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CHANGING THE FACE OF RETAIL SCREENS
REVO 2018 – THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE 16:9 BOX FUTURE PROOFING THE SHOPPING CENTRE EXPERIENCE PLUS - iCONIC H // OUR AWARDS // adiLIFE // THE BEACONS REVISITED ... AND MORE 1
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Across the business we’ve achieved some astonishing feats in 2018 that we should feel immensely proud of; developing and harnessing powerful technologies and content solutions for the benefit of multiple industries and high-profile clients. This year we introduced game-changing technology to the world of sport commercialisation through our launch of Virtual Hybrid digiBOARD, with the first deployment of virtual replacement technology in a FIFA World Cup match and across the Bundesliga. While we are helping our sports clients turn their fans into customers, our retail clients have the opposite challenge; in a digital and rapidly-changing landscape shopping centres need to deliver a destination experience to keep shoppers coming back for more, week after week. The hardware and content services we provide as a business can help them create that sense of occasion, elevate brand partners and transform the venue for every visit. We’re building on our retail expertise – having installed 30 large-scale screens to UK shopping centres – to offer a wider creative LED solution that delivers content-driven experiences while bringing commercial revenue.
Similarly we’re helping town and city centres across the UK to revive their high streets and drive footfall and dwell time by placing digital screens at the heart of their community spaces and – as with retail – providing complete platforms that enable them to create content that focuses on engagement rather than simply bombarding viewers with advertising. Our screen rentals division continues to grow in size and operations, with a raft of new high-profile event contracts that take our brand across mainland Europe and beyond, delivering over 3,500 screen rental days annually. The iCONIC fleet of mobile screens has grown to an enormous 48 screens and we’ve invested in our modular inventory to fulfil spectacular global occasions like the Glasgow 2018 European Championships – which you can read more about on page 32 – and the global racing series Formula e.
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Change is rife, not just in retail, but in every market we work in. As has been the case throughout our 27 years in business, our challenge is to continually evolve to provide products and services that help meet the needs of our customers not just today, but in the years to come.
Geraint Williams, CEO ADI
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REVO Edition
Revo 2018 – Thinking Outside of the 16:9 Box
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Revolutionary Screens Launch at intu
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Footfall’s Coming Home!
Technology that Shapes the Advertising Experience
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Blackburn with Darwen Council - Taking Back the High Street
World Cup Screenings
Shopping Centres: We Hit the Big 30!
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PAGE 12 Biggest UK BeamBack at Anfield for Champions League Final
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Perfect 10: 2017/18 Awards
PAGE 10 Introducing Paradigm – Value without Compromise
PAGE 18 Give Retail a Sporting Chance
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PAGE 22 The Royal Wedding
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Future-proofing the Shopping Centre Experience
German Football is Leagues Ahead in Virtual Advertising
The Beacons Revisited
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The Games Return to Glasgow
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Making Virtual Advertising a Reality
We Make the Matchday
iCONIC H - A Powerful Pop-up for Brands and Live Events
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Chinese New Year: THE largest celebrations outside of Asia
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REVO 2018 – THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE 16:9 BOX
At this year’s Revo Conference & Exhibition in Manchester we’re going far beyond our usual presence and showcasing our vision of how LED can add value to retail destinations of the future. As well as the usual 16:9 screens we’ve provided to the show for the last few years, we’ve built a couple of showcase screens: the first two will greet visitors in the registration area as they enter the show whilst the other screen is a gigantic 150m2 portrait screen which frames the entrance to the Cinema.
Behind the Scenes As well as creating a load of great content from within ADI’s very own Production department, we’ve also commissioned some work from our friends over at Wash Studio. Wash are a Preston-born company like ourselves and a great creative agency – you’ll no doubt have recently seen their work on the latest Hyundai Turning Petrol Heads campaign that is doing the rounds on prime time TV ad slots (as well as all over pretty much every other type of media).
But it’s not about the screens – it’s about the content! More importantly, we’ve spent the last few months creating incredible content for these screens! Be prepared to be blown away by larger than life content in giant 4K scale. We recognise that these screens would need to fulfil a number of roles in a shopping centre environment, but the overall theme is fun. Whilst we’ll be demonstrating how great engagement and commercial content aren’t mutually exclusive, the key focus is on creating a sense of occasion beyond customer expectations and most importantly makes them go WOW!
Creative Director Andy Walmsley was hugely excited about this project and the concepts they’ve executed look at utilising the human form within and beyond the boundaries of the screens and indeed the retail experience. It will certainly be unlike anything else you’ll have seen!
If you aren’t lucky enough to have been at Revo Manchester 2018, we’ll have a promo video up shortly afterwards at www.adi.tv/revo
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TECHNOLOGY THAT SHAPES THE ADVERTISING EXPERIENCE Innovative technology is helping to evolve the advertising experience; encouraging brands and their agencies to be far more creative with their media content and deliver longer, multiformat campaigns that excite and surprise consumers.
