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2008 Press Releases
Speaker Series Examines How Brands and Retailers Can Get The Best Value For Their Marketing Spend
Important strategies outlined that help Marketers make the most of changing markets and shrinking budgets.
MARKHAM – October 14, 2008 - Last week marked the third quarterly Speaker Series for retail communication solutions provider Artisan Complete. With a packed house, business strategist and “growth guru” speaker Rick Spence explored the lessons to be learned from our current economic situation and strategies brands, retailers and agencies can employ to grow market share.
“Uncertain times can shake up markets,” said Spence. “But they also present tremendous opportunities to marketers who focus on three basic goals: truly understanding their target audience, offering superior value, and out-hustling the competition.”
Rick Spence, a Toronto-based writer and Marketing consultant, specializes in helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses. As editor of PROFIT Magazine for 12 years, Rick currently writes regular columns on entrepreneurship and related issues for the National Post, PROFIT and MoneySense magazines. In this session, Rick covered the strategies for success during an uncertain economy. He outlined the steps Marketing professionals can undertake including ways to target their market more precisely, more impactful merchandising techniques they can employ and the importance of campaign measurement in order to respond to market shifts.
Above all, he urged marketers to mobilize all their staff in fighting back against negativity and economic weakness. “Your whole team is waiting to get involved in this,” he said. “Whenever there’s an overarching problem that threatens the whole organization, everyone feels more engaged, energized and stimulated.”
Connecting key players and industry experts in a networking and educational experience, Artisan Retail’s Speaker Series offers the latest perspectives on in-store merchandising. It provides a forum for discussing the issues and strategies surrounding the latest POP trends that affect brands, retailers and agencies at-retail presence.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies.
Visit us at www.artisancomplete.com
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Contact
Kris Matheson
Director, Sales & Marketing
Artisan Complete
100 Bentley Street
Markham, Ontario, L3R 3L2
905 475 2860 x 276
kris.m@artisancomplete.com
Artisan Complete Recognized for Excellence in Digital Signage
Pioneering new product wins big at annual awards competition.
MARKHAM – October 27, 2008 - The Digital Signage Group, recently bestowed Artisan Complete with a DIGI Award in recognition of the Best Audience Measurement Product for their nCAPSULE, the first deployment of the nCAP product. An industry renowned digital merchandising solution, nCAPSULE is an all-in-one interactive digital unit that attracts, engages and interacts with shoppers. Programmable and monitored remotely over a secure wireless connection, nCAPSULE features groundbreaking facial detection software that enables the client to measure how many people look at the display and for how long, by gender and soon by age group.
“The nCAPSULE deployment opened the door to a new generation of intelligent digital signage applications”, notes Stephen Ghigliotty, Artisan’s Director of Digital Merchandising. “When we combine the awareness of what content is playing with who is looking and for how long it is a straight and short path to continually optimizing the marketing messages for our retail clients.”
“The analysis of data from BroadSign’s triggered content playback reports combined with CognoVision’s AIM software output embedded in our product shows distinct patterns emerging over time; giving us unique insight into shoppers’ behavior that previously was the domain of expensive and awkward in-store research. We have replaced clipboards and field staff with continuous and anonymous streams of very valuable data that allows us to customize interactive content on the go, thus increasing both the sales volumes and the brand awareness.”
The DIGI Awards recognize outstanding integrators, content providers and product manufacturers of digital signage. The competition honoured winners in seventeen categories, ranging from Retail and Corporate, to Judges’ Choice. Winning teams were invited to present their knowledge on what it takes to implement a winning digital signage project. Judges for the awards competition this year included Alan Brawn (Principal, Brawn Consulting), Lyle Bunn (Principal, Lyle Bunn Consulting), David Keene (Executive Editor of Digital Signage magazine) and the DIGI Awards Chairman. This year, the awards ceremony was held at the Digital Signage Show in New York City. Offering strategic, marketing and technical business solutions for digital signage customers, the show takes an in-depth look at how this technology can bring increased revenue and improve customer experience at any organization.
This win only adds to the industry recognition nCAPSULE is currently garnering including a presence on the cover of the latest P.O.P Design magazine and accompanying article detailing its debut installation at a retailer in Toronto. Coupled with uncertain economic times when brands and retailers need to show accountability for marketing spend and demonstrate a clear return on investment, nCAPSULE is a measurable, inexpensive and effective way for brands and retailers to connect with their consumers and set themselves apart from the competition.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies.
