I explore three critical considerations for integrating AI into your organisation: workforce adaptation, marketing and discoverability, and software product development. Each area presents unique challenges and opportunities for growth.

Key AI Considerations for Company Leaders

So as a company leader, I'm sure you're already thinking about AI. For me, there are three key things you need to consider. Firstly, number one, your workforce. If your workforce is resisting the use of AI tools, then I think you're going to be left behind productivity wise. For me, this is probably the hardest challenge of all, is to get people to use it, just not like a new version of doing Google, but actually introducing AI into your working practices. It can be done, but it's not an easy challenge. The second one is marketing and discoverability. Most companies these days are relying on Google search or AdWords in order to be discovered by new customers. But that is rapidly changing. We are seeing search generated traffic go down. However, AI is being asked to make recommendations. It just simply won't make as many recommendations as a search engine once did. So are you discoverable on search engines? I think is a critical question for now. And then the third one, I suppose, depends on whether you have a software product and how you're introducing AI into that software product, where historically it probably wasn't because it didn't exist. So at ScreenCloud, we're thinking about all of those three things. They all have their own merits and challenges and different timelines. I'd encourage you to do the same and let me know what you're thinking about.

JD Sports has made a splash in Las Vegas with a stunning 3D screen installation. This visually impressive setup aligns with the youthful, fashion-forward audience, offering a unique retail experience in the city known for its vibrant displays.

JD Sports' Innovative Retail Experience in Las Vegas

In the City of Lights, JD Sports just stole some of the spotlight. Scrolling through social media, I came across a video of JD Sports in Las Vegas. They've clearly done a very impressive implementation of screens externally, and not just flat, they're actually 3D too, showing a huge amount of branding and latest products. This fits very well with the audience, which is likely to skew younger and towards more of a fashion trend. And it entices them to come in and enjoy a slightly different retail experience. Obviously, it fits that it's in Las Vegas, where there are screens everywhere as well. And this is probably a conditional of even having a shop there. But overall, I really like this. Well done to the way it was installed. And let's see if they can make it even more interactive in future. I'm giving this four out of five. Let me know what you think of the comments.

In this video, we explore the innovative idea of placing screens in unexpected locations, like urinals. Discover how dwell time can optimise advertising impact and consider how this technology could be applied in your environment.

Innovative Advertising: Screens in Unusual Places

This screen is really taking the piss. So an old friend of mine John sent me a humorous picture from Amsterdam where he was visiting of a screen embedded in a urinal in a men's toilet. Now there's obviously something quite funny about this but actually it is really impressive. One of the most important things about where you place a screen is dwell time and when you are taking a piss you have a certain amount of dwell time and downtime. The reality is these screens are going to be seen, you can guarantee that the person will be there for a while and that the message will almost certainly land. Whether it's the most appropriate setting for some content it probably isn't but when it comes to advertising this is probably going to work pretty well. It's also kind of cool that you can make screens that small and they are that versatile now and maybe that makes you think a little harder about where you could place screens in your environment. I think it is a sign of genius. I'm giving that four out of five. Without the toilet humor let me know in the comments.

Exploring an innovative advertising method using projections in train tunnels, this video discusses the future of digital signage and its integration with environments. Discover how this technology might revolutionise advertising strategies.

Innovative Advertising in Underground Train Tunnels

We've seen adverts on platforms and in tube carriages, but what about in the tunnels? I recently saw a video of an underground train in Prague that was showing a continuous advert by projecting onto the wall of the tunnel as the train went from station to station. Thought this was a really innovative idea and a great use of screens without actually having a screen. It's my firm belief that the screens in digital signage will begin to mould and meld with the environment in which they're in and these black boxes on the wall will no longer be needed. That doesn't change the mission of what we do. And I think this is a great example of how that might evolve. So I genuinely think this is a sign of genius. I'm going to give this a five. What do you think?

