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Introduction and use of outdoor LED digital signage.

1. What is Outdoor LED Digital Signage?

Outdoor LED digital signage is an electronic display device designed for outdoor environments, utilizing LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology to present text, images, videos, and other information. Compared to traditional static billboards, LED digital signage has the advantage of dynamic display, allowing for real-time content updates to convey vivid and engaging information and advertisements. Its high-definition display and all-weather capability make outdoor LED digital signage a vital tool for modern outdoor advertising and information dissemination.

With its exceptional brightness, robust protection features, and remote intelligent control, outdoor LED digital signage is widely used in commercial advertising, traffic information broadcasts, city management, entertainment events, and more, helping to enhance communication efficiency and capture the attention of a broader audience.

outdoor LED digital signage

2. Features of Outdoor LED Digital Signage

2.1 High Brightness and All-Weather Visibility
One of the primary features of outdoor LED digital signage is its high brightness, typically reaching 5,000 to 10,000 nits or more, ensuring clear content display even under direct sunlight. Whether day or night, in sunny or cloudy weather, LED digital signage provides excellent visibility to attract passers-by.

2.2 Weather Resistance and Protection Rating
Outdoor LED digital signage is usually highly weather-resistant, capable of stable operation in extreme weather conditions, including high and low temperatures, heavy rain, and dust storms. This is due to the high protection rating, such as IP65 or above, ensuring that the screen and internal components are waterproof, dustproof, and corrosion-resistant, suitable for long-term outdoor use.

2.3 Dynamic Display and Flexible Content Updates
Unlike traditional billboards that can only display fixed images or text, LED digital signage supports various dynamic content formats, including video, animation, and scrolling text. Businesses or public entities can flexibly adjust the displayed content to suit their needs, achieving real-time updates to ensure timely information delivery. 8 differences between LED digital signage and traditional signage.

2.4 Remote Control and Intelligent Management
Modern outdoor LED digital signage typically supports remote control, allowing users to manage signage remotely via a computer or mobile device connected to a network. This intelligent management approach enables advertisement content or information broadcasts to be updated in seconds, significantly improving operational efficiency.

outdoor LED digital signage

3. Technical Specifications of Outdoor LED Digital Signage

3.1 Resolution and Pixel Pitch
The display quality of outdoor LED digital signage is directly related to its pixel pitch. Pixel pitch refers to the distance between LED light points; the smaller the pitch, the higher the screen resolution, and the clearer the image display. Common pixel pitches for outdoor signage range from P10 (10mm) to P20 (20mm), depending on the viewing distance and application requirements. Here is a guide to selecting the spacing of LED displays.

3.2 Brightness and Contrast Ratio
Brightness is a critical parameter for outdoor LED digital signage, directly affecting its visibility under different lighting conditions. Typically, the brightness of outdoor signage ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 nits, ensuring visibility under strong light. Additionally, contrast ratio significantly affects image quality, with higher contrast enhancing depth perception and visual impact.

3.3 Protection Rating (IP Rating)
Outdoor environments are highly variable, so outdoor LED digital signage must have a high protection rating to shield against dust and water. The IP rating represents the device’s dust and water resistance, and outdoor LED signage should generally have an IP65 or higher rating to protect internal components from environmental elements. 5 minutes to understand the LED IP rating.

3.4 Power and Cooling Systems
Continuous operation of LED digital signage demands efficient power and cooling systems. Effective power management ensures a stable power supply while minimizing energy consumption, and a good cooling system extends device lifespan by preventing display issues or component failure due to overheating.

4. Installation and Maintenance of Outdoor LED Digital Signage

4.1 Installation Methods and Structural Requirements
Outdoor LED digital signage installation typically requires selecting an appropriate structure for the specific application. Common installation methods include pole-mounted, wall-mounted, and suspended. To ensure safety and stability, installation must consider environmental factors such as wind and seismic resistance, with sturdy support structures.

4.2 Power Management and Wiring
Outdoor LED digital signage usually requires a dedicated power supply, with safe, well-protected installation of power and data cables. Lightning protection is also essential, especially in areas prone to thunderstorms, to prevent damage to the power system.

4.3 Maintenance and Cleaning
The outdoor environment can lead to dust and pollutants accumulating on the LED screen surface, so regular cleaning is essential for optimal display performance. Key internal components, such as power supplies and driver chips, should also undergo regular inspections to ensure efficient operation.