Play as you shop @ intu
Large-scale gaming experiences at your local shopping centre are the future! Initial trials at intu Merry Hill, in partnership with Piing, attracted hundreds of shoppers to take part in multiplayer games on the Epoch ‘big screen’, using their mobile phones as controllers. Up to 200 people at any one time joined in with dune buggy racing and general knowledge quizzes in a bid to win prizes from on-site retailers and restaurants. Known for embracing the latest digital trends, intu have the objectives of driving up footfall, attracting younger visitors and benefiting their retailers.
Screen technology no longer has to be just a one-dimensional platform for delivery but becomes an integral part of the complete brand experience, where movement, audio and incredible content combine to create meaningful interactions that ultimately drive engagement, interaction and sales. Re-inventing screens in the retail market How people consume content has changed thanks to the rise in mobile technology. Through the widespread use of smartphones and tablets it’s become second nature to flip between portrait and landscape mode to suit the content, and this behaviour has heavily influenced the concept behind the Epoch range. intu continually test new technologies and develop exciting digital campaigns that enhance brand engagement, footfall and dwell time, making the Epoch screens an ideal solution for their venues. These dynamically different screens are not only the first of their kind in the retail market, they drive innovation and reinvigorate the Digital Out of Home landscape in the UK. Live
Watch our video here:
https://bit.ly/2NubMjH
Roger Binks, Customer experience director, intu, commented:
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Large-format LED screens are prevalent at premium malls and city centres across the UK, but the Epoch’s dynamic movement allows brands to engage with consumers through a more immersive, memorable advertising experience. At intu we’re focused on delivering compelling experiences for our customers and the addition of Epoch screens allows brands to have fresh channels for interaction with shoppers and to create conversations, adding a new element to the customer experience. 7
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F TFALL’S COMING HOME! // RUSSELL SCOTT, HEAD OF COMMERCIAL
TOWN CENTRE BIG SCREENS ARE HELPING TO REDEFINE TOWN CENTRES AS LEISURE DESTINATIONS
I recently spent a fascinating and fun couple of days in Hull with the Association of Town Centre Managers. If you don’t make the link to ADI, a business that works extensively in sport and retail, the parallels with the challenges faced by town centres are striking. Sports venues have the same primary focus as town centres – for “footfall” read “attendance” – and the universal mantra is to make them arrive earlier, stay longer, spend more and comeback sooner; a set of objectives echoed by the CEO of a prominent Business Improvement District: “get them into town, get them spending money”. Yesterday I was further reminded of the parallels as I came across a Facebook post – viewed by over 26,000 people – showing a square full of ecstatic fans erupting as they watch Eric Dier slot away the winning penalty against Columbia, on a giant screen we have recently installed in Blackburn town centre. Undoubtedly, our town centres are alive and kicking and they’re proving they don’t need to rely purely on big brand retailers for long term survival.
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A Changing Retail Model
Success Stories
The historic battle between town centres and out-of-town retail was largely won on choice and convenience, it was very tough to compete with acres of free parking and row upon row of appealing brands. These same retail environments are now up against the internet, the undisputed champion of choice and convenience in a battle that’s creating a high casualty count. Retail feels increasingly under siege, the near daily bankruptcy headlines are creating a genuine nervousness as to what the longer term model of success is.
We’re working with a couple of partners who are experimenting with lots of interesting and quite different content experiences. Princes Quay, a shopping centre in the heart of Hull, in a highly competitive market are working hard to create exciting events extending their appeal to new audiences. From Valentine’s Day promotions, to keeping the gamers happy with a giant Mario Kart competition, they’re constantly reinventing the experience and getting people talking about what’s coming next.
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On the other side of the country we’ve recently installed a screen outside the town hall for Blackburn with Darwen Council. They’ve had a great opening run supporting their Festival of Making followed by a day with something for everyone: the Royal Wedding in the morning followed by the FA Cup final in the evening. Local restaurants and bars have benefited directly from the extra trade but much more important is the impact of people making the short journey home buzzing with excitement about the experience they shared in their town centre. Perhaps they even did a little shopping whilst they were there…
But town centres were always about more than just retail. If the battle for convenience is lost, the battle for community is alive and well and town centres are well placed for the fight.
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Driving a Local Agenda
The screens appearing in city and town centres over the past few years have predominantly been used for pure revenue generation – generally running national Digital Out Of Home campaigns – but the tide is changing and these screens are increasingly giving way to content focused on engaging the audience rather than just putting ads in front of them. Creating spaces for shared experiences. Bringing people together to spend time as a community. Promoting local businesses, not global brands. These are aims that have a real social value and importantly they feel sustainable. As major retailers vacate, there’s an emerging sense that the future of the town centre lies in investing in local rather than watching money flow out of the area and into the pockets of global shareholders.
But as I sit here and watch joyous strangers in a North West city square hug each other and sing, it occurs to me that perhaps it’s not just Football that’s Coming Home; I think maybe our town centres are too.
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A POWERFUL POP-UP FOR BRANDS AND LIVE EVENTS Another market exclusive product from ADI. Weve designed a digital platform for brand activation and a versatile space solution for hospitality, site services, exhibitions and rapid retail, say hello to the iCONIC H.
