ISIGN Media

Last updated
iSign Media Solutions, Inc.
TSX-V:  ISD
Founded2006
FounderAlex Romanov
Headquarters,
Canada
Key people
Alex Romanov CEO (2006-2013+)
Website www.isignmedia.com

iSIGN Media (iSIGN) is a proximity marketing company headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, [1] with R&D and customer support operations in Vancouver, British Columbia and Tampa, Florida. The company uses Bluetooth, mobile, WiFi and location-aware technologies to deliver rich-media, permission-based messages at designated locations or at events, [2] such as Super Bowl XLVII. [1] The company installs smart antenna technology to enable customers to deliver commercial offers while protecting consumer privacy. [3]

Contents

History

iSIGN was founded in 2006 by Alex Romanov, who has served as president, chief executive officer and director for the company. iSIGN began as a digital signage company offering location-based proximity marketing from signs to handheld mobile devices. It went public in 2009 on the TSX Venture Exchange, then began trading on OTCQX under the symbol "ISDSF" in June 2012. Following an agreement with Mac’s Convenience Stores, [4] iSIGN reportedly became the world's largest interactive digital signage network with 6,000 digital signs in over 1,400 locations. [5] ISIGN reports identifying 1.5 million mobile devices per day. [6]

Corporate governance

As of 2013, the company's chief executive officer was Alex Romanov. [2]

Technology

iSIGN’s Interactive Media Solutions (IMS) mobile messaging product consists of a proprietary IMS 2.0 platform as well as an IMS 3.1 version featuring dual porting for Linux or Windows, multi-lingual capabilities and 128-bit encryption software for security. [7]

The Smart Antenna, rolled out in 2012, uses the same Bluetooth technology as the IMS but also has WiFi capabilities to connect with iPhone users, broadening mobile messaging capabilities. Smart Antennas have a 300-foot (100m) Bluetooth message broadcasting and WiFi accessible content transmission radius. iSIGN’s patent-pending platform collects and organizes metrics and delivers customizable analytics [8] to merchants while protecting consumer privacy. [9] [10]

iSIGN launched a Smart Player in August 2013, the first product of its kind that combines digital signage with mobile messaging capabilities via wireless connectivity. The Smart Player is designed to distribute marketing messages to mobile and stationary devices within range of its location. [11] [12]

Customers and Partners

Canada

iSIGN Media customers include Mac's Convenience Stores and Couche-Tard outlets (from 2012), [2] and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver, British Columbia.

United States

Smart Antennas have been installed in several Florida cities, including Safety Harbor, Dunedin, [13] Orlando and Clearwater. In 2012, Smart Antennas were installed in the New Orleans tourist attraction Mardi Gras World. [1]

Partnerships and Licensees

Partners include: AOpen America Inc., TELUS, Keyser, and IBM, with solution distribution by BlueStar Inc. iSIGN holds licensing and distribution agreements with GraphicMedia. [14]

Related Research Articles

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limited to 2.5 milliwatts, giving it a very short range of up to 10 metres (33 ft). It employs UHF radio waves in the ISM bands, from 2.402 GHz to 2.48 GHz. It is mainly used as an alternative to wire connections, to exchange files between nearby portable devices and connect cell phones and music players with wireless headphones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal digital assistant</span> Multi-purpose mobile device

A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in particular those based on iOS and Android, seeing a rapid decline in use after 2007.

A location-based service (LBS) is a general term denoting software services which use geographic data and information to provide services or information to users. LBS can be used in a variety of contexts, such as health, indoor object search, entertainment, work, personal life, etc. Commonly used examples of location based services include navigation software, social networking services, location-based advertising, and tracking systems. LBS can also include mobile commerce when taking the form of coupons or advertising directed at customers based on their current location. LBS also includes personalized weather services and even location-based games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless</span> Transfer of information or power that does not require the use of physical wires

Wireless communication is the transfer of information (telecommunication) between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most common wireless technologies use radio waves. With radio waves, intended distances can be short, such as a few meters for Bluetooth or as far as millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications. It encompasses various types of fixed, mobile, and portable applications, including two-way radios, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless networking. Other examples of applications of radio wireless technology include GPS units, garage door openers, wireless computer mouse, keyboards and headsets, headphones, radio receivers, satellite television, broadcast television and cordless telephones. Somewhat less common methods of achieving wireless communications involve other electromagnetic phenomena, such as light and magnetic or electric fields, or the use of sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Near-field communication</span> Radio communication established between devices by bringing them into proximity

Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of communication protocols that enables communication between two electronic devices over a distance of 4 cm (1.57 in) or less. NFC offers a low-speed connection through a simple setup that can be used to bootstrap more capable wireless connections. Like other "proximity card" technologies, NFC is based on inductive coupling between two so-called antennas present on NFC-enabled devices—for example a smartphone and a printer—communicating in one or both directions, using a frequency of 13.56 MHz in the globally available unlicensed radio frequency ISM band using the ISO/IEC 18000-3 air interface standard at data rates ranging from 106 to 424 kbit/s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic meter reading</span> Transmitting consumption data from a utility meter to the utility provider

