Haivision Integrates Intel’s Anonymous Viewer Analytics

Haivision Network Video today announced an integration of its CoolSign™ digital signage solution with the Intel^® Audience Impression Metrics Suite (Intel^® AIM Suite) to deliver a groundbreaking new audience detection solution. With the Intel AIM Suite integration, CoolSign now offers sensor technology for anonymous viewer analytics to enable intelligent digital signage installations that deliver highly relevant, real-time content to the right users at the right time.

“Digital signage has become one of the fastest growing advertising and marketing channels, but its effectiveness depends on fresh, relevant, and highly targeted messaging. Just as important are the measurable results that help ensure that the right message is delivered to the right audience,” said Peter Maag, Haivision’s chief marketing officer. “Haivision’s CoolSign and Intel AIM Suite are a powerful combination for today’s most advanced digital signage deployments, enabling any retail organization to engage customers intelligently, track results, and continuously improve its ability to attract attention, inform, and sell.”

Employing anonymous viewer analytics, the Haivision CoolSign system with the Intel AIM Suite can identify the gender and age bracket of a viewer and automatically play content targeted to that person. In this manner, sales and marketing organizations can develop precisely targeted content and schedule it to play to specific audiences when detected by sensor-equipped displays. By storing viewing data in its playlogs, CoolSign makes it easy for organizations to analyze viewing results correlated with content. Banks, for instance, can access campaign analytics that transfer ad display data from each branch and correlate it with viewership data — and they can compute ROI by relating ad viewership data to branch sales.

Launched in 1998, Haivision’s CoolSign has a long legacy of innovation, pioneering many aspects of digital signage technology including n-tier architecture, native multicasting support, real-time connectivity, full edge device monitoring and control, flexible media scheduling, closed data architecture, bandwidth usage controls, and many others.

CoolSign installations use Intel processors to produce valuable intelligence for centralized content development, distribution, and scheduling, which enables faster placement of messages and easier content management. Additionally, CoolSign’s management user interface (UI) is frequently cited as being one of the most powerful in the industry — providing rich functionality in a simple, elegant, easy-to-use manner. Secure, scalable, reliable, and efficient, CoolSign meets the demanding requirements of retail, government, financial services, corporate, and pure-play digital out-of-home advertising (DOOH) networks around the globe.

The Bay 'hires' Anna, a virtual greeter

Anna, the virtual greeter at the Bay's flagship Toronto store.

Michelle Siu for The Globe and Mail

This 5 feet 8 inch beauty in heels is called Anna, a life-like projected digital image that will act as a 'digital greeter' at the Bay’s flagship Toronto store.

Read more on Anna at this The Globe and Mail article.

Abcon gets on the green with digital out-of-home golf network

Abcon Media have announced a strategic partnership with 2aTEE Golf Media, Inc. out of the U.S., becoming its exclusive Canadian media provider for a new digital out-of-home advertising network at golf courses across Canada, officially launching next month.

Ads will appear on golf cart mounted GPS systems featuring an in-cart network of 3,500+ screens at 50+ high-end golf clubs Canada-wide and growing. The network will reach 200,000+ golfers with up to 21.6 million impressions each month.

On a per capita basis, Canada is home to more golfers than any other country in the world. More people actually play golf than hockey in Canada and the majority are affluent, well-educated and successful.

The newest generation of GPS screens in Canada offers interactive touch screen as well as video and audio capability.

Relevant real-time onscreen content includes: 3D visual & flyover of hole layouts, distances to pin and hazards, pro tips, food & beverage ordering, pace of play info etc.

Custom content opportunities are also available i.e. sponsored sports/stock ticker, touch screen data capture, Smartphone connectivity etc.

In the U.S., GPS golf cart advertising has been successfully utilized by the likes of Cadillac, AMEX, Allstate, HBO, J&J, Puma, Verizon as well as many other multi-national brands.

Haivision Continues Record Growth in 2011

Haivision has announced results for its fiscal year 2011. The company has achieved another year of significant revenue growth with a 47 percent increase over fiscal year 2010, contributing to a 50-percent CAGR over the past six years. Haivision technology is focused on intelligent media pipelines that incorporate video, graphics, and metadata to help customers to build, manage, and distribute its media content to users throughout an organization or across the Internet.

Haivision has also increased its profitability steadily, ending 2011 with its 16^th consecutive quarter of positive EBITDA results. “The company has fueled its rapid growth over the past six years through organically generated profits rather than depending on outside capital,” said Mirko Wicha, president and CEO of Haivision.

Supported by the company’s strong fiscal performance, Haivision has been able to successfully acquire and integrate four software companies in just over two years — Video Furnace, CoolSign™, KulaByte™, and MontiVision Imaging Technologies — each with strong complementary technology and unique market positions. The acquisitions have significantly contributed to Haivision’s end-to-end proposition within the IP media delivery market, supporting the company’s leading position in high-performance H.264 video encoding with enterprise IP video management, digital signage, and Internet media encoding and transcoding.

Haivision released three new product technologies in 2011 that are expected to contribute significantly to the company’s continued growth. The Viper™ multichannel HD video recording and streaming appliance is positioned toward opportunities in both the medical and education markets. The Kraken real-time transcoding appliance is extending the well-established position of Haivision’s Piranha™ and Makito Air™ encoding products within the military intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) markets. Finally, Haivision launched HyperStream™, an Internet media Cloud transcoding service based on KulaByte software transcoding. HyperStream enables over-the-top (OTT) media delivery within the broadcast, sports,  entertainment, and faith markets.