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65m 0F EXTERNAL 2
VINYL BRANDING
SPACE
OVER
700m 0F INTERNAL
2
FLOOR SPACE OVER
25m 0F DYNAMIC DIGITAL BRANDING
3 Floors
12m2 LED screen
4m2 Hinged LED screen 4m2 Hinged LED screen
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5.8m2 LCD panels
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VIP HOSPITALITY
POP UP SITE SERVICES
3 floors of premium space including the ultimate VIP event viewing platform to get your guests above the action.
The ideal event control centre: huge video-wall and fold-out desk on ground floor, meeting and interview space on first floor and event observation platform at top. Ready to go within an hour of arrival.
NEXT LEVEL EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVATION Huge digital platform for dynamic brand promotion supported by over 65m2 of print brandable space. Flexible interior to layout as you want it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
www.adi.tv/iconic-h
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SHOPPING CENTRES: WE HIT THE BIG 30! This year we’ve celebrated our 30th installation in the shopping centre market with the launch of a new highresolution display at the White Rose Centre in Leeds. In the last 5 years we’ve custom-designed and manufactured a range of innovative LED installations across some of the UK’s best-known retail destinations including intu Lakeside, Highcross Leicester and Bluewater – totalling over 900 m2 of LED. In addition to the screen at the White Rose Centre, ADI have recently created bespoke solutions for Westgate Oxford, Princes Quay Hull and intu Braehead. From large-format DOOH displays to vast digital sculptures that interact with the general public, ADI’s in-house teams help retail clients devise the perfect solution for their venue and achieve commercial and experiential ambitions.
Positioned close to anchor tenants including Debenhams and H&M, the screen at White Rose is the latest digital site to join JC Decaux’s M-Vision network.
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In the right Quay To excite shoppers, amplify live events and help promote retailers, Princes Quay Shopping Centre asked ADI to help bring the Epoch screen experience to the centre of Hull. Positioned in the central atrium, the Epoch 230 screen broadcasts a continually updated programme of local content, adverts for centre retailers and restaurants, and provides an interactive element to the ever-growing calendar of live events that take place inside the venue – mostly recently Mario Kart live gaming and the Jurassic Wilderness Maze. ADI designed and manufactured the screen, which can seamlessly switch between landscape and portrait formats to suit the wide variety of content shown by Princes Quay. Programming is managed by the centre’s marketing team, allowing the continual update of news and offers, along with the ability to broadcast live to the screen during in-centre occasions – which brings extra engagement to the shopping experience. Sarah Smith, Marketing & Customer Service Manager, Princes Quay said:
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It’s an incredible asset for the centre and the local community, adding value to our live events, boosting retailer communications and engaging customers with fresh, relevant content.
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WORLD CUP SCREENINGS While England didn’t manage to change the history books and bring football home, we all had an amazing few weeks watching their World Cup journey.
LINCOLN CASTLE, UK
Outdoor screenings took place across the UK, allowing England fans to celebrate and commiserate with their friends and local communities. We also supplied live beambacks further afield in Germany and France.
CONFLANS, FRANCE
SOLD-OUT 8,000 CAPACITY SCREENING CASTLEFIELD BOWL
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Castlefield Bowl – The England v Croatia Semi-Final saw the world’s largest, most versatile mobile LED screen pitch-up in the heart of Manchester, sponsored by Auto Trader.
Cologne Racecourse – Matching iCONIC 100s satisfied the crowds that attended Cologne Racecourse for Poldi’s Public Viewing Party. The epic 8 hour occasion centred around the Germany v Sweden game, with masses of live music performances pre and post-match.
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Local Investment Increasing Engagement Driving Footfall and Community Spirit
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BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN COUNCIL - TAKING BACK THE HIGH STREET Increasing footfall, engaging with local communities and keeping things local are the aims and objectives we are being told time and time again by local authorities and councils.
Increasing Engagement Days following the installation the screen was put to use with daily playlists packed full of local, civic and national news helping keep local residents updated with the latest goings on in Blackburn and surrounding areas.
The retail reliant high street is no more. Each month we hear of more store closures, staff reductions and the possibility of multi-national companies going into administration is no longer a shock. You could be forgiven for thinking that the Great British High Street is on its way out however, we believe this is wrong. Cue Blackburn with Darwen Council.
The screen was used to promote the towns annual Festival of Making and then throughout the festival itself, helping keep crowds updated on the schedule of events. The screen also played an instrumental role in Blackburn’s touching memorial service to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.
Long before the barrage of retail dwindling headlines of 2018, Blackburn had already identified that footfall needed to increase in their town centre and that they could no longer rely on the once popular retail stores to help in this drive. Instead, they began to look at alternative options. Dynamic ways of drawing audiences to the town and keeping them there for longer. Having already purchased an LED screen for advertising purposes, Blackburn with Darwen Council knew how versatile these powerful communication tools could be and instructed ADI to install a second, this time however the screens purpose would be to engage. Local Investment It would have been easy to use the screen as an advertising tool like so many towns and cities do. To employ an agency to sell space on the screen for national brands to take over with hour after hour of adverts. But Blackburn with Darwen wanted to keep it local and championing local communities and businesses has been the sole purpose of the screen since it was installed in May.
