T-Mobile Interview: Using Digital Signage
Guest Contributor, Leoš Smutný
At the beginning of the month the company T-Mobile Czech Republic began to use two auto-stereoscopic 3D screens by Spatial View Company. The digital displays are installed in the shop windows of the company stores, in particular in the Shopping Centre of Nový Smíchov and in the Phoenix Gallery in Prague. T-Mobile has thus become the very first telecommunication company in the Czech Republic using this modern technology for its advertising.
We have learned more about this pilot project from Lucia Tarbajovská, Vice President for Marketing Communications of T-Mobile, in our interview with her.
Daniela Stewart, SuperMedia: What was the decisive aspect of your decision to use 3D displays by Spatial View for your company promotion? Did you choose from more product types?
Lucia Tarbajovská, T-Mobile: We always try to present our offer to our customers most effectively, build image of our company, engage and educate our customers. We wanted to attract more people to our stores by this novel way, and also to test the new medium. The current 3D display project begins with a two-month pilot run in two different localities. After that we will see how successful the new medium was and on that basis we will decide about how to continue.
DS: Placement of a digital display behind the glass of a shop window is not always the best choice for the glass sometimes blurs the image. Did you count with that?
LT: The Spatial View Company guaranteed no refraction of the image and no distortion of the 3D effect.
I think that the screen effectiveness is much enhanced by the very placement of them. This will clearly be the main factor deciding about effectiveness of use of the new technology.
DS: What content will be displayed on the screens during the two-month pilot operation?
LT: The screens will show a single spot related to our ongoing campaign. The installation of these monitors has been a challenge for our agencies for they were for the first time commissioned to prepare spots for this technology.
DS: What do you expect from deployment of the digital 3D displays?
LT: The main objective is to attract more customers to our stores.
DS: Do you try to keep pace with the young generation by the application of digital signage and to address this age group in that way?
LT: Our stores are not focused on the young generation but they are for all customers interested in our products and services. Of course we try to keep pace with technological progress but every new technical development must first serve its respective purpose.
DS: How do you view use of digital signage in the media mix of your publicity campaigns?
LT: By means of digital media we are able to increase variability of our communications more than by means of the static media. I can see a great potential in this area but everything always depends on the chosen communication objective. That is the purpose of the digital media, their role in the communications, the moment at which they affect the customer and obviously what you expect from them.
Nevertheless, advertisements should not be bothering. Enforced advertisements do annoy. The advertisers must think like the customers, must be able to view things through the customers´ eyes and plan the media accordingly. On the other hand the media should represent added value for the customers.
I can imagine a situation of not having my favourite music in my player and being bored on a bus stop and suddenly seeing the digital panel offering download of music by my favourite performers. In that situation I would probably buy something. Or I would like to listen to something through the medium or find out information interesting for me.
Digital media open incredible horizons thanks to their interactivity. They are able to penetrate further, and they allow immediate transaction, with increased freedom for the customer.
DS: If the pilot run proves good, how will you proceed?
LT: We will first wait for the results. But we will certainly not place the 3D screens to all stores. If the monitors increase numbers of customers coming to the stores than we would probably place them in the stores with low customer frequency.
DS: Thank you for your answers.
Bc. Lucia Tarbajovská, Manager of Marketing Communications of T-Mobile Czech Republic a.s. Ms. Tabajovská accepted the job of manager of marketing communications with T-Mobile Czech Republic in June 2006.
Before that she had gathered professional experience not only in Slovakia, but also in the United Arab Emirates and in the Czech Republic. She had worked in different marketing positions for example with Globtel GSM, ČESMAD SLOVAKIA, Samsung Gulf Electronics or Bang & Olufsen Middle East and Montblanc.
Before joining T-Mobile she had worked with Vodafone Czech Republic, where she significantly contributed to rebranding communication. Lucia Tarbajovská took a BA course with major focus on marketing at National American University in the United Arab Emirates. Currently she is a MBA student at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Steinbeis University in Berlin.
About T-Mobile: T-Mobile Czech Republic has been active on the Czech market since 1996. Since its incorporation it has placed emphasis on quality of the services offered and excellent care of its customers. As to 31 March 2009 the company served more than 5.4 million customers.
T-Mobile has been operator of a public mobile communications network with the GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz standard authorised to operate UMTS network. The company was the first to launch this third generation technology in the Czech Republic on 19 October 2005 under the name Internet 4G.
T-Mobile has been member of the international telecommunication group T-Mobile International. Thanks to the international background the customers can count on availability of services they are used to at home when they travel abroad, or make use of a single beneficial toll price.
For more information about the company please visit www.tpress.cz or www.t-mobile.cz
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