“Haivision is now unique in providing end-to-end solutions bridging enterprise and Internet media applications,” said Peter Maag, chief marketing officer of Haivision. “We deliver best-in-class technologies and associated workflows for media delivery both inside and outside of the firewall.”

“Haivision is successful due to a unique combination of market understanding, channel dedication, technology leadership, and fiscal diligence,” added Wicha. “As our recent acquisitions mature within our channels and we extend our strengths within the enterprise towards OTT and mobile solutions, Haivision is very well positioned to continue its growth across our focus segments.”

Haivision now has over 160 employees across four continents. Haivision sells its products through more than 300 market-focused OEMs, integrators, and resellers globally. Supporting the channel partners and customers, Haivision has corporate and development offices in Montreal, Chicago, Beaverton, Austin, Hamburg, Dubai, and Hong Kong.

Capital Networks to show-off new Android-based Digital Signage Software at #DSE

This year's Digital Signage Expo is just around the corner and Markham, Ontario-based Capital Networks has announced that they will be introducing a new version of their software that will be Google Android-based.

Powered by the Android operating system and able to display content on android tablets and phones, the new Audience for Android digital signage solution will provide a low cost alternative to Capital Network's current digital signage offerings. This latest addition to the Audience software platform will allow users to create, control, distribute and display targeted digital signage displays for a wide range of applications.

This is new direction is in stark contrast to some of Capital Networks' earlier offerings that required advanced or specialized video cards to output broadcast-quality graphics.

Capital Networks will be exhibiting in booth 923 at DSE 2012 taking place in the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, March 7-8.

La Cage aux Sports partners with Newad for indoor ads

Newad announced that it has reached an exclusive indoor advertising agreement with more than fifty restaurants that make up La Cage aux Sports, a Quebec-based sports resto-bar chain. Newad will handle all sales of advertising space for the Cage TV and AffiCage networks with ad agencies and Canada’s major advertisers, while also managing the installation, development and maintenance of the chain’s advertising network.

“This long-term partnership with such a prestigious chain is part of the strategic development plan of Newad Indoor’s advertising network, and reinforces its key positioning to reach Canada’s Young & Affluent. It comes on the heels of recent partnerships announced this fall with Canlan Ice Sports and its 16 sports complexes, the acquisition of Media One and the strategic partnership with the BarNet network. It also builds on our offer in the sports resto-bars category, where we already have a large presence in Canada. La Cage aux Sports chose Newad because of its track record for reliability, its constant growth and its capacity to manage innovative networks that guarantee tangible and competitive revenues. The quality of our sales team and the involvement of senior management in the project were among the key factors that cemented La Cage aux Sports’ confidence,” comments Jean-Philippe Leduc, Executive Vice President, Client Relations and Business Development at Newad.

“Advertisers will be able to benefit from a specialized network that is present throughout Quebec. They’ll have the opportunity to connect their brands with major sporting events and position themselves at the peak of enthused fans’ passions, in particular at the Bell Centre, where La Cage aux Sports has a restaurant,” adds Joanne Leboeuf, General Manager of Indoor Advertising – East of Canada. Her team has already activated a few trial campaigns, notably for Consignaction (S2B Agency) and TV5 (Espace M).

“We’re very happy to be partnering with Newad, a national company that has successfully proven that it can lead a solid sales force anywhere in the country, making use of our Cage TV and AffiCage networks’ full potential. This agreement applies to both our current establishments as well as those that will see the light of day over the coming years,” comments Jean Bédard, President and CEO of the Sportscene Group.

COMB board adds four new members

According to Adnews the Canadian Out-of-Home Measurement Bureau (COMB) has added four new members to its board of directors. These include Richard Ivey, Senior Vice-President, Customer Service, Media Experts who was recently elected Chair of the COMB Research Committee. In his new role, Richard will lead the industry’s oversight of all COMB OOH measurement methodologies, research and auditing standards, and new-member approvals.

COMB also welcomes new Board Directors:

Kris McVeigh, Senior Vice-President, Managing Director, M2 Universal

Sandy Bourne, Vice-President, Advertising, Sponsorships/Events & Merchandising, BMO Financial Group

Karen Lee, Senior Media Manager Integrated Marketing, Coca-Cola Ltd. 

Sheri Metcalfe, VP and Co-Managing Director, Jungle Media, continues as the Chair of the COMB Board. Jeanne Northcote, Managing Director, MediaCom, and Ron Hutchinson, Senior Vice-President Real Estate Services, Astral Out-of-Home, will continue to fulfill their roles of Past-Chair and Treasurer respectively. 

Returning members of COMB’s Board include: Lesley Conway, Astral Out-of-Home; Frédéric Rondeau, Bos; Nick Arakgi, Michele Erskine, CBS Outdoor; Philippe Marchessault, Newad; Dave Petryna, Outdoor Exposure; Randy Otto, Bob Leroux, Pattison Outdoor; Julie Myers, ZenithOptimedia; Cathy Fernandes, Zoom Media.