With backend and frontend programming, the creation of online shops, apps and Shopify themes, Latori has been an integral part of digitalisation and innovative progress since its founding in 2012. The Corona pandemic in particular was a driver of transformation, which is also reflected in digital advertising: in 2020, digital advertising revenues were €4.1 billion in Germany.
"Every shop that wants to exist has to be present on the internet," Latori Managing Director Natascha Laußmann also knows.
The cooperation with Westenergie from Essen, a subsidiary of EON, was therefore an exciting echo of this time and presented the Latori team with a completely new project. Together, we ensured that lanterns in the Ruhr area would now become smart advertising media and billboard advertising would be digitised. This concept was so well received that even "Welt der Wunder" reported on it. In this article, we give an overview of the smart collaboration, explain what smart poles are and take you directly to the Welt der Wunder video!
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What are Smart Poles and what can the digital advertising media do?
The Smart Pole Signages, invented by product manager Christopher Rammelt, are display boards that can be connected to existing street lighting and controlled online. The advertising media make posters digital and can be flexibly filled with content and services. The advertising displays are operated via an online shop with its own configurator.
The original idea behind Westenergie's Smart Poles was to use the existing street lighting infrastructure to open up new communication channels. The locations of the lanterns are well suited for conveying advertising messages or service content, because they are located in public spaces at inhabited and busy places. Moreover, the locations were already developed and could be used without having to carry out new civil engineering and earthworks. At 2.5 metres above the footpath, the displays are also at an optimal height to be seen.
There are currently 15 active Smart Poles in Essen and another 35 of the displays in Bottrop, Ratingen, Velbert and Erndtebrück.
Why are the Smart Poles useful for advertisers?
The digital advertising panels are played online via an online shop. This means the content can be targeted to appeal to different target groups at different times of the day. For example, bakers could advertise their latest cake creations in the city between 6 and 10 in the morning, or bars could draw attention to their cocktail happy hour from the afternoon onwards. Step by step, the advertising screens ensure the digitalisation of the public space and also offer smaller shops and retailers the opportunity to become more visible locally.
Unlike classic billposting, there is no need to wait for printing and, of course, neither paper nor printing ink is needed. There is also no overproduction of advertising material in this way.
But digital billboards are not only suitable for advertising. City information or Corona notices can also be transmitted on them to pass on information.
How did Latori support Westenergie and Smart Poles?
The collaboration between Westenergie and Latori began in 2019. The online shop on which the ad booking of the Smart Poles is based is based on the Shopify shop system. Even though shop development with Shopify is routine for our team and the long-standing partnership with the Canadian commerce platform underlines our expertise, this project was novel because no classic products such as food, furniture or clothing were to be sold. Rather, advertising space was the commodity here.
In addition to the Smart Poles website, Latori also created the shop area, which can be accessed through a customer account with login. On this page, customers then have the opportunity to design their own advertisements on a graphic interface. The advertisements can be booked, adapted by the customer via a configurator and scheduled in terms of clock and running time - within a few minutes and with simple hand movements.
Advertising and online presences are becoming more and more sophisticated. Retailers and service providers need to stay up to date in order to remain relevant and able to act in the face of the abundance of innovative developments. Latori supports you in this! Do you want to start selling online immediately or have another plan for your online presence? Contact us today without obligation!