4.4 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics
Modern LED digital signage is often equipped with automatic monitoring systems to track operational status, reporting faults or abnormal conditions in real-time. When issues arise, maintenance personnel can quickly diagnose and resolve problems through remote diagnostics or on-site repair, minimizing downtime.

5. Applications of Outdoor LED Digital Signage

5.1 Commercial Advertising
Outdoor LED digital signage is widely used in commercial advertising, especially in high-traffic areas like city centers and shopping malls. Its dynamic, high-definition display captures the attention of potential customers, making advertisements more engaging and impactful. Here is the price range for commercial LED displays.

Outdoor LED display

5.2 Public Information Broadcasting
Government and public institutions frequently use LED digital signage to broadcast public information, such as traffic updates, emergency notifications, and weather forecasts. With its instant updates and wide coverage, LED signage is ideal for public information dissemination.

outdoor LED

5.3 Traffic Management and Safety
Outdoor LED digital signage is also used in traffic management, such as electronic signs on highways and traffic signals on urban roads. These digital signs provide dynamic information to help drivers stay informed about road conditions and traffic changes, enhancing road safety and management efficiency.

5.4 Large Events and Sports
At stadiums, festivals, and other large events, outdoor LED digital signage is an essential tool for displaying information and engaging the audience. By displaying real-time event updates, live broadcasts, or event details, LED signage enhances audience participation and the overall event experience.

outdoor LED digital signage

6. Market Trends and Future Prospects

6.1 Smart Advertising and Data Analytics
One key development trend for outdoor LED digital signage is the adoption of smart advertising systems. By integrating data analytics and AI, signage can dynamically adjust content based on audience behavior, weather, and time, improving advertising accuracy and effectiveness.

6.2 Applications of Interactive Technology
With advancements in interactive technology, more outdoor LED digital signage is integrating interactive features, such as touch screens and gesture control. This allows audiences to interact with content, enhancing engagement and making advertisements more appealing.

6.3 Eco-Friendly and Energy-Saving Trends
Energy efficiency and environmental friendliness are also significant trends in outdoor LED digital signage. By adopting low-power LED lights and efficient power management systems, the energy consumption of signage is further reduced, aligning with green market demands.

7. Introducing the ARES series: a new generation of outdoor digital signage solutions

Highlights:

Cost savings: The new DOOH (digital outdoor) solution can save up to 50% of operating costs, including transportation, labor and steel structure costs.
Luxury appearance: Provides an immersive viewing experience and is suitable for a variety of application scenarios, such as billboards, landmarks, street displays, digital signage, traffic billboards, arena displays, etc.
Stable and reliable: Professional design ensures superior image quality, with a brightness of up to 10,000 nits, 50% energy saving, and a refresh rate of up to 3840Hz, providing the best moment for naked-eye 3D image enhancement.

Technical specifications:

Pixel pitch: Provides a variety of options, from P3.9mm to P10.4mm, to meet different clarity requirements.
LED type: Adopt SMD1921 or SMD2727 to ensure high brightness and color performance.
Pixel density: From 65,410 dots per square meter to 9,227 dots per square meter, adapt to different viewing distances.
Module size: unified 500×250mm, easy to install and maintain.
Module resolution: multiple resolution options are available depending on the pixel pitch.
Panel size: 1000x1000mm, 1000x750mm, 1000x500mm are available to flexibly match different projects.
Panel resolution: corresponding resolution is provided according to panel size and pixel pitch.
Power consumption: maximum 200W, average 600W, energy-saving and efficient.
Material: aluminum profile, light and durable.
Panel weight: only 20KG per square meter, easy to install.
Brightness: 6500 to 10000 nits, suitable for outdoor strong light environment.
Grayscale level: 16 bits, providing rich color performance.
Input voltage: 110-220V, 50-60Hz, suitable for voltage standards in different regions.
Refresh rate: 3840Hz, ensuring dynamic images without flickering.
Working temperature: -20°C to +60°C, adaptable to various climate conditions.
Protection level: IP65, dustproof and waterproof, suitable for outdoor use.
Certification: ETL/FCC/CE/CCC, in line with international safety and environmental standards.

Installation and maintenance:

Cooling system: Good cooling system to ensure stable operation of the equipment.
Structural design: Simple structural design, easy to maintain, supports front and rear maintenance, wall-mounted installation.

In summary, outdoor LED digital signage has become a core tool in outdoor advertising and public information dissemination due to its high brightness, dynamic display, weather resistance, and intelligent management features. With continued technological advancements, its applications are expected to expand further, providing audiences with increasingly diverse visual experiences.