This light-hearted video explores the quirky use of screens in social media. While not a long-term strategy, it's sure to capture attention and be widely shared online. What do you think of this creative approach?

Screens That Bite Back: A Fun Social Media Phenomenon

I have proof that when screens bite back, nobody is safe. So while scrolling through social media, I came across this video. It's a bit of fun. It's a bit silly. I hope the guy is okay and hasn't bruised his bum. But I do like this use of screens. It's kind of fun. It's a bit quirky. It's probably not what I would call a long term strategy, but it certainly will get attention for the venue and it will be heavily shared on the internet. As you can already see, it has been. So I will give this a signs of genius score of three out of five. What do you think?

Explore the clever use of interactivity in public spaces as seen at Manchester Piccadilly train station. A creative QR voting system engaged fans in a fun debate over Manchester's football allegiance.

Interactive Screen Strategy at Manchester Piccadilly

Manchester will always be red. Sorry, City fans, Bertie is not blue enough for this screen. This was seen at the Manchester Piccadilly train station following a football match. Now, some will argue it was all the Man United fans going back to London, but I thought this was quite a clever screen strategy where they asked people to vote via QR code to show whether the city was red or blue. So, it's a bit of fun. Clearly, the United fans are more engaged, more technically adept, and better looking. They can't even fill their stadium, let alone get people to vote on screen. So, clearly, the United fans were heavily engaged. I love interactivity with screens. I love people thinking a little bit more creatively in how they use screens. So, I will give this a Signs of Genius score of five out of five, because, obviously, I'm a United fan as well. If you disagree, let me know in the comments.

Explore how Swatch Milan uses digital signage to enhance brand presence, creating a colourful and vibrant retail environment. However, there's potential to further engage customers through interactive messaging.

Innovative Digital Signage at Swatch Milan Store

In the Swatch Milan store, time doesn't tick, it flashes across screens. I was reading another blog post by Dave Haynes of 69, our digital signage industry guru, and he drew our attention to the Swatch store in Milan. As you can see, these screens have been beautifully fitted into the aesthetic of the building, which is very high ceiling, so you've got nice tall screens. I like the fact that it really helps bring the brand to life. Swatch is a colourful, vibrant brand, and that really needs animation and colourful power to emphasise that. If I was to criticise it, the screen isn't really telling me to do anything. Maybe that was the point and the intention, but this is a retail environment, so I think there is room here to tell the customer what they should be thinking about or doing next. I would give this a screen score of three out of five. It is a sign of genius if they just tweaked it a little more. What do you think in the comments?

3D screens in Tokyo, like the floating cat in Shinjuku, are visually striking but often gimmicky. While they attract initial interest, their practical effectiveness as signage is limited due to location constraints and the need for prolonged viewing. This video explores their role as PR tools rather than functional displays.

The Gimmick of 3D Screens in Tokyo's Urban Landscape

Tokyo has 3D pandas, lions and Nike shoes, but first Shinjuku had a floating cat. So we've put this one in here just to trigger Dave Haynes. He absolutely hates these 3D screens and to be honest he has a point. These screens are quite gimmicky. On first look everyone likes them but over time they just become slightly annoying and slightly odd if they're trying to shock people or scare people who are passing by. So generally this is really more of a PR gimmick that people may share online. Actually as a screen and a sign in its environment they're not really very effective. One of the problems is also you have to be standing in a certain location and you have to give it quite a lot of time, usually an area where you're trying to walk past quite quickly. So these are probably better shared on the internet and wowed than actually what they really do in real life. My screen score is 2 out of 5. Sorry Kitty. Is this a sign of genius? I don't think so but let me know in the comments.

Spotify Wrapped takes centre stage at the Alternet in London, showcasing personalised insights on massive screens. While it's visually stunning, there's room for a clearer call to action for users. What do you think of this innovative display?

