The Slovenian DS Market

Printer-friendly version

In Slovenia, digital signage is already well established. Post offices, shops, banks and pharmacies are just a few places which now boast shiny screens of their own. And from the beginning of this year, a new branch of DOOH advertising has been installed in Slovenian cities. Media Bus d.o.o have introduced their digital signage solution for buses on approximately 150 routes in all of the major cities.
 
The screens can be divided into up to five fields to display different content. There are three main types of content which can be used on these screens: commercial (advertising), informative and interactive. In Slovenia, commercial and informative content is screened so that passengers can be kept informed of the latest news and weather forecasts.
 
The content is updated on a daily basis from a remote location in real time, using 3G mobile technology. Using UMTS modems from their local mobile operator, Vodafone’s partner Simobil, Media Bus solved the problem of updating content on a moving vehicle. In other countries this can be more problematic, because mobile technology is not always so reliable and data transfer problems can occur. In this case, content would be uploaded in garages using WLAN technology. The system includes software which makes upload user friendly so that content can be uploaded from an office PC.
 
Following the first six months in action, feedback has been very positive – 78% of passengers said that they viewed the content on the LCD screens regularly, while 93% found that the content made their trip more comfortable, and 83% found the content useful. Advertisers have also readily accepted the new type of advertising space, according to Media Bus.
 
Following the success of this solution in Slovenia, Media Bus is now turning to other countries in Europe where this type of DOOH could be equally effective. At the moment they are working on their first German project with NDT Technology, and are acquiring the requisite technical documents for German TUV approval before they can install their digital signage solution for transport in Germany.
 
Media Bus also expanded their business when they exhibited at DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO 2009, where they presented their digital signage solution for transport and acquired a network of contacts throughout Europe. While the interest is there, many clients first need to research the potential for advertising sales on such a solution before they can commit to it.
 
Media Bus expects a real breakthrough with this solution in 2010, and is also extending their presence to advertising in major bus stations.