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Regarding Programmed DOOH

The outdoor advertising industry has existed for more than a decade. From the age of billboard advertising to digital out-of-home today, the industry has been evolving constantly to tackle ever-changing consumer behaviours. One of the latest innovations in the industry is the programmatic DOOH or pDOOH. But what exactly is it?

In this beginner guide, we will dive into some important topics about programmatic DOOH. What is programmatic DOOH? What are the benefits of using it? And how does it work?

Programmatic DOOH

What is DOOH?

To explain what exactly programmatic DOOH is, we will have to look at what is DOOH first.

DOOH or digital out-of-home is a form of outdoor advertising which uses digital technology to deliver content to people in public places.

Unlike traditional out-of-home (OOH) advertising which uses static billboards and displays, DOOH advertising utilizes digital screens such as digital billboards, digital signages, video walls, and digital kiosks.

The usage of digital screens allows a more flexible content delivery which supports a wide range of digital media formats such as videos, images, texts, and animations.

The biggest difference between traditional OOH and DOOH is that OOH is used to display only a static advertisement at one time, whereas DOOH can be used to display multiple advertisements.

In short, DOOH makes both ads rotating and scheduling possible. Advertisers are no longer needed to run their ads 24/7. Instead, they can now reach their target audiences more effectively by running ads at the most suitable time periods.

Programmatic DOOH for Digital Billboard

What is Programmatic DOOH?

Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) is an upgraded form of DOOH advertising where the process of media purchasing is becoming more convenient.

For both OOH and DOOH, advertisers or business owners will need to contact the billboard owners directly to purchase any media spaces. Besides, many other details such as content delivery, content schedule, and content formats are needed to be discussed and arranged personally with the billboard owners.

The purchasing process can become tedious especially when the advertiser has a huge number of advertisements or campaigns to run. Things can get complicated too if there are too many different locations and media owners involved.

Programmatic DOOH provides a single online platform where the buying and selling of digital ad spaces are automated. Besides, advertisers can also buy spaces only when their specified conditions are met. For example, a workshop that sells weatherproof tyres will want to display its advertisements only when there are rains in the targeted locations.

Outdoor LED Billboard

How Programmatic DOOH Works?

Programmatic DOOH provides high flexibility in running your outdoor campaign. The very first thing you need to do is to look for a reliable and trustworthy programmatic DOOH platform.

The programmatic platform acts as a middleman in the media purchasing process. It helps to connect media owners and media buyers conveniently.

Media buyers do not need to get in touch directly with the media owners. Instead, buyers only need to bid, upload content, and set up what they want to do or buy via the platform’s user interface. This is what we called a Demand Side Platform (DSP).

Demand Side Platform is a platform where media buyers can specify the number of spaces, the targeting locations, the desired publish date or time, and other unique conditions such as weather conditions and foot traffic.

Once the media buyers have placed their bids, the platform will then communicate to a Supply Side Platform (SSP). SSP is a platform where media owners manage their advertising inventories or ad spaces from all kinds of digital screens.

When there is any advertising slot that meets the requirements of the media buyer, a transaction will be made if the bid is won. The media buyer’s advertisements will be then published automatically.

Programmatic Digital Out Of Home

Benefits of Using Programmatic DOOH

Programmatic DOOH makes everything looks so easy and convenient. It offers some benefits to businesses and advertisers that other platforms or channels cannot offer.

Some of the mentionable benefits of using programmatic DOOH are

  1. Run your campaign faster.
  2. Data-driven campaign.
  3. Flexible platform.
  4. Reduce human error.
  5. Transparent and competitive pricing.

Run Your Campaign Faster

Running an outdoor campaign is so much easier with programmatic DOOH. Unlike traditional outdoor advertising which could take up to days or months to deal with the media owner and to wait for available spaces, securing ad slots is so much faster with pDOOH.

As long as you have a laptop, a computer or a smartphone with an internet connection, you can run your campaign with just a few clicks. Uploading and updating content can be done easily too.

Data-driven Campaign

Data is extremely important for any business. Same goes to the outdoor advertising campaign. You will want to run your campaign with some specified goals. You will want to achieve the best possible outcome by making the correct decision.

To make correct decisions, using external data in your campaign is a great idea. Data analysis can be hard to implement in traditional advertising campaigns. However, since programmatic DOOH uses various digital technologies to gather audience data and demographics, it is possible to offer highly personalized and engaging experiences to your target audience.

