Digital Signage Blog by Mirada Media

We recently started deploying an in-store digital merchandising network for COOPSCO cooperatives which operate retail locations in francophone schools and universities in the province of Quebec.

Both the marketing arm of the headquarters for the cooperative and the independent retails have access to a web-based content management system to create and distribute content.  On a weekly basis, HQ provides ad campaigns created in Flash to supplement their paper-based marketing. Managers at the retail level get notifications in the form of a digest about new content and they can pick and choose ads based on their goals or inventory.

The retail locations can also create their own content based on templates to advertise products or communicate school events and charitable work.

Here’s a couple pictures of one of the locations in northern Montreal:

The complete release is below or download a PDF:

Mirada Media Provides Custom Signage Solution for COOPSCO’s In-store TV Network

The COOPSCO network of cooperatives, which operates retail locations in the majority of Quebec’s francophone colleges and universities, has selected Mirada Media to develop and deploy an in-store and point-of-sale digital signage network in the institutions it serves.

Mirada Media, a Montreal-based digital signage integrator and software developer, is pleased to announce its recent engagement with the Fédération québécoise des coopératives en milieu scolaire (FQCMS). Mirada has been selected to provide FQCMS with project and content management solutions for their in-store digital signage network at cooperatives in the educational sector, which operate under the COOPSCO banner.

The COOPSCO network, which includes 60 cooperatives with over 100 outlets inside French-speaking high schools, colleges and universities in Quebec, will be rolling out LCD screens powered by a custom version of Mirada Media’s ChannelView player and content management system at participating school supply and book stores, clothing boutiques and cafeterias.

COOPSCO chose to deploy digital signage not to replace other media, but rather to support their existing media channels and have it as an essential part of their integrated marketing communications strategy. “It was important for us to boost our message frequency and printed material does not always give us this flexibility,” says Paul Rondeau, Merchandising Director at FQCMS/COOPSCO. He adds that “the Web is good for us, but we must wait for customers to come visit us. On the other hand, the electronic displays have the reverse effect. We can blast messages to our customers and provide support to our website.”

Mr. Rondeau also notes that “Our first goal is to have the opportunity to advertise products quickly and in a visually dynamic way. By installing a digital signage system, we have managed to better inform our customers with a very short turnaround time. On the client side of things, we’re realizing that the signage interests them and that they’re eager to know about new promotions. It’s a good way to capture their attention.”

While digital signage is used primarily to promote products and specials, a significant part of the content for the COOPSCO network is dedicated to informing members about the cooperatives’ events, initiatives and profit-sharing program.

Although one of the goals of cooperatives is to work together for the mutual benefit of members, COOPSCO’s diverse locations and large footprint necessitated some content independence. Mirada Media customized its ChannelView web-based content management system to allow the Fédération to post ads to a collective media bank, from which store managers are able to select individual media files to display in accordance with their unique marketing strategies. The ability to display certain ads may be restricted by the Fédération in order to accommodate time-sensitive promotional campaigns such as limited-time or seasonal offers. Managers are automatically notified of new content postings via system e-mails and are able to mark items as “read” to better manage their campaigns.

Mirada Media will be including the functionality developed for COOPSCO into the next release of its flagship ChannelView digital signage software offering, slated for Fall 2010.