the screens throughout the store."
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In creating the network architecture for TRUTV, Show & Tell designed the sign system with the greatest flexibility of control for each display. Each display system has a local digital storage and playback device and multiple IO ports. Each video display is configured with a switcher that controls what source the display should receive, which could be the overall store feed or a special themed playlist. This allows for pre-caching of content and media playback of the highest possible quality and the ability to instantly switch to the overall store feed for live or global broadcasts. In regard to the Conductor system's control of the Toy's 'R Us interior signage, it uses a proprietary sign scheduling system to manage the different types of sign message content traffic that is deployed throughout the store. To apply a broadcasting metaphor as to how the TRUTV sign system is organized, the store can be thought of as a 'cable television network' system which is divided into many unique channels, where each channel represents a themed area of the toy store. The channels can be thought of as dedicated programs, or in this case, a specific advertising play list which consists of branded content, way-finding, product spots and independent third party advertising.
The relationship of content to screens varies depending on the themed area and how the electronic sign content is "fitted" into that area and as well its advertising commitments to that area. For example, near the elevators the screens are cycling through a content mix that includes Toys 'R Us image advertising, in-store services, toy trivia, way-finding information and 3rd party advertiser spots. In the 'Hot Wheels' area, the content mix is heavily biased toward the product. In the 'R-Zone' sometimes a themed area may have several multiple display screens within a themed area segmented by brand, designated for specific product promotion. Other screens are strategically located for multi-use to display Toys 'R Us image advertising, product-class promotions (e.g. Joysticks), in-store services, and 3rd party advertiser spots, thus each screen may show slightly different content. In another instance, certain parts of the sign's content may be choreographed to travel through a series of screens, here a message or a picture may be broken up and then migrated from screen to screen. At this point, context dominates content giving the themed area an "atmosphere" that becomes a more exciting and dynamic space. Warren Levy, VP of business development discussed Toy's 'R Us's typical sign content development path. "Show & Tell developed all of the creative production guidelines for the media systems in the store, and the creative comes from many sources, some of it is developed by Show & Tell, where our creative services group designs and produces all of the Toy's 'R Us content for our client. Some of Toys 'R Us media is developed by individual toy manufacturers and/or their advertising departments. We also design and produce some of the other content for the retail partners and 3rd party advertisers. The remainder is primarily pre-existing third party advertising which re-purposed for the display systems in the store."
"As for planning the sign content and how and which messages go where," Levy noted, "Show & Tell works hand in hand with a liaison for the Toys 'R Us marketing department. First, we aim to support the sales and marketing goals of our client through all the electronic media in the store. We take several factors into account including brand messaging, retail promotion commitments, 3rd-party advertising, special events, in-store pedestrian traffic patterns, day-parting, holiday promotions, etc. who directs the promotions that appear on a day-to-day basis on the store's electronic signs. Toy's 'R Us produces the basic program schedule of what they'd like to see and when and where in the store they want the sign messages. We do the programming of the different schedules ourselves. Besides production, we also handle all operation and maintenance of the entire store's electronic signage."
Putting it all together
At any time the Conductor system may be presenting as many as fifty different simultaneous advertising loops running throughout the entire store. Deployment of sign content is managed on several levels, as some signage (such as branding) may be managed on a store wide basis and other content may be on floor-by-floor level, based on specific toy departments. Depending on a product sale or special event situation, Conductor could as easily isolate and manage one or two electronic signs with dedicated messages as it continues to simultaneously manage the rest of the store's signage needs. Schedules or play lists are based on several factors including the strategic location of each device, advertising commitments, promotional strategies and type of content. Warren Levy said “Conductor is such a flexible system it allows Toys 'R Us to easily deliver our client's messages where they want it and when they want it. This allows us to create a unique playlist for each individual screen, and/or play the same content on groups of displays in the store's various themed environments.” For example, recently when Toys 'R Us hosted the midnight launch of Halo2, every display in the store can play the same content to support the event - it does everything they need. Ultimately Toy's 'R Us is about merchandising and selling toys and games and its electronic signage is a unification of that process to bring excitement and involvement with the toys that much closer to the customer. In some cases the 'toy customer' is a symbiotic creature divided between the child who wants something and the parent who'll decide to buy it. At that point, the "should I buy this" dance begins in the parents mind. Hopefully, between the child's enthusiasm and the sign's persuasive content, a happy ending appears. The child has a new toy, a sale is made, and in the proper context the electronic signage has been an influence in motivating customer inspiration.
Louis M. Brill is a journalist and consultant for high-tech entertainment and media communications. He can reached at (415) 664-0694 or lmbrill@earthlink.net
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