Some of the external data that can be utilized are traffic volume count, age, gender, dwell times, temperature, and weather conditions. All these data can be collected by the DOOH networks via sensors, cameras, and mobile location data.

For example, if you are promoting cosmetic products, you might want to find an ad space that is located in a crowded area where there are more women than men.

Programmatic DOOH uses a data-driven approach to help businesses to do better with their targeting. Besides, pDOOH can also help to measure campaigns’ performance by collecting data such as impressions, footfall traffic, and dwell time.

DOOH Data Advertising

Flexible Platform

Programmatic DOOH is highly flexible in many areas. Technically, advertisers are free to set any criteria or requirements to target their audiences more effectively. The advertisements will only get triggered when their specified requirements are met.

Besides, pDOOH has pushed location-based advertising to its next level. There are many digital screens in multiple locations in a city, and pDOOH makes all of them easily accessible. No matter who are the media owners behind all these digital screens, ad space purchasing of different locations can be done within one single online platform.

In addition to the two flexible areas mentioned above, programmatic DOOH also offers flexibility in terms of cancellation policy. You can always pause, update or stop your campaign anytime you want. Advertisers are not tied to complicated contracts when they buy ad spaces via pDOOH.

Reduce Human Error

Programmatic DOOH helps to automate many tasks online. From choosing ad space to online payment, not much manual work is involved. When there is less manual work or fewer parties involved, human error can be reduced greatly. In short, pDOOH helps businesses to deliver content effectively with utmost accuracy.

Transparent and Competitive Pricing

The programmatic DOOH platform is an exchange where media buyers and owners gather together. To attract media buyers or advertisers, media owners will have to display their best prices on the platform.

This level of transparency is definitely one of the biggest advantages to media buyers. Buyers can now compare different pricing plans and make the most suitable decisions.

The transparent and competitive environment also encourages media owners to focus on providing the best services, which will ultimately benefit the media buyers in the end.

public interactive

Conclusion

Programmatic DOOH is still a new player in the market. Although it still has a long way to grow and become mature, it has already displayed its potential to become one of the most effective advertising channels in the future.

06

Skills for designing outdoor digital billboard LED display screen content

Digital billboard is a digital display that helps businesses in reaching a target audience effectively. While a digital billboard offers many advantages that most traditional displays cannot provide, the digital display itself does not guarantee a successful digital campaign automatically.

It is true that a digital billboard is a powerful tool. However, a powerful tool can turn useless if it is not being used wisely and skilfully. The content and the business strategy are more important than the tool.

Digital Billboard

Digital billboard is all about content. It is nothing more than a meaningless giant screen if the content is not legible or attractive enough.

In this article, we will look at the 10 tips on designing the most effective content for a digital billboard campaign.

  1. Use contrast colours.
  2. Highlight only one or two main messages.
  3. Use large bold, and easy-to-read typefaces.
  4. Use a limited amount of texts and elements.
  5. Use visual priority in your composition layout.
  6. Use visual cues to direct attention.
  7. Avoid white backgrounds.
  8. Use the right images.
  9. Play with creativity and imagination.
  10. Test your content.

1. Use contrast colours.

Digital billboard content is all about legibility. Legible content is content that is being clear enough to read from a far distance. Using contrast colours can help to make your content easier to read.

Using contrast colours is about achieving the best colour combinations. Normally, white can work well with dark colours while black can be used together with brighter colours. According to the modern colour theory, contrast can be achieved using complementary colours – the two colours which are on the opposite sides of the colour wheel.

Another reason for using contrast colours is to separate your main elements or artworks from the content background. If your artworks or texts are filled with non-contrasting colours, your elements will fail to stand out. As a result, the audience cannot focus on your main messages.

Color Combination for Digital Billboard Content

2. Highlight only one or two messages.

While digital billboards can display video content with a longer duration compared to images or static advertisements, you still want to aim to relay your message in the shortest possible time.

Attention span is getting shorter nowadays. It is always better to keep your audience informed and to understand your message with just a single glance. Another reason is that digital billboards are always targeting a moving audience outdoors. Your audience could be boarding a moving train or driving a car. They have only few seconds to notice and read your content while moving.

Whether it is an image or video content, you need to identify what is the most important message you want to deliver. What is your call to action? How can you include your call to action and message as simple as possible in your content?

For example, if you are displaying an advertisement on a digital billboard next to a highway, do you think it is a great idea to include a phone number in your content?

Always remember to keep things simple. Simplicity is the best way to deliver meaningful content.

