CHICAGO, August 13, 2012 — Technology replaces the things we use with things we love to use more. Music, a good example, has evolved from cassettes to CDs to iPods to Spotify on your phone.
We are currently witnessing an exponential shift in the way we use technology to interact with the world around us, especially in mobile. It’s for the better. Well, other than the occasional person who falls in a mall fountain while texting.
Elevate Digital is changing the way we will interact with a city, with a mall, with a downtown. Their multi-touch interactive displays provide a benefit for both consumers and advertisers.
For the consumer, it’s quick and easy-to-navigate information provided with zero hassle. Someone can walk up to one of their displays and find a restaurant, find a hotel, find out more about where they are. Yes, they can also do that on their phone. However, this is tailored. It also integrates coupons that can be used immediately in your given area.
For an advertiser, it’s another way to be more targeted than a digital billboard. It’s an opportunity to drive instant traffic to your location or have someone interact further with your brand than just a passing glance. In advertising inundation is being replaced by interaction.
CEO George Burciaga has Elevate Digital well positioned to expand on the possibilities of interactive digital display. He answered my questions on where he sees both the technology and his company going in the future.
1. What is the future of interactive technology?
The future of interactive display technology is in improving the way people interact with and consume information through the integration of mobile. The combination of these two technologies is poised to take consumer interaction and engagement to the next level.
If consumers are able to take their interaction further by sending information to their smart mobile device, the opportunity arises for marketers and advertisers to reach the consumer even after they walk away from the machine.
2. How is Elevate Digital using this new technology?
Elevate Digital currently has 30 multi-touch, mobile-integrated interactive displays deployed in high-traffic locations around Chicago. These displays provide consumers with hyperlocal information – coupons, transit information, directions and more. The machines process more than half a million interactions with consumers each month, and the average Elevate Digital machine sees consumers interacting with its content for more than six hours each day.
Elevate Digital is really shaking up the out-of-home advertising market with our software and interactive displays. Many OOH advertisers are not interested in developing interactive technology platforms themselves, so we have stepped up to fill that void by offering marketers and advertisers a digital interactive platform that enhances consumer engagement at the street level.
3. What are the short-term, long-term goals for Elevate Digital?
In the short term, Elevate Digital is focused on increasing its footprint in the Chicago market. Three new installations will be underway by the end of the summer – more details will be public shortly. We are also expanding into Miami and New York City in the coming months and talks about deployments are currently underway.
In the longer term, we want to continue this momentum and plan to have more than 2,000 units in place in major metro markets all over the United States within the next five years.
4. What is your favorite project to date?
My favorite project has to be our work with Groupon. We teamed up with Groupon originally in December of last year to bring daily deals to the street level on our digital interactive screens. Then at the end of June, Groupon conducted a pop-up advertising campaign using our screens to offer Now! deals.
For two days they had a street team out in Pioneer Court in Chicago, bringing awareness to the deals and the screens. As a startup, being able to team up with such a well-known brand helped accelerate our growth and it has been a mutually beneficial partnership.
5. What’s the next potential tech trend?
Interactive glass has enormous potential. In much the same way that tablets are poised to replace desktop and even laptop computers, seamless touch-screen glass will send kiosks the way of the dinosaur.
Jeff Barrett is the Co-Founder of Status Creative, 2011 PRNewswire Award Winner for “Best Use of Video In Social Media” and once stayed at Holiday Inn Express.
This article is the copyrighted property of the writer and Communities @ WashingtonTimes.com. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media. REPRINTING TWTC CONTENT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR PAYMENT IS THEFT AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.
