Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 5

Try, Try Again
When a major distributor in an industry can't sell a product, the first inclination is to
blame the product. Then, there's something wrong with the seller. Finally, it's time to
lambaste the customer.
It's easy to work through all three stages when considering the sudden closing of Glantz
Dynamic Solutions (GDS) in mid-August. Maybe the video displays and content platforms
aren't suited to the traditional sign trade. Or, the concept was too much of a stretch for GDS
parent company N. Glantz & Son, a company with industry roots back to the pre-neon days of the
early 20th century. And, well, maybe the vast majority of U.S. sign companies are run by a bunch of
unsophisticated yokels scared of new technology.
As someone with Reagan-era roots in the sign industry, I reject all three approaches. Try moving
up the channel to get to the roots of the problem; what display and platform manufacturers need to
understand is that this is a vastly different market, and it's one that needs a different approach.
And, the U.S. sign industry is a market that the digital-signage providers need.
N. Glantz shouldered a heavy load with GDS to pioneer and take it to the average U.S. sign shop.
They didn't fail as much as they quickly exhausted their energy selling perfectly good products to an
audience that needs something else.
U.S. sign shops are, overwhelmingly, small businesses. They're also a very creative lot, acting as
the de facto art studios and marketing-graphics companies for hundreds of thousands of U.S. retail
and commercial businesses. They may not be the quickest to accept new technology, but they're
sensational at adapting new machines and materials to meet their needs.
They're not, however, systems assemblers looking to install some displays and digital menu boards,
and then move on to the next client. The current gamut of dynamic signage, to them, seems more
of an add-on, one-time sale of hardware and software, and not a creative solution that can build
additional business.
Those sign shops are also a very important avenue for on-premise (and, yes, out-of-home)
potential. There are a limited number of corporate elephants to hunt in the signage market;
the regional, city and neighborhood client base is immense. They roam in the domain of the
standard sign company.
The sign industry needs a different set of solutions to offer, based on their creative
talents and streetwise marketing knowledge. It's time to keep trying to connect with
something they'll have confidence in selling.

publisher

fromthe

5 | out of home magazine | september | october 2014

Emerson Schwartzkopf
Editor & Publisher, Out of Home



Out of Home - September/October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Out of Home - September/October 2014

Out of Home - September/October 2014
Contents
From the Publisher
From Our Contributors
Digital Billboards on a Roll
Canada's Best in Packaged Goods OOH
Fall puts Media in High Gear
Five Common Sign Code Defects
Creativity: The Word on the Street
Selecting the Right Digital Billboard Solution
Breaking the Noise Barrier
Recent Highlights from the world of Out-Of-Home
A Continuing Review of Interesting Out-Of-Home Video
Feedback
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Out of Home - September/October 2014
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 2
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 3
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Contents
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - From the Publisher
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 6
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Digital Billboards on a Roll
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 8
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 9
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 10
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Canada's Best in Packaged Goods OOH
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 12
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 13
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 14
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Fall puts Media in High Gear
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 16
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Five Common Sign Code Defects
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 18
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Creativity: The Word on the Street
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 20
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 21
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 22
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 23
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 24
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Selecting the Right Digital Billboard Solution
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 26
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 27
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 28
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 29
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Breaking the Noise Barrier
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 31
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 32
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Recent Highlights from the world of Out-Of-Home
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 34
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 35
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 36
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 37
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - A Continuing Review of Interesting Out-Of-Home Video
Out of Home - September/October 2014 - Feedback
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