Driving Footfall and Community Spirit When not being used to inform, the screen is being used to entertain. The summer of 2018 has been bursting at the seams with amazing events and Blackburn have taken full advantage of the screens ability to broadcast live content. On the 19th May, the screen showed Prince Harry and Megan tie the knot and then later, drew in crowds eager to watch Chelsea and Manchester United battle it out to be crowned the FA Cup winner. Each event has seen an increase in numbers, as word about the screen spreads audience numbers are increasing with people coming together in order to share in experiences. Throughout the World Cup the England games were broadcast, bringing together the community and benefiting local restaurants and bars with an increase in traffic to the area. So far the screen is exceeding all expectations. Engaging audiences, driving footfall and helping to create a sense of community. What could have been used as just another advertising platform has instead been used to help Blackburn not only champion ‘local’, but also take back their high street.
Watch our video here:
https://bit.ly/2BWrDGm 17
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NEW PROD UCT FOR 2018
INTRODUCING PARADIGM – VALUE WITHOUT COMPROMISE In 2016, we introduced the world to Epoch. Now in 2018, we’ve launched another brand new range - Paradigm.
Making Things Simple Often, configuring a bespoke screen can be complicated and time consuming but with a focus on simplicity. The Paradigm range requires customers to select from a number of options in order to build their ideal screen. Once the screen size, orientation, pixel pitch and supporting structure have been selected the screen is manufactured and installed.
Built and designed to suit the typical requirements of our customers. These screens have been value engineered in order to ensure exceptional value for money without compromising the quality of product and service we are renowned for.
Everything Included
With a focus on making screens easier to choose, faster to install and simpler to manage content, the new range comes in a wide variety of fittings and fixtures and can be bought in either landscape or portrait format.
The price we quote includes everything needed to install and manage the screen - excavation, installation, a bespoke content management system and a year’s warranty.
A Complete Range Available from 4m² to a gigantic 100m², Paradigm screens can be installed on a mast, goal post, with above ground foundations or as a wall mounted solution.
All Paradigm Screens: • Are 16:9 format • Feature AD Virtuality LED • Are available with standard or ultra-resolution screen • Are available in a choice of free standard structures or can be wall mounted • Are provided with a custom content management system • Can be specified with built in speakers • Are provided as fully installed solutions • Come with an all-inclusive, installed cost, with no hidden charges • Come with a full years warranty and service • Come with access to ADI’s service centre for ongoing repairs for the lifetime of your screen
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The content being used mirrors that on the recently refreshed Dreamland website, helping with consistency of brand and messages.
Paradigm In Action - Dreamland Theme Park, Margate. Installed as part of a wider makeover of the park, the screens (some of which are a double sided solution) are being used in order to promote and drive footfall at weekend events, as well as make audiences aware of activities taking place around the park during their visit.
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BIGGEST UK BEAM-BACK AT ANFIELD FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL With sell-out crowds of 30,000 Liverpool FC fans eager to watch the UEFA Champions League Final from the familiar surroundings of Anfield, we helped Liverpool FC create the largest live match beam-back ever seen in UK football.
A range of iCONIC screens from 12sqm to 25sqm were strategically located around all four sides of the pitch, facing onto The Kop, Kenny Dalglish Stand, Anfield Road Stand and Main Stand.
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We used our wide range of mobile screen products and stadium expertise to devise a custom solution for Anfield. Taking into account the expected audience size and specifics of the venue we delivered incredible coverage for the fans and cost-efficiencies for the club
Featuring 12 of ADI’s high resolution mobile LED screens from the award-winning iCONIC fleet, supporters inside the stadium were provided with incredible live coverage during the muchanticipated Liverpool v Real Madrid match.
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It’s been an incredible 2017 and 2018 for us - our installations, products and services have scooped us 10 prestigious awards!
2017 Best Use of Technology in Football 2017 – Football Business Awards Best AV/Production Company 2017 – Scottish Event Awards Sports Technology of the Year 2017 – Sports Business Awards Best Screen Supplier 2017 – Festival Supplier Awards Best DOOH/Retail Project 2017 – Install Awards Daily DOOH Gala Awards – Most Innovative Use of Technology
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2018 Install Awards 2018 – Retail/DOOH Project of the Year Revo Opal Awards 2018 – Mall Transformation - Multiple Locations & Media Campaigns - Over 1 Million sq. ft Sports Tech of the Year 2018 – Sports Business Awards Best Technology for Sports Commerce 2018 – Sports Technology Awards
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GIVE RETAIL A SPORTING CHANCE // RUSSELL SCOTT, HEAD OF COMMERCIAL
OUR WORLDS OF SPORTS AND RETAIL ARE COLLIDING.
Two of the biggest markets we work in are sports stadia and shopping centres. On the face of it, very different markets and customer profile, but both facing similar challenges in creating an experience that encourages their customers to arrive earlier, spend more, stay longer and return more often.
Huge improvements in access to content have driven football’s boom. TV coverage has improved in both quality and quantity whilst highlights on social media and countless websites make football a 24/7 experience. This serves to create greater awareness and engagement with the sport but also means clubs are having to work hard to maintain the appeal of the live event, making sure the match day experience keeps pace with the new ever-present and seductive digital alternatives. In reaction to this instant coffee has become freshly ground and locked gates have opened early welcoming supporters into FanZones where our giant screens and production teams deliver a carefully curated mix of content and brand activation, helping to build the excitement all the time accompanied by opportunities to buy merchandising, food and drink.
