NEC Corporation announced today the full-scale reinforcement of its digital signage service solutions, including content creation support and service provision, through its newly established integrated brand, “PanelDirector.”
In recent years, the digital signage field has kept pace with the advancement of IT by capitalizing on the latest communications networks to offer advanced digital content distribution, management and effectiveness measurement technologies. These favorable market conditions have allowed the digital signage field to dramatically accelerate the creation of diverse new content and services.
NEC’s recognition of this changing market is reflected in the evolution its digital signage business from a content delivery service to a channel for delivering “effective content” through the use of effectiveness measurement technologies, which is expected to significantly impact the expansion of future digital signage business.
NEC recently established a new Digital Signage Business Promotion Group within its Carrier and Media Service Solution Division as part of strengthening the company’s organizational support of digital signage solutions. Unification of the organization and sales force is expected to reinforce the NEC Group’s digital signage related planning, development and system implementation, which have been driving the field’s innovations for more than 10 years.
Looking forward, NEC aims to further increase the value of digital signage and the expansion of worldwide business through its IT and network technology, business consulting, system integration (SI) and service provision strength.
Details of the digital signage business reinforcement are as follows:
1) PanelDirector, the integrated digital signage service solution brand
NEC introduces PanelDirector, a total digital signage service solution brand that capitalizes on NEC’s advanced face recognition and audience measurement technologies to create and deliver content and services.
2) Launch of digital signage service solution
Provision of a service solution menu that meets user needs, requires minimal investment and continually offers the latest technologies
Service Lineup
1. Signage distribution platform services
NEC provides the panel management, distribution management, content management, schedule management system and operational monitoring tools that are necessary to utilize digital signage.
2. Display terminal provision services
NEC provides a wide variety of dedicated equipment, including universal purpose and specialized terminals.
3. Audience measurement services
The effectiveness of content may now be measured through the combination of NEC’s cutting-edge face recognition technology, which determines the age range and gender of individuals, and its highly accurate audience measurement services, which calculates the distance from, and amount of time that an individual pays attention to a display in order to deliver content that is most likely to appeal to a specific audience.
4. Promotion/content creation support services
Analyses from NEC’s audience measurement technologies enable it to provide “planning” services in support of effective content creation. This planning (Plan), execution (Do), audience measurement (Check) and analysis and improvement (Action) represent NEC’s PDCA cycle in support of the ongoing advancement of superior content.
5. Business specific services
Specialized application services can be provided for a wide range of industries, including advertising agencies, hotels, schools, hospitals, public facilities, financial institutions and others.
6. Network services
NEC capitalizes on its seasoned experience with IT and network technologies, in combination with its operational know-how, to provide optimal fixed line services that meet the diverse needs of communication carriers’ services. The range of NEC’s services includes equipment rental, monitoring, operation and maintenance.
In the future, NEC will work with the PanelDirector digital signage service solution to strengthen content through the analysis of audience measurements, and better understanding of sales links to environmental data (humidity, temperature, etc.). Furthermore, content distribution will be reinforced through the utilization of the latest networking capabilities, including NGN, WiMAX and LTE, in addition to the most recent display technologies, including 3-dimensional and contactless technologies, as well as sensor technologies. All of which is expected to contribute to the advancement of the digital signage industry and enable NEC to develop strategic products, solutions and marketing plans that support its position as a leading industry innovator.
In terms of global business expansion, NEC will capitalize on its No.1 worldwide share in large LCD displays for professional-use, a leading position in the global projector market, and face recognition technology adapted for people throughout the world, as a foundation to collaborate with communications carriers, SI, advertising agencies and others in order to advance global business.
PanelDirector represents just one of the solution menus that NEC will launch sale of beginning in July 2009, as part of its “cloud oriented service platform solutions” that utilization NEC’s platform assets as a service in support of core systems for business partners and customers.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is one of the world’s leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of a diversified global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC website at: http://www.nec.com.
Source: NEC Corporation
