In today’s world of advanced digital marketing techniques, there has been a marked increase in creative advertising to communicate core messages across a broad audience.  From conference rooms to retail, digital advertising is a way of educating and engaging consumers through unique content applications on a variety of products, services and messages.

Over the next three years almost half of corporate AV budgets will be spent on digital signage and videoconferencing goods and services[1].  According to iSuppli, the U.S. digital signage industry is also expected to grow to $13 billion by 2010. 

Understanding the market’s desire for products that engage customers yet have diverse installation options, LG Electronics created the Stretch Screens.  These unique digital signage monitors, M3800S-BN with a 17:5 aspect ratio and M2900S-BN with a 17:6 aspect ratio, which are approximately half the height of a traditional 16:9 display, were designed for the space conscious and can communicate multiple messages at once without seeming obtrusive.  These stretch screens provide the opportunity for non-traditional and innovative installations and bring versatile signage options to environments where they might not otherwise be easily integrated.

From a dynamic welcome sign in a business or hotel lobby, to a new product demonstration in a retail store to imaginative signage in a museum setting, the stretch screen has the capability to fit seamlessly into any environment.  With a 178 degree viewing angle, content is viewable from almost every angle. 

To help create unique content for LG stretch screens – and to illustrate how these new screens will impact the business world at large – LG Electronics worked closely with digital content expert Agency Harmonic.  With such diverse applications as business-to-business environments, retail, healthcare, lodging and hospitality, the Stretch Screen modernizes spaces in a way traditional signage could never attempt to do, according to Agency Harmonic Principal Alan Hughes

“Our design staff jumped at the chance to finally break out of the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio for digital signage content,” said Hughes.  “Two opportunities were immediately obvious when we dove into designing for the LG Stretch Screen.  The first, content, immediately takes on a cinematic quality on the screen simply by utilizing the entire width of the screen.  Second, the extreme width of the screen allows for easily accommodated ‘dynamic’ content areas and ‘static’ content areas, making it much easier to present information to the viewer in a way that isn’t too ‘busy’ and frenetically paced.”

The Stretch Screen allows for a variety of innovative installation options.  In retail spaces, this new format offers a huge opportunity to create an immediate impression and engage audiences. Given the optimal size of the stretch screens, in both 29-and 38-inch class sizes, these products are portable and allow integrators to easily transport these displays to adapt to the design and layout of their venue. (These screens have DVI, RGB, and RS-232C input connections and come with a 3-year limited warranty.)

“Integrators demand creative signage solutions that not only help attract and engage customers but work within the space they have,” said Ron Snaidauf, vice president, Commercial Products, LG Electronics USA, Inc. “LG’s stretch screen not only meet this demand, but also provides new interactive elements that engage your senses, extending the customer experience beyond the point-of-sale.”

Once a retail or business environment has decided to incorporate digital signage, the next logical question, is how to integrate it?  LG’s Stretch Screens make it simple – no additional hardware or software is necessary.  From a programming perspective, the Stretch Screens do not require separate video cards, only that the content be produced to take full advantage of the screen space.  The Stretch Screens have the ability to sense the signal of a traditional 16:9 monitor, registering as 1360x768. This is effective and efficient because there is no hunt for an obscure video card timing settings, the computer “thinks” it is hooked up to a standard 16:9 display. 

From a design aspect, the Stretch Screen can be easily integrated anywhere, Snaidauf said, offering these tips to help integrators get started: 

1. Know the layout of the environment and understand that the Stretch Screen does not have to be the focal point of the room.  Digital signage is meant to enhance the retail or business space and create a more engaging space. 
2. When wall mounting or table mounting the signage, keep in mind your target audience.  If the signage is meant to welcome patrons – place it above the registration or check-in desk for a stylish and modern feel.  For those in gaming environments, make sure to keep it close to the action without seeming obtrusive.
3. Engage your customers with distinctive content. The Stretch Screen makes a great addition for end-cap placement in grocery stores or retail environments as it can show off the latest recipe or the newest fashion statement in a way that holds consumers’ attention and increases estimated dwell time within the store.

With in-store digital advertising becoming more pervasive, channel markets will need to re-evaluate the tools used to reach their target audiences.  LG Stretch Screens help assure that the advertising possibilities for retail, corporate and museum installations are endless and imaginative.  What are you waiting for?    

For more information on LG’s stretch screens please visit www.LGcommercial.com/stretch.