And whilst our biggest challenge in sport is helping clubs turn their fans into customers; it’s becoming increasingly clear that the focus of our work in retail is helping turn their customers into fans. Beyond the 90 Minutes
But the core change is important, the 90 minute match isn’t enough to ensure the audience doesn’t opt for the cinema, a restaurant or just the sofa as an alternative. Fans expectations have changed, new younger audiences expect to be entertained and if the experience doesn’t evolve they’ll spend their time and money on a long and appealing list of alternatives.
Sporting organisations, in particular football clubs, have customer loyalty that most consumer brands can only dream of, confirmed by the ‘Spurs till I die’ tattoo that greeted me in the gym earlier this week. But that loyalty comes at a price, you only have to look at the fallout from a new owner deciding to get ‘his’ team to play in another colour to realise how carefully loyalty needs to be handled.
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Learning from Sport
A New Beginning
Retail is facing a very similar challenge. Competition isn’t coming from the centre in the next town, it’s coming from the device in customers’ pockets. Choice and convenience used to be enough – acres of carparks and a strong anchor tenant was a recipe for success – but no matter how big your carpark it’s never going to compete with the real convenience of not leaving the sofa and having your purchases brought to you.
A new approach is needed. One that meets, greets, moves and excites customers and one that recognises that the audience changes, not just by season but also by time of day and day of week. Technology has a big part to play in shaping the audience experience. Physical installations of large format digital canvases create the opportunity to engage people but it’s the content that becomes critical, if the focus is purely commercial consumers are sophisticated and quickly tune out.
So the battleground is shifting, but just as technology is creating the challenge, so it can be harnessed to help address the problem. More and more venues are using big screens to share compelling content experiences allowing audiences to both consume and contribute to the narrative and be used as a platform to create those social moments that help to drive genuine customer advocacy and push them into fan behaviour territory. But there is a challenge. To date most of the screens we’ve installed in retail have been for advertising, pure revenue generation, capitalising on high footfall to generate welcome additional income but without contributing to customer experience.
It’s an evolving model but one that has the customer at its heart, designing content plans that adapt to the needs of the business and the desires of the audience enabling a blend of experience, entertainment and brand partnerships to be delivered. The idea that the physical experience could be adapted to suit the audience is hugely compelling. The appeal of a higher yielding commercial model that’s accurately targeted to the audience is convincing, even more so if it generates enough income to fund the experience. Who knows, if we make the experience good enough perhaps shopping centres can charge an entry fee, or even start selling season ticket.
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FUTURE-PROOFING THE SHOPPING CENTRE EXPERIENCE With the retail sector facing challenges in a digital and rapidly-changing landscape, ADI’s giant LED technology is increasingly being used in ever more innovative and unusual ways. Priority is moving away from short term commercial gain and towards future-proofing the shopping centre experience to ensure the longevity and continued appeal of UK venues.
Brands bring exciting content, fresh interactions and have the power to drive footfall and dwell time – whilst boosting revenue. Venues need to think beyond just traditional Digital Out of Home media formats and designated event spaces to empower brands. To drive the most innovative forms of shopper engagement across the whole customer journey they must create a sense of occasion and excitement for the shopper through the entire on and off line experience.
No longer just places to ‘buy stuff’, but destination day-outs to ‘do stuff’, there’s an expectation for something new and exciting that makes a visit to the local shopping centre more appealing than purchasing online. Investments into the dining and leisure offer are an important part of the puzzle for owner/operators, but amplification of brand partnerships and unique, memorable experiences are essential for building loyalty and repeat visits too.
Innovative digital platforms are powerful both in physical size and emotional interactions, and modern LED technology allows canvases to be produced in any size, shape and format, allowing seamless integration with internal or external architecture. While the digital platforms are impressive, content needs to be the hero piece, with shopping centres ideally curating brand assets into immersive experience.
Content Is King
Drew Burrow, ADI’s Business Development Manager comments,
With uncertain times for the major players in high street retail the traditional model of anchor tenancy is starting to wane as anchor experience becomes more prominent. In their remit shopping centre owners and operators need to provide the digital platforms for brands to tell their story and immerse visitors in the occasion, creating that ‘Instagram moment’.
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ADI have a renewed focus on designing largescale content-driven experiences that bring brands to life. LED canvases and larger-than-life content can completely transform static interiors and architecture and its ability to change through the day, week and month brings opportunity to offer something new on every visit and future-proof the experience.
Looking to the Future ADI work with forward-thinking owners and operators including intu who are known for embracing new technologies to help brands thrive and make customers smile.
A unique part of ADI’s appeal is our ability to provide not just the platform, but the content. Our creative studio specialise in the live experience, cleverly combining artistic videography, brand story-telling and commercial partnerships to produce stunning content that achieves experiential objectives and crucially enhances revenue.
Roger Binks, intu Customer Experience Director comments,
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The majority of intu’s in-venue experiences are through brand partnerships and the brands that dominate the shopping centres flourish. We’ve found that a combination of hardware, experience and brand brings both direct and indirect income.