Visit us at www.artisancomplete.com
About The Digital Signage Group
The Digital Signage Group is a specialty aggregator 100% focused on Digital Signage. We assist Integrators, Creative Teams and other Channel Partners with project consulting and coordination, along with providing a complete line of specialized software and hardware solutions for diverse digital visual messaging applications. Additionally, we co publish the Digital Signage Resource Directory and Digital Signage Magazine.
More information is available at www.tdsg.net
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Contact
Stephen Ghigliotty
Director of Digital Merchandising
Artisan Complete
100 Bentley Street
Markham, Ontario,L3R 3L2
905 475 2630 x 224
stephen.g@artisancomplete.com
Artisan Complete Named in Sign Media Canada’s National Sign Competition
Competition acknowledges original and creative signage at retail.
MARKHAM - September 6, 2008 – With entries coming in from all over the country, Sign Media Canada’s 2008 National Sign Competition was more popular than ever. After a highly successful inaugural edition in 2007, the competition attracted even more submissions this year, representing a broader cross-section of the best in Canadian sign making.
“Artisan is pleased to have won both categories we entered into in the competition,” says Peter Balzer, President. “Its through our dedicated and innovative team of highly skilled professionals that we’ve created award winning campaigns that are not only beautiful but drive sales at-retail.”
Artisan took home an award in the Digital Signs category for Four Restaurant in Toronto. Artisan Live, the digital and interactive communications arm of Artisan Complete used four linked screens and designed engaging atmospheric content for the establishment. Artisan also won in the Out-of-Home Advertising category for a Volkswagen Canada display. Shipped to Volkswagen dealerships across Canada, the display was designed to create the illusion of a floating stand, which was achieved by supporting the display with an arm connected to the base and hidden behind the vehicle’s tire. Cold-rolled steel was used to construct the sign and a honeycomb pattern was laser-cut into the main panel.
A panel of judges, all members of Sign Media Canada’s editorial advisory board, reviewed the submissions and scored them based on the entries’ originality, creativity, appearance and design suitability.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies.
Visit us at www.artisancomplete.com
About Sign Media Canada
Sign Media Canada is the only publication dedicated to serving the entire Canadian sign media community. In addition to an established audience of sign professionals, Sign Media Canada reaches companies in the print graphics, digital imaging and advertising fields – reflecting the growing stature of signs as a hot, new advertising medium. Sign Media Canada is published six times a year, and its audited circulation represents the largest audience of active buyers in the Canadian sign industry.
For more information visit www.signmedia.ca/smc/
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Contact
Kris Matheson
Director, Sales & Marketing
Artisan Complete
100 Bentley Street
Markham, Ontario L3R 3L2
905 475 2860 x276
kris.m@artisancomplete.com
Artisan Complete, BroadSign and CognoVision Bring True Measurability To Retail Digital Media
nCAPSULE is first fully integrated digital media deployment of facial detection technology to measure and enhance shopper engagement.
TORONTO and MONTREAL – June 10, 2008 – Artisan Complete has launched the first installation of its groundbreaking nCAPSULE digital merchandising solution, featuring best-of-breed digital signage software from BroadSign and the first retail deployment of facial detection software from CognoVision.
The nCAPSULE is a remotely programmed digital floor display that offers push-button interactivity using BroadSign™ Suite and automated audience measurement analytics using CognoVision’s Anonymous Impression Metric (AIM) technology.
“This is a major step for our company and for our clients,” said Stephen Ghigliotty, Account Director at Artisan Live, the digital arm of retail communications provider Artisan Complete. “Artisan has always designed and manufactured great retail displays...by working with BroadSign and CognoVision we are now able to see exactly how they are working to get the attention of shoppers.”
The first nCAPSULE was launched at the flagship Birks jewelry store in Toronto for the Movado Group and its Concord brand of luxury watches. Its sleek and elegant look is enhanced by high-definition content delivered through BroadSign’s Software as a Service (SaaS) platform.
“Integrating BroadSign’s campaign execution system with CognoVision’s automated audience measurement tools allows any digital signage network to offer an unprecedented level of service to their advertisers,” said Rick Engels, CEO of BroadSign International. “It also provides a high-tech shortcut to measuring the advertising ROI, eliminating the usual significant time delay and reducing the need for traditional big-budget surveys.”
“The nCAPSULE is an exemplary embodiment of bringing together industry leaders to create an all encompassing, fully integrated digital media solution for retail,” said Haroon Mirza, Director of Business Development of CognoVision Solutions Inc. “The combination of CognoVision’s AIM audience measurement system with BroadSign’s digital signage suite provides an exceptional platform for advertisers to deliver, measure, and optimize their campaigns.”
