Background
Models Own is a cosmetics brand that was originally founded in 2008 by Ministry of Sound’s CEO and his brother. The company has historically promoted its product range via “Bottleshop” – style pop ups located on the premises of well-known high street brands, including Boots and Superdrug.
In 2014, Models Own received investment from a Saudi retail empire and has since expanded its core offering to include lip and eye products, as well as associated accessories. Models Own opened its first global flagship store in Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, East London in late 2016, closely followed by a second store in Trinity Leeds, and is currently Europe’s fastest growing cosmetics brand.
The requirement
Further to the growing success of its bottleshop concept, Models Own wanted to enhance its retail presence and grow its market share by opening a flagship store that would serve both as a “beauty playground” for its customer base and as a new product launch pad. The company wanted to utilise the benefits of digital signage, such as great visual impact and the ability to increase footfall in the store, to engage their teenage market customers even further.
Models Own began researching digital signage providers and finally selected Digital Messaging Company, DMC, (a leading supplier of turnkey digital signage systems) to design and install a purpose-built digital signage system that included two high impact videowalls to meet their instore artistic and promotional requirements.
DMC in turn selected Signagelive as the preferred technology provider because of its cloud based capabilities, its technical expertise and video synchronisation capabilities on high-power videowalls.
Key project requirements
- To deploy two videowalls to serve as visual focal point in a flagship cosmetics store
- To deploy two window displays in portrait to attract attention and increase footfall
- To retain customer attention through the display of colourful and eye catching video content
- To ensure all displayed content rendered and synchronised correctly, with the ability to update or change information at the push of a button
- To provide a flexible model that could be scaled up to meet future requirements
The digital signage network
In Westfield, the digital signage network comprises 10 x 65” high brightness LG displays, set up in a 5 x 1 configuration format, to create two stunning videowalls that run down either side of the store entrance. The window displays comprised 2 x Samsung 75” displays.
In Leeds, the digital signage network comprises 6 x 65” high brightness LG displays, set up in a 3 x 1 configuration format, to create two stunning videowalls that run down either side of the store entrance. The window displays comprised 2 x LG 65” displays.
The videowalls are used to showcase makeup artists working on models, to promote new product ranges and special offers, to showcase makeup bloggers highlighting real world product usage, or to broadcast live in-store demonstrations. Giving customers the feeling of being surrounded by on-screen entertainment, similar to a cinema experience.
The LG displays are controlled by IAdea media players preloaded with Signagelive’s cloud-based software to ensure that all displayed content synchronises seamlessly across the two videowalls. Not only does the content look spectacular, it can be easily updated or modified at the click of a button by DMC without any involvement from instore staff.
This short video shows how the content is displayed at the Models Own Westfield store:
Benefits of Signagelive
Signagelive’s cloud based digital signage network platform has provided DMC with a centralised facility to run and manage 4 x panoramic video walls as well as a series of window displays on behalf of Models Own.
Video and promotional content, which is created by Models Own, is re-purposed, animated and scheduled by DMC on their behalf, and then uploaded onto Signagelive’s digital signage network platform, providing a centralised repository to store content and eliminating the need for onsite servers.
New content can be deployed onto just one display or across all deployed displays in the stores at the click of the button. Signagelive ensures that all uploaded content is rendered and synchronised correctly to display across the videowalls as a seamless image, to create a wow factor visual experience.
The future
Models Own launched its flagship store in late 2016, followed by Leeds in early 2017, and over the forthcoming months, DMC is expecting to roll out video walls across further new stores in the UK.
“The digital video walls have helped to create a powerful in-store atmosphere, promoting our brand and promotional activity with impact and at speed. The 360 degree solution provided by DMC has ensured we have the latest tech to match our in-store vision, installed and fully managed, providing a hassle-free and completely flexible solution.” – Mark Rodol, CEO, Models Own
“In such a fast-moving environment, it’s important that we deliver our brand, product launch and social media content to screen, on time, looking stunning every time. DMC’s creative support and technical expertise gives us what we need to make this process seamless and straightforward. We look forward to working with DMC on new stores in the near future.” – Anna Mutch, Marketing Manager, Models Own
“Models Own have pushed the creative boundary with their in-store digital signage, making it a great project to be a part of. We’re looking forward to working with Models Own to create many more stellar video walls. Signagelive is scalable and platform-agnostic, which means we expand the digital signage network quickly and easily, without being limited to particular display types or configuration formats.” – Ian Gabbie, Director, Digital Messaging Company
“The visually stunning Signagelive solution delivered by Digital Messaging Company (DMC) for Models Own, provides a great example of how retailers are incorporating digital signage into the fabric of their store design, generating maximum impact. Our agnostic approach to supporting digital signage players and SoC displays has enabled DMC to utilise LG, Samsung and IAdea technology in a single retail store whilst all being managed, monitored and updated from our Signagelive platform.” – Jason Cremins, CEO, Signagelive.