There’s a definite change occurring in the industry and the recognition that these platforms are an investment for the future, where value is measured not just in this year’s advertising revenues, but in the part they play in ensuring customers return week after week, year after year.
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GERMAN FOOTBALL IS LEAGUES AHEAD IN VIRTUAL ADVERTISING In a major breakthrough for virtual advertising technology, Lagardère Sports Germany awarded ADI a three year contract to supply our groundbreaking Virtual LED digital perimeter system to the Bundesliga. In a global first for Virtual LED perimeter technology, our revolutionary new Virtual Hybrid system is being used for every Borussia Dortmund home game from the start of the 2017/18 season. ADI’s unique platform will allow Lagardère Sports to segment brand advertising for individual territories, allowing partners to deliver more targeted messages to specific territories and help clubs to generate increased revenues.
Philipp Hasenbein, Managing Director of Lagardère Sports in Germany, commented:
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The quality of the solution developed by ADI and Supponor is unrivalled. We invested in Virtual Hybrid digiBOARD because it is the only virtual replacement LED system we’ve seen that delivers on reliability, functionality, and broadcast quality.
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The Royal Wedding All eyes were on Windsor on the 19th May 2018 as the dashing Prince Harry and stunning Meghan Markle made it official, with a global TV audience in excess of 2 billion.
1. Lincoln Castle - an iCONIC 25 in a beautiful setting
To create shared viewing experiences of the momentous occasion, public screenings were planned across the country and thanks to the incredible weather the crowds flocked in force! ADI screens were at the centre of events aound the UK, here are some of our favourites!
2. Gloucester City Centre – an Epoch15 organised by the city’s BID team 3. Brighton Beach – thousands of people enjoyed the free public screening on an iCONIC 40C, sponsored by British Airways
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// RENTAL
THE GAMES RETURN TO GLASGOW The first edition of the European Championships saw the largest sporting event take place in Glasgow since the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Across 11 days the city and surrounding areas came alive in a celebration of multiple sporting disciplines that attracted over 250,000 spectators.
ADI designed a completely custom solution for each venue, with a combination of our award-winning mobile and modular LED screens - in addition to plasma displays and HD video signal distribution - to suit the specific indoor and outdoor locations. Alongside the finest European athletes delivering incredible sporting action, Festival 2018 provided a broad cultural programme to bring a carnival atmosphere to George Square, Merchant City and Glasgow Green.
As Official Provider of Large Video Displays to the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, we supplied in excess of 900m2 of LED screen hardware across 12 competition and non-competition venues, helping to deliver a memorable live experience for audiences and dynamic activation of brand partnerships.
SSE Hydro Arena – European Artistic Gymnastics Championships A gigantic 225m2 screen in 4.6mm outdoor product delivered in excess of 10,500,000 pixels in a single display and formed the largest, highest resolution modular display ever built in Scotland. This created a vast digital backdrop to the gymnastics, providing image magnification and supporting the broadcast of multiple live data feeds and timings. 32
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OVER 900M2 OF LED USED
Nick Robinson, ADI’s Director of Screen Rental commented
“
9 months of planning have come to fruition with diverse, tailored solutions across a variety of sports and cultural venues. We’ve been able to add value through centralised project management of the screens and HD video signal distribution across all 12 locations. Our delivery of market-exclusive mobile and modular LED provides the very best quality to enhance production values and audience experience, while creating impactful digital platforms that elevate the European Championship’s brand and all associated partners.
”
Tollcross International Swimming Centre – European Swimming Championships Over at Toll Cross International Swimming Centre - which had a capacity of 5,000 spectators – over 145m2 of high resolution screens were located around the venue, complimented by a 46 metre stretch of digiBOARD signage along the full length of the poolside to bring incredible exposure for brand partners. 33
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You might know us in sport for the huge digital displays that light up the stadium bowl at dozens of stadia across the UK. From big screens, and perimeter displays, to LED ribbon and concourse TV’s, our displays create compelling content platforms that bring clubs, fans and commercial partners closer together.
Everything Connected It’s all made possible because of our revolutionary Live Venue stadium fibre network, which connects every stadium to our matchday production galleries. It means we can remotely produce all of the content that is delivered into stadium, allowing clubs to utilise our expert creative and technical resource, without needing to invest in stadium studios themselves. Whilst our production team might be sat in a studio 200 miles away, each matchday production is a true collaborative process between our team and the team at the club that stretches far beyond the 90 minutes of the match…
What you might not realise, however, is that we’re also responsible for creating and managing the content that adorns the vast majority of those screens - entertaining fans and delivering value for sponsors. Hundreds of hours of support goes into delivering the perfect matchday, with a team of producers, editors, camera operators, engineers, graphics operators, account managers, technicians and floor managers all working together to create an unbeatable experience.
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Watch our video here:
https://bit.ly/2NsWjAo
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Monday – Match Programme Meeting Every club is assigned their own ADI producer. Their role is to work with the club to deliver the content for the matchday production, keeping it relevant and fresh every week. Their Monday starts, coffee in hand, with a post-match debrief in which the team come together to discuss learnings from the previous match before attention turns to the next fixture. A typical agenda might cover: upcoming opponents and history of rivalry, key players and head to head clashes, club news, fan interaction and social media calls to action.