Together, Artisan Complete, BroadSign, and CognoVision are spearheading the movement towards maximizing the effectiveness of digital signage.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies. With award-winning digital content services and an expertise in the constantly evolving technology landscape, Artisan provides a single source to marketers looking to extend their message onto new media at retail. Visit us at www.artisancomplete.com
About BroadSign International Inc.
BroadSign International Inc. is a leading worldwide provider of hosted solutions for managing digital signage networks. BroadSignTM Suite is a 'Software as a Service' (SaaS) platform that resolves the challenges facing modern digital signage networks: the need for acceptance by the mainstream advertising community, time to market and the need for full campaign execution functionality, accountability and true scalability. The software enables operators to target out-of-home audiences, sell network airtime; reliably play back scheduled content on each screen and account for campaign performance. Essential support and maintenance services are included in the per-player monthly license fee. BroadSign combines extensive expertise in digital signage software, media, advertising, and information technology and is a member of the Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB), OAAA, the Digital Signage Association and POPAI. Digital signage networks in 25 countries use the BroadSignTM Suite. The company's corporate office is located in Minnetonka, Minn., USA and Operations, Support and Development facilities are in Montreal, Canada. For more, visit www.broadsign.com
About CognoVision Solutions Inc.
CognoVision Solutions Inc. is an innovative provider of automated real-time audience measurement solutions. CognoVision's sophisticated video analytics solutions measure audience viewing information for out-of-home advertising on media displays, including: digital signage, TV displays, posters, kiosks, window displays, product displays, and endcap displays. The company's solutions have been built from the ground up for the specific purpose of audience measurement, and are not derived from homeland security algorithms. CognoVision's AIM system has been designed to completely respect people's privacy. No personally identifiable information is ever collected, and no images are ever recorded. Visit CognoVision at www.cognovision.com
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Contact:
Stephen Ghigliotty
Artisan Live
331 Amber Street
Markham, Ontario, L3R 3J7
905 475 2630 x 224
stephen.g@artisancomplete.com
Artisan Complete Delivers Results For Reebok Canada
Launch of HexRide exceeds sales expectations with strong point-of-purchase communication.
MARKHAM – June 4, 2008 - When Reebok Canada was looking for a partner to maximize its presence for the Canadian launch of the HexRide shoe, they turned to Artisan Complete for design, production and distribution of retail displays that would catch the eye of shoppers.
Initially rolled out at Athlete’s World locations across Canada, the campaign for HexRide focused on creating a connection between performance and lifestyle with an emphasis on the visual identity of hexagonal shapes in the sole of the shoe. Artisan developed a variety of retail displays including window graphics, merchandising towers and wall and counter displays. Wherever possible, innovative solutions and materials were used to draw the attention of shoppers to the hexagonal shape.
“HexRide has been a very successful launch for Reebok in Canada, thanks in part to the great work done by Artisan,” said Stewart Clark, Marketing Manager, Footwear and Apparel for Reebok Canada. “Our sales of Hexride in the first month since launch have definitely exceeded expectations, and feedback from the field and our retail partners have been very positive.”
The launch of HexRide marks the first collaboration between Reebok Canada and Artisan Complete. Based on the success of the launch, Reebok has engaged Artisan as its retail agency for several new projects being developed for 2008 and 2009.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies.
Visit us at www.artisancomplete.com
###
Contact
Kris Matheson
Director, Sales & Marketing
Artisan Complete
100 Bentley Street
Markham, Ontario L3R 3L2
905 475 2860 x276
kris.m@artisancomplete.com
Canadians Sweep POPAI's Annual P.O.P. Competition
The annual competitions recognizes the very best in visual merchandising point-of-purchase campaigns for brand marketers, retailers and agencies.
MARKHAM - March 24, 2008 – Artisan Complete took home 14 statuettes at last week’s POPAI Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards Gala honouring the most innovative and effective marketing at-retail programs which lift sales and make products memorable and enticing to consumers.
Competing for the coveted gold statuettes, OMA displays are judged based on the display’s objectives, design and engineering, shopper engagement, retail experience and sales and brand performance results. Currently in its second year, awards were also handed out at POPAI’s Digital Signage competition – acknowledging excellence in retail digital signage campaigns. Digital Signage scores are based on the spot’s ability to increase sales, obtain retail placements and work strategically to position the brand at the point of sale.
“Our in-house designers and production staff have created solutions that connect with consumers and motivate them to make a purchase in-store,” states Director of Sales & Marketing, Kris Matheson. “We are proud to be recognized in this prestigious competition for their outstanding work.”
Artisan Complete won 13 OMA awards for their temporary, semi-permanent and permanent point-of-purchase display designs and manufacturing. The company also picked up a Digital Signage award for their content design and production.
