Cleveland’s Theater District Revitalized w/ @Barco
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
BARCO, provider of high-impact video display systems, in collaboration with experiential design firm The Barncyz Group, Baltimore, Maryland, is bringing the majesty of live Broadway shows and entertainment to the sidewalks of Cleveland’s renovated theater district with its innovative, interactive LCD advertising kiosks and outdoor LED displays.
With the goal of bringing its marketing power to the street while elevating the quality and breadth of the organization’s digital assets, Playhouse Square is engaging audiences with a series of Barco advertising kiosks to promote its robust line-up of entertainment. The largest performing arts center in the US outside of New York City, Playhouse Square has recently undergone an architectural transformation, with sponsors breathing new life into its historic theater district to attract both old and new generations to the live performance hub.
Danny Barnycz, chief creatologist at The Barncyz Group was engaged to conceptualize a design solution that ‘brought the inside out’, translating the elegant, yet light and airy themes of the renovated auditoriums into outdoor signage. Because of officials’ desire to tell a bigger, bolder story to attract passersby and reinforce the district’s branding, Barnycz recommended Barco LCD kiosks and LED displays for their brilliant, high-impact color reproduction, flexibility and reliability.
Barnycz had spoken to us about this project back in July, 2013, when it was just getting started.
“Recognizing the vast amount of entertainment programming by Playhouse Square and the need to quickly update signage with fresh, timely messages, the Barco advertising kiosks were the natural choice,” says Barnycz. “They give Playhouse Square marketers the flexibility to promote all of their shows, adapting messaging and taking advantage of social media apps to promote real-time interaction. Plus, Barco’s hallmark all-weather durability, 24/7 reliability and sleek, low-profile footprint are essential for this challenging location.”
Since the kiosks are interactive via mobile phones, Playhouse Square officials can create a more one-to-one relationship with people on the street.
“The kiosks enable us to communicate in an intimate way with current and potential customers, engaging them with more meaningful content,” says Tim Birch, vice-president of retail sales, sponsorship sales and technologies at Playhouse Square. “We’ve already seen a lot of interest from advertisers and sponsors who want to capitalize on the value of this up-close opportunity to connect with the theater crowd and beyond.”
An added bonus is that the displays can integrate with the latest smartphones and tablets, broadcasting twitter feeds and spontaneous advertiser promotions to deliver a rich, personalized experience.
This Playhouse Square project comprises seven double-sided, 72-inch LCD advertising kiosks delivering a brilliant 2,000 nits brightness. Barco’s LCD72ox display is fully configurable, featuring the smart concept of changeable skins to reflect each customer’s brand image. Advertisers can increase dwell times of observers with unique content and audience interaction devices to maximize campaign impact.
The C8 display, a small, lightweight and sleek outdoor video tile featuring 5,000-nits-brightness, is the perfect visual beacon for the four main theaters in the district. In addition to comprising the four giant marquee screens (eight faces total), C8 tiles were also used to create a majestic 30-foot stylon (“stylish pylon”), a tall, linear video screen featuring advertising, event promotions, information and other digital art. A ticker-style screen on the Idea Center building and a ribbon screen on the Hanna Building complete the C8 installation.
“We are happy to be part of this monumental architainment project, which leverages the most innovative qualities of our advertising kiosks to the fullest,” says Carl Rijsbrack, chief marketing officer, Barco Retail & Advertising. “The opportunity to play an instrumental role in fulfilling Barnycz’s vision for Playhouse Square is both an honor and a welcome challenge, and we are thrilled with the results!”
The Barnycz Group designs spectacular, large-scale interactive dynamic environments for the world’s biggest retail brands. It has orchestrated some of the world’s most attention-grabbing projects, including the Dubai Mall, the Mall of the Emirates, spectaculars on New York’s Times Square, and the Crown Fountain at Chicago’s Millennium Park.
Barco designs and develops networked visualization products for the Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare markets. It has its own facilities for sales and marketing, customer support, R&D and manufacturing in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific markets. Barco is active in more than 90 countries and posted sales of €1.051 billion in 2014.
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