Tuesday – Content Acquis
ition
Producer works with editors and the content team to beg in work on matchday features pre-match show is at least . Typically each an hour long, so there’s a lot to do! Sometimes we perm production staff at the stad anently base ADI ium. They become part of the club’s media team. The filming interviews with play y’ll be capturing content, ers, or going behind the sce nes at the training ground.
Wednesday – Creation and Gathering Whilst the big screen team are cracking on, the team of digiBOARD producers are in full swing too. We provide LED perimeter systems at over 25 stadia across the UK, most of which are operated remotely over our Live Venue network. So by Wednesday content producers are working with editors to produce digiBOARD content, or liaising with clubs, agencies and brands to collate adverts to build the playlists.
Thursday – Finalising Running Order We’re getting quite close to deadline now, so the producer, working with the club’s media team, finalises the programme running order whilst the editors complete content. For some clubs this is a single channel of content playing out on stadium screens; for others its up to 5 channels also including digiBOARDs, digiRIBBON, concourse television and fanzone screens.
Friday – Finishing Touches Matchday is looming so today everything is checked and any final edits are made. The digiBOARD playlists are built and checked and social media content is started to be aggregated.
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12-30 Final programme checks ahead of kick off. Comms test between ADI HQ and stadium floor manager.
12-00 Engineering team set up broadcast feeds for live matches – to be delivered to broadcasters. Checks are made with camermen at each
11-00 The Matchday Teams arrive at ADI. Typically for each club broadcast this is will be a Director,
stadium to ensure consistency.
Highlights Editor and Graphics Operator for as many as 13 matches taking place on any one day.
We don’t just deliver matchday programmes to stadia, our Live Venue network also carries matches from stadia for broadcasters. In fact, every single EFL match (from Championship to League Two) is delivered over our network to broadcasters such as Sky and ITN, as well as directly to fans over the iFollow Platform
10-00 ADI’s mobile FanZone screens arrive to setup at stadia across the country. The FanZone technical teams follow shortly after – typically a Camera Operator and Floor
09-00
Manager who’ll be the main point of contact from the
ADI’s Screen Technicians arrive
stadium to ADI’s studio throughout the day.
at the stadium well ahead of the 3pm kick off to perform hardware checks.
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// GERAINT WILLIAMS, CEO
MAKING VIRTUAL ADVERTISING A REALITY
Every now and then an idea comes along that totally transforms the way an industry works. One of those, I’m proud to say, is our virtual replacement LED technology. More on that a little later… You don’t have to look far to see the impact that technology is having on our everyday environment as innovators strive to improve our lives with the latest and greatest gadgets. One example of innovation I’ve seen recently is the internet connected toaster - for which John Lewis will happily extract £152.99 from your wallet. To be clear, I didn’t claim it was a good example… In fact, I think it’s a particularly bad example of innovation. No doubt though its makers will tell me it’s the best thing since, ahem, sliced bread. The birth of the iPhone in 2007 would have been a far better example, if not one that is ever so slightly overused. It has completely and utterly changed the mobile phone market. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… I’ll make no apologies, however, for using the reference – I’m a complete Apple fanatic. Cut me in half and you’ll find pips at my core. But what is it that I so admire about this mega-brand? What really resonates with me is Apple’s ability to innovate – without ever doing so for innovation’s sake. Their products really do solve my problems. I’m not so sure the same can be said of those behind that Wi-Fi bread warming machine. Sadly, unlike Apple, we don’t turnover trillions in revenue (not unless we relocate our business to Southeast Asia and begin trading in Vietnamese Dong). Like Apple, however, we are a technology company with innovation at our core.
Whilst we’re no Apple Inc, I like to think we have a similar ethos – we too strive to develop solutions that improve the lives of our customers. One such solution is that of our Virtual Hybrid LED technology - an innovation that creates real value, and one that is already changing the way the sports sponsorship market is working. That, by the way, is an industry PwC reports to be worth $50bn. Take it at face value and our Virtual Hybrid system looks fairly unremarkable - pretty much the same as any other perimeter LED system you’d see framing the pitch, court, field of every major sporting event. But it hides a pretty powerful secret. Sit in the stadium and you’ll see it lit up with the kind of flashy LED content that we’ve all become accustomed to since 2002, when we installed the UK’s first digital pitchside display. Incidentally, back then, the iPhone was just a glint in Steve Jobs’ eye, which gives you a sense of how long we’ve been in the stadium technology game. What you can’t see in the stadium however is the clever tech under the hood that allows us to virtually replace the advertising content for audiences watching the same live event on TV in different countries. Using football as an example, it means that 90 minutes of advertising inventory can be sold many times over, with brands able to pick and choose the markets they want to target. Alternatively, a huge multinational brand like, let’s say, Apple (last reference, I promise), can deliver a global campaign, localised for each market. Suddenly they are able to tailor their message for each local target audience.
