Case in Brief
- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) are working with Eyemagnet to expand their brand across physical locations nationwide. Our software powers the entire solution from 'mini-billboards' in partnered convenience stores to populated menu boards in partnered eateries.
- The highly variable nature of the physical environments required a first-of-its-kind bracketing solution (designed by Eyemagnet) to allow for easy installation and access.
- The complete network of screens runs entirely from the cloud without a single media player installed. This is significant, as traditional solutions would require a media player at each site – adding to the complexity of the installation and ongoing management. We are using the Spark IoT network as the backbone to enhance the solution.
- Our sync play extension allows for an array of three screens, sitting atop three separate but adjacent fridges, to be used as a single seamless canvas – all delivered via the cloud.
- The complete solution is driven by a single user via our CMS command centre.
Background
CCEP was previously known as Coca-Cola Amatil in New Zealand & Australia and is responsible for marketing, producing and distributing Coca-Cola products in the Asia Pacific and European markets.
We began working with CCEP in 2021 after they put out an RFP for an updated digital signage solution. New and updated technology was needed to support their menu board solutions and future technology requirements - like synchronised ‘stretch’ displays and interactive & dynamic content.
CCEP had previously tried different digital signage solutions in several stores and locations but had been unable to settle on a solution that ticked the following boxes:
- The desire for a solution that could be easily deployed at scale and in different environmental contexts – it’s one thing to deploy a single screen in a controlled environment; it’s quite another to do this for 1300+ locations that don’t look remotely the same.
- The desire to efficiently manage digital content experiences provided to customers without the need for bulky hardware and time-intensive content management processes.
- The desire for better ROI on advertising. This comes down to two things – the ability to deliver targeted ad-driven experiences for customers as they are near your product and the connection to their BI/POS environment to close the data and analytics loop on what is displayed versus what is sold.
Eyemagnet was seen to meet and exceed these expectations, and we were chosen as the preferred supplier.
The Solution
Our solution was an end-to-end one in conjunction with our partner Spark NZ.
- Our Content Management System (CMS) – the command centre for people managing content delivery into a complex network of screens.
- Custom bracketry – a first-in-the-world solution to the physical environmental challenges inherent in the use case.
- Spark integrated the Eyemagnet technology into a more comprehensive solution for the customer, providing IoT procurement, networking and installation.
When it came to the technology of the solution, it was reasonably straightforward. All the screens needed were ethernet cables to link up to our CMS. However, one of the biggest challenges was managing and deploying content to thousands of locations.
Our champion inside CCEP is the person who is now responsible for managing all the content across all locations – which reaffirms why we designed our CMS the way we did. To simplify the job of managing and deploying content at scale. Although there are thousands of locations to deploy content, our technology means, in reality, there are only a handful of playlists to manage – streamlining the management and deployment of content across the network of screens. And with our share of voice technology, CCEP has moved beyond showing X content at Y store to guaranteeing brands and partners a percentage share of screen time across locations.
It was also essential to CCEP that they had the flexibility to customise the use of their screen canvases inside each location. With our sync play extension, multiple side-by-side screens can quickly switch from being treated as individual canvases to one single frame-perfect immersive canvas. Our software makes this all possible, allowing the user to work with a single piece of content while the CMS does the heavy lifting and delivers the right pieces of content to each individual display.
One of the most significant considerations we had to make when deploying our solution was the space constraints in the average convenience store. Not only did this create complexity when installing these screens, but it also created a maintenance challenge. That is, how do you carry out any maintenance on the fridges without removing or turning off the screen?
We created a first-in-the-world bracketing system that not only simplified the installation process by working across multiple screen sizes, arrays, and wall infrastructure types but is flexible enough for maintenance to be carried out with zero screen downtime.
Future Picture
The initial roll-out of our solution has been a success – and is a clear indicator that the seamless integration of digital screens will become more and more commonplace as more brands and organisations look to leverage what is now possible in this space to drive improved customer experience (CX). So keep an eye out the next time you walk through your local convenience store.