Francisco Ramirez (LG): “The growth capacity of the digital signage market in 2012 "It's spectacular."

LG Electronics is implementing various strategies with a good part of its product portfolio in a determined commitment to the digital signage market. Francisco Ramirez, Director of Business Solutions at LG Spain, It tells us the plans that the Korean company contemplates for the 2012, a year that, according to the representative of this multinational, presents very good prospects for the digital signage sector.

LG has made a decisive commitment to digital signage from the first moment. What has led the company to bet so heavily on this market and what does the digital signage business represent within LG Spain??
Us, as a company, We started betting on digital signage more than ten years ago because we are a leading manufacturer worldwide in the manufacture of displays., With which we have a great competitive advantage over the rest of the companies in the market and also gives us the possibility of investing much more in R&D..
Digital signage represents in LG, at the business level, in everything that is the professional part, approximately a 10%. It is true that this sector is a small part of our turnover., but because it is a fundamentally valuable business.

What does LG contribute to the professional digital signage environment as a differentiating element??
The fundamental differentiating element is that we have relied on the most professional digital signage partners in Spain., that operate both locally and internationally. We have absolutely the entire solution from start to finish, We advise and offer consulting to end clients who want to integrate this communication system and the most important thing is that we know all the processes very well., Apart from that we are constantly innovating in different products, in different formats. We are very daring, even, in designing screen sizes that not even our main direct competitors in the digital signage sector have. We are also committed to creating different content with different communication agencies so that everything related to communication is very innovative..

According to a recent study published by Kinetic, although Spain occupies one of the first positions worldwide in terms of income from digital signage, The turnover of this sector compared to the total turnover in outdoor advertising represents only the 3%. Do you trust that this market will begin to take off in the near future in Spain??
Growth is going to occur and, besides, he 2012 It is a year in which this growth will materialize. Digital signage is valuable communication. The billing level is low but the income is ultimately high because this communication is highly valued..
Although currently it only represents the 3% of investment in outdoor advertising, approximately, the growth capacity in this 2012 it's spectacular, It's exponential. We know it and we are also encouraging both advertisers and agencies to continue believing in the format and, at the technology level, we are socializing communication a lot. Today we have the tools and we have the partners so that everything can be developed even at the SME level., small company. We have created different financing formulas, different renting formulas, where it is very, very accessible to communicate through digital signage.

Although facilities and equipment are very important, We must not forget that digital signage is based on digital content. What relevance does LG give to the content that is going to be shown on the screens??
The hardware is as important as the content and, besides, the two parts are what enrich the value of communication. we are working, collaborating and supporting many content creation and generation companies, We are also very close to the university, We are creating different communication standards that we think are the most effective when it comes to communicating in digital signage.. Therefore, For us the content is as important as the hardware, the thing is that we are specialists 100% in hardware and it is true that we rely on our partners when generating this content.

How is the emergence of 3D affecting the digital signage sector??
LG is a leader in the 3D sector but it is a very defined focus on the consumer part, in the domestic part. When it comes to digital signage, today, I think the market, the user, is prepared for what dynamic advertising is, and I think that's very important. We are ready for 3D but I think it is not the phase, now is not the time.

Where is the digital signage sector heading??
Custom solutions, communicate very 'ad hoc', that is to say, focus that communication very well, make local communication in terms of form and time, and even personalization of communication, although we are managing content at a very global level, it must always be defined also in time. The most important thing about this technology is the immediacy and, as such, Yes, it is true that we have to be able – and in fact, we are-, to design it, create it, communicate it…in any format. I think it is one of the most important and solid bases of digital signage..

What technological innovations is LG preparing for the digital signage market in view of 2012?
We can confirm that there will be news. We will continue working especially on the frameless model, in models with much more contrast, we will continue to grow in terms of the size of the screens, but we will present the most important news starting in February.

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