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REVO Edition Clearly there are many different ways in which virtual replacement technology can be used by brands to harness value from their sports partnerships. Did I mention, that’s a market worth $50bn? That’s a lot of brands in a lot of markets. Despite its scale, however, the sports sponsorship market is a little broken – at least for those sports with worldwide reach. There are very few global brands that have a single message for every international market. Virtual replacement technology plays a big part in helping to fix that - finally bringing an end to global wastage. Watch any Premier League match and you’ll see what I mean – the perimeter LED space is peppered with ads that mean nothing to anybody without a Thai betting account. With over 200 international broadcasters screening English football’s top flight, that’s a colossal waste. Everything I hear in the market suggests that brand partners, sponsors and advertisers are demanding more from their partnerships, and that the market is becoming increasingly competitive. More than ever brands have greater choice over where they invest their budgets in order to secure value. Sports media rights holders are realising the potential of Virtual Hybrid as a platform to deliver that value. With football, especially, being a global game, clubs offering a virtual advertising platform can create more effective international partnerships and, in so doing, drive greater revenue.
It’s a big year for perimeter LED technology – the integration of virtual replacement functionality is the single biggest development since our systems first lit up the Premier League 16 years ago. There are striking similarities between the factors that drove the innovation for perimeter LED all those years ago and what’s driving the booming demand for Virtual Hybrid today. Back then our motivation for digitising perimeter media space was to solve one enormous problem for clubs – it helped them to break through the revenue barrier imposed by having printed boards around the pitch. Suddenly, clubs could see a tenfold increase in the number of sponsors they could work with, and those brand messages could be delivered in a far more dynamic and effective way than they could previously. The principles haven’t really changed. It might be 16 years since LED technology helped clubs push that revenue barrier skywards but, as the market finally catches up with it, the evolution of virtual replacement technology has the potential to help clubs and rights owners jump the barrier for good.
Clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, the German FA, Lagardère Sports, and the English FA – they’ve all put their faith in our Virtual Hybrid system, having commercially deployed the technology in live broadcast.
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// INSTALL
THE BEACONS REVISITED
Watch our video here:
https://bit.ly/2PMUL5R
Over two years since their installation The Beacons at Highcross Leicester have become a much-loved landmark that captivates locals and delights visitors to St Peter’s Square. Weekly updates to the content keep this towering digital sculpture fresh and interesting, with Leicester-based schools, colleges, agencies and charities collaborating in the creation of custom pieces for display. The installation has literally proved to be a beacon for local educational establishments, animators and artists who wish to take part in live briefs and in return have their work showcased on an incredibly visual, prominent public art sculpture.
Award-winning The Beacons were voted Best Retail/DOOH Project at the Install Awards 2017. Recognising excellence across the entire AV industry and focusing on standout projects and the people behind them, The Beacons impressed with its high level of technical innovation and complexity.
Tina Barton commented:
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Two years on The Beacons are truly embedded into the city and have certainly become a platform to showcase a wealth of digital content, complimenting a range of local events, festivals and awareness days. This success is down to the fantastic partnerships we’ve grown with local universities, colleges and creative businesses, providing students and local creative’s the perfect opportunity to get themselves and their work out into the public domain – We are still extremely excited about the future of The Beacons and have lots in store for 2019!
The immersive digital sculpture was commissioned by retail property owner-manager Hammerson, with initial design concepts from the Society of Cinematic Architecture (SOCA) and Levitate architects turned into a dynamic public art experience through custom manufacture and installation by the ADI team.
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2018 stats Number of
Number of pieces
Number of live
different pieces of content played on
of content with a community
briefs launched with educational providers
the Beacons
focus
and Collaborators
Number of
Number of young
Number of events
students involved in Live
people involved in creating content
/ activities that use the Beacons
Briefs (16+)
for the Beacons
as a Backdrop
61
33
71
5
104
4
Number of local creative individuals
Number of pieces of content provided in
that have benefitted from the Beacons)
kind through creative partnerships
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// RENTAL
CHINESE NEW YEAR: THE LARGEST CELEBRATIONS OUTSIDE OF ASIA Crowds of around 700,000 people attended official Chinese New Year celebrations in London and ADI were on-hand to supply a full event broadcast service, including our new iCONIC 40C mobile LED screens. Celebrations kicked-off from Charing Cross with a colourful parade of floats, dragons and lion dancers making their way through the streets of Chinatown to Shaftesbury Avenue, where two iCONIC 12s displayed adverts for event sponsors. From noon a full schedule of live entertainment began in Trafalgar Square, with every second relayed live to the iCONIC 40 screens. The new screens provided significantly larger, higher resolution displays than those supplied in previous years, catering perfectly to the huge crowds in attendance.
Events were captured by an ADI camera team with operators positioned on the stage, in the pit and Front of House, with ADI also delivering outside broadcast facilities and supporting staff. Event coverage was not only viewed by the audience in Trafalgar Square, live feeds were also distributed to London Live TV. London Chinatown Chinese Association, Organiser of the official Chinese New year Celebrations in London said:
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ADI help us to entertain around 700,00 people that attend the Chinese New Year celebrations and are a trusted supplier. For this year’s event they delivered an enhanced solution with larger, higher resolution screens as part of a full event broadcast service.
Watch our video here:
https://bit.ly/2N7feQY
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