This year’s POPAI’s (The Global Association for Marketing At-Retail) OMA Awards were held in conjunction with GlobalShop 2008, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The tradeshow showcases the latest in retail strategy, design and technology.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies.
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Contact
Kris Matheson
Director, Sales & Marketing
Artisan Complete
100 Bentley Street
Markham, Ontario, L3R 3L2
905 475 2860 x 276
kris.m@artisancomplete.com
Artisan Complete Brings Interactive Digital Signage To The Retail Shelf
nCAP offers retailers and brands the first integrated, modular and measurable digital merchandising solution.
CHICAGO - March 18, 2008 - Artisan Complete, one of North America’s leading providers of retail communication solutions, unveiled a new dimension in shopper marketing today at the GlobalShop 2008 retail tradeshow. nCAP is an all-in-one digital merchandising solution that can be continually rebranded for different retail campaigns using:
- a fully modular design that supports multiple configurations and branding elements
- high definition, full motion content on a 24” LG monitor which can be rotated into portrait or landscape mode
- remote content management and reporting using Broadsign’s industry leading digital signage software over a secure Internet connection
- flexible interactive content navigation that enables shoppers to choose the information most relevant to them
- revolutionary media impression measurement through facial recognition software from Cognovision
“The nCAP solution creates unlimited opportunities to attract and engage consumers at the point of purchase,” says Mike Brown, Managing Director of Artisan Retail and Artisan Live, the retail marketing and digital signage divisions of Artisan Complete. “Using the nCAP, marketers can combine traditional static elements with full motion interactive messaging and receive continuous audience measurement from each location.”
nCAP is the natural evolution of the “end cap” fixtures used at the head of shopping aisles in most retail settings. The modular design allows retailers and brands to quickly and easily refresh the look of these areas, while also giving consumers informative, interactive screens that will help drive understanding and product awareness right at the moment when those consumers make buying decisions.
Developed by Markham, Ontario-based Artisan Complete, the nCAP is powered by technology partners including Broadsign, whose digital signage software suite delivers over 5 million pieces of digital content to screens worldwide every day and is the only Arbitron-certified distribution platform in the digital signage industry.
“This is an exciting project for BroadSign because it really thinks through how a digital signage solution can be effectively used in a retail environment” said Rick Engels, President and CEO of Broad- Sign International. “nCAP is also the first application on the market using the interactive triggers capability BroadSign will be releasing at the end of this month.”
nCAP also offers the cost-effective option of activating CognoVision’s AIM software, a breakthrough audience measurement solution based on anonymous face-detection technology.
"The nCAP is a revolutionary addition to any retail environment. CognoVision's AIM system uses anonymous face-detection technology to collect audience viewer ship metrics and target ads in real-time. The seamless integration of AIM with nCAP complements Artisan's pioneering efforts to improve the shopping experience," comments Haroon Mirza, Director of Business Development for CognoVision. "Clients will know how many people looked at the display, how long they looked for, audience demographics, and more. Using these metrics, content can now be optimized based on actual nCAP user characteristics. We are very pleased to offer our technology on this breakthrough product from Artisan."
Showing at GlobalShop (Artisan Complete booth #1028, At-Retail Marketplace), one of the world’s largest annual retail design and in-store marketing shows, Artisan is proud to showcase a piece that engages the consumer with award winning content and fulfills demand for information and purchase in a retail environment through interactive means.
About Artisan Complete
Artisan Complete is one of North America’s largest providers of retail communication solutions, offering creative and production services for static, digital and interactive POP signage and display. Through the manufacturing capabilities of Artisan Print+, the design and marketing services of Artisan Retail and the digital expertise of Artisan Live, we offer comprehensive in-store marketing solutions for brands, retailers and their agencies. With award-winning digital content services and an expertise in the constantly evolving technology landscape, Artisan Live provides a single source to marketers looking to extend their message onto new media at retail. Visit us at www.artisancomplete.com
CognoVision Solutions Inc
CognoVision Solutions Inc. is an innovative provider of automated real-time audience measurement solutions. CognoVision's sophisticated video analytics solutions measure audience viewing information for out-of-home advertising on media displays, including: digital signage, TV displays, posters, kiosks, window displays, product displays, and endcap displays. The company's solutions have been built from the ground up for the specific purpose of audience measurement, and are not derived from homeland security algorithms. CognoVision's AIM system has been designed to completely respect people's privacy. No personally identifiable information is ever collected, and no images are ever recorded. Visit CognoVision at www.cognovision.com
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Contact
Stephen Ghigliotty
Account Director
Artisan Live
331 Amber Street
Markham, Ontario, L3R 3J7
905 475 2630
stephen.g@artisancomplete.com
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