Digital Billboard Content

3. Use large, bold and easy-to-read typefaces.

An easy-to-read typeface is one of the most important legibility factors. Your audience can be viewing your content from a very far distance. You should always use a text height of at least 20 inches for a headline. Body text can be kept at a height of 12 inches. However, never use any text height that is shorter than 4 inches. It is extremely hard to read small texts at a long distance.

Typography is a design principle that will determine whether your text is easy to read or not. An easy-to-read typeface depends greatly on its arrangement, styling, and spacing.

While we are not going to give a detailed lecture on typography here, there are some simple guidelines that you should follow when designing digital billboard content.

  1. Use bold fonts. Avoid thin and fine strokes as they will become less obvious at a long distance.
  2. Long sentences with all capital letters are hard to read.
  3. Close letterspacing is hard to read.
  4. Avoid using too many different types of fonts.
Typeface

4. Use a limited amount of texts and elements.

The audience has very limited time to read your content. Keep your content simple by using lesser texts and elements. A headline should be kept at 7 or fewer characters.

If you are displaying video content, each shot should be kept as simple as possible. Avoid cluttering your content with too many images or graphic elements.

For example, Apple used only a photo captured by its iPhone to highlight its core message. A single image is sufficient enough to tell the audience that its iPhone has a superior camera performance.

LED Digital Billboard

5. Use visual priority in your composition layout.

You could be using images, texts, and graphic elements in your content. However, if you are having too many elements within your content, the audience might have a hard time determining which element is the most important information. They do not know how to move their eyes across the content – where and which element to look at first.

Using visual priority can provide a sense of hierarchy in your content. Normally, you will want your most important message to appear as the largest element within your content. Less important elements such as terms and conditions should be kept smaller when compared to others.

Humans read and scan lines from top to bottom. Hence, always put the more important elements or messages on the top of your content.

6. Use visual cues to direct attention.

There are times when you need to disobey the visual priority rules and place your most important messages somewhere else due to some design factors. You can use visual cues in this situation.

Visual cues or directional cues are elements that can help to direct attention to important areas such as call-to-actions, products and main messages. Some of the most common cues are arrows, face or eye direction and colour contrasts.

Visual cues are important. If your design sucks, the audience can never pay attention to your message effectively even though you have the greatest content in the world.

Digital Billboard Content with directional cue

7. Avoid using white backgrounds.

Digital billboards are made up of multiple LED screen panels, and these LED screen panels contain many tiny LED bulbs or packages. Most LED bulbs or packages come in three colours – red, green and blue.

All red, green and blue LEDs need to be turned on to their maximum brightness levels to produce white lights. As a result, the power consumption of the digital billboard is increased greatly.

Besides, a full-white background can appear very bright especially at night. A bright background can make your content hard to read. Moreover, it can also distract road users.

8. Use the right images.

An image is powerful enough to tell a story. Some even agree that image is a lot more effective than texts and other elements in engaging audiences. Thanks to the vivid display screen of digital billboard, vibrant and colourful images can capture attention easily.

When using images in your content, always pick the images that can tell your message effectively. Avoid using images for decorative purposes. It is meaningless to clutter your content as audiences have very limited time reading your screen.

9. Play with creativity and imagination.

One of the reasons that businesses are switching to using digital billboards is the ability of the digital screen to display a wide range of digital media formats. Some of the supported media formats are videos, texts, images, and animated graphics.

Unlike traditional billboards which creativity can be limited, you can choose to display almost anything that you want by using the digital billboard. Find the best format that suits your business nature and engage your audience in the best possible way.

For example, businesses are now using digital billboards to display glasses-free 3D content. The content is usually targeting pedestrians in busy areas with heavy foot traffic. The 3D content can provide an exciting viewing experience, and it is so unique that pedestrians are willing to stop what they are doing to watch the content.

10. Test your content.

Buying an advertisement space or slot can be expensive. A poorly-planned content can ruin your digital billboard campaign.

Although you have followed all the basic guidelines and have been working hard to create the best ever content you can come out with, it is still crucial to test your content before launching your campaign.

Get some friends or outsiders. Show them your content and ask for their opinions. You can simulate the real-life situation by showing the content for not more than 5 seconds. Then, check with your friends how well they can understand your message.

Digital Billboard & Outdoor LED Display

Conclusion

Digital billboard is an effective tool in outdoor advertising or digital out-of-home (DOOH). The right tool is crucial in producing great work, but how you use the tool is important too. With the right digital billboard design and content, you can improve the effectiveness and ROI of your digital campaign.