Spotify's Personalisation on the Big Screen

Spotify are bringing personalization to the big screen. Just before Christmas every year, Spotify has their own viral event, Spotify Wrapped, where each user of the platform gets insights about what they've been listening to over the year, as do artists as well. Spotify here have taken over the massive screens at the Alternet in London and placed a lot of artist information and various personalized information up on those screens. What I love here is obviously that's drawing attention back to their main viral product, reminding people to engage with their own and share their own. I also love the fact that the Alternet screens are being fully used and immersed here, where you can also use amazing sound in this environment. So I'm a huge fan of the Alternet. You've probably seen me reference it before for the Joris Voorn concert I was at. But if I was to criticize it at all, it would be that it lacks a bit of a call to action of what to do next for the user, which could easily have been incorporated. That said, I think it looks pretty stunning. It definitely works and the screens are incredible. So my screen score is four out of five. I think there is a sign of genius here. Do you agree? Tell me in the comments.

Discover how ScreenCloud's IT Hero campaign highlights the vital role of IT professionals in organisations. This programme not only celebrates their contributions but also addresses challenges in implementing digital signage effectively.

Celebrating Unsung IT Heroes in Our Brand Campaign

In January, we launched our big brand campaign, IT Hero. At ScreenCloud, we have been working with IT professionals for over 10 years now, and we know that they are the unsung heroes inside of their organizations. We wanted to shine a light on the amazing work that they do and how they help and serve their colleagues. We also wanted to bring to the front attention how difficult it has been historically to roll out digital signage across the enterprise. So IT Hero stepped up to the challenge, defeated SpreadsheetO's evil brief, and made it nice and easy for the screens to be working. We have a lot more in store for IT Hero and other heroes in this little universe that we've created. So keep an eye out for more videos coming later this year as we explore internal comms and other parts of the business and how they may face screens and use them in the future.

In this insightful video, the CEO of a digital signage business shares a surprising perspective on the role of screens in communication. Discover why screens, while valuable, may not always be the best primary channel for grabbing attention and learn about alternative methods that can enhance message delivery.

The Role of Screens in Modern Communication

So a confession, if I was picking a single channel of communication to use, I would not pick screens. That's kind of crazy coming from the CEO of a digital signage business, right? The reality is that screens play a huge role in amplifying messages. The repetitive nature of them means that they're much more likely to be seen. The fact that in environments where you know people are, means you can also guarantee they probably will be picked up by the eye. But the reality is if you want to really, truly communicate to people, you're gonna need to really grab their attention. And the reality is that is probably gonna be via email, SMS, instant messenger, Teams, Slack, whatever that might be. That is actually going to grab their attention. It's gonna be easier for those people to react or to actually perform a task as a result because they're on their computer or mobile phone. And the screens are really playing a supportive role. Now, I believe that supportive role is really undervalued in today's world and can be a huge differential maker in getting your message out there. But if I was only picking one channel, it wouldn't be screens.

This video highlights the common pitfalls of screen content and emphasises the importance of transforming existing materials into screen-friendly formats. It discusses the role of providers like ScreenCloud in enhancing internal communications through effective design.

Transforming Content for Effective Screen Design

Alright, another spicy take. Screen content sucks. Usually when we see screen content, it's terrible. It's not formatted for screen, designed for screen, even written for screen. It's an existing piece of content that's being put on a screen. It might not actually even fit the layout. It might have way too much text, not a clear call to action, not imagery to draw in the eye. And the reality is that's actually on us. Customers don't know how to design for screens. They already have content in other approved formats, so maybe a PowerPoint that they'd emailed around. And it's actually down to the likes of ScreenCloud to take that content and transform it into screen-friendly, accessible design and best practice. So unless you're using a branding agency, which in commercial use cases in retail and quick-serve restaurants, they would be using an agency to make all that content really pop and shine and work the way it's supposed to. For internal communication, generally speaking, they don't have access to those resources. So it's on us, the providers, to help customers not put screen content up that sucks.