Automatic meter reading (AMR) is the technology of automatically collecting consumption, diagnostic, and status data from water meter or energy metering devices and transferring that data to a central database for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing. This technology mainly saves utility providers the expense of periodic trips to each physical location to read a meter. Another advantage is that billing can be based on near real-time consumption rather than on estimates based on past or predicted consumption. This timely information coupled with analysis can help both utility providers and customers better control the use and production of electric energy, gas usage, or water consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile computing</span> Human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage

Mobile computing is human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage and allow for transmission of data, which can include voice and video transmissions. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software. Communication issues include ad hoc networks and infrastructure networks as well as communication properties, protocols, data formats, and concrete technologies. Hardware includes mobile devices or device components. Mobile software deals with the characteristics and requirements of mobile applications.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, also called outdoor advertising, outdoor media, and out-of-home media, is advertising experienced outside of the home. This includes billboards, wallscapes, and posters seen while "on the go". It also includes place-based media seen in places such as convenience stores, medical centers, salons, and other brick-and-mortar venues. OOH advertising formats fall into four main categories: billboards, street furniture, transit, and alternative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital signage</span> Sub-segment of electronic signage

Digital signage is a segment of electronic signage. Digital displays use technologies such as LCD, LED, projection and e-paper to display digital images, video, web pages, weather data, restaurant menus, or text. They can be found in public spaces, transportation systems, museums, stadiums, retail stores, hotels, restaurants and corporate buildings etc., to provide wayfinding, exhibitions, marketing and outdoor advertising. They are used as a network of electronic displays that are centrally managed and individually addressable for the display of text, animated or video messages for advertising, information, entertainment and merchandising to targeted audiences.

Mobile marketing is a multi-channel online marketing technique focused at reaching a specific audience on their smartphones, feature phones, tablets, or any other related devices through websites, e-mail, SMS and MMS, social media, or mobile applications. Mobile marketing can provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services, appointment reminders and ideas. In a more theoretical manner, academic Andreas Kaplan defines mobile marketing as "any marketing activity conducted through a ubiquitous network to which consumers are constantly connected using a personal mobile device".

Devicescape is an American developer of client/server software services for wireless networking connectivity, analytics, and context-awareness. Founded in 2001 as Instant802 Networks, the company was renamed to Devicescape in January 2005. Devicescape is a venture backed private company.

Generic Access Network (GAN) is a protocol that extends mobile voice, data and multimedia applications over IP networks. Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) is the commercial name used by mobile carriers for external IP access into their core networks. The latest generation system is named Wi-Fi calling or VoWiFi by a number of handset manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, a move that is being mirrored by carriers like T-Mobile US and Vodafone. The service is dependent on IMS, IPsec, IWLAN and ePDG.

Proximity marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Transmissions can be received by individuals in that location who wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so.

The W3C Geolocation API is an effort by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to standardize an interface to retrieve the geographical location information for a client-side device. It defines a set of objects, ECMAScript standard compliant, that executing in the client application give the client's device location through the consulting of Location Information Servers, which are transparent for the application programming interface (API). The most common sources of location information are IP address, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth MAC address, radio-frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi connection location, or device Global Positioning System (GPS) and GSM/CDMA cell IDs. The location is returned with a given accuracy depending on the best location information source available.

Wi-Fi Direct is a Wi-Fi standard for peer-to-peer wireless connections that allows two devices to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection without an intermediary wireless access point, router, or Internet connection. Wi-Fi Direct is single-hop communication, rather than multi-hop communication like wireless ad hoc networks.

Connectify is an American software company that develops networking software for consumers, professionals and companies. Connectify Hotspot is a virtual router software for Microsoft Windows, and Speedify is a mobile VPN service with channel bonding capabilities available for individuals, families and teams.

Nearables are a type of smart object. They are everyday items which have small, wireless computing devices attached to them. These devices can be equipped with a variety of sensors and work as transmitters to broadcast digital data through a variety of methods, but they usually use the Bluetooth Smart protocol. Due to this, these objects are able to provide mobile devices in range with information about their location, state and immediate surroundings. The word 'nearables' is a reference to wearable technology – electronic devices worn as part of clothing or jewellery.

Smartphone ad hoc networks are wireless ad hoc networks that use smartphones. Once embedded with ad hoc networking technology, a group of smartphones in close proximity can together create an ad hoc network. Smart phone ad hoc networks use the existing hardware in commercially available smartphones to create peer-to-peer networks without relying on cellular carrier networks, wireless access points, or traditional network infrastructure. Wi-Fi SPANs use the mechanism behind Wi-Fi ad-hoc mode, which allows phones to talk directly among each other, through a transparent neighbor and route discovery mechanism. SPANs differ from traditional hub and spoke networks, such as Wi-Fi Direct, in that they support multi-hop routing and relays and there is no notion of a group leader, so peers can join and leave at will without destroying the network.

Mobile location analytics (MLA) is a type of customer intelligence and refers to technology for retailers, including developing aggregate reports used to reduce waiting times at checkouts, improving store layouts, and understanding consumer shopping patterns. The reports are generated by recognizing the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth addresses of cell phones as they interact with store networks.

Bluetooth beacons are hardware transmitters — a class of Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) devices that broadcast their identifier to nearby portable electronic devices. The technology enables smartphones, tablets and other devices to perform actions when in close proximity to a beacon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Staff (30 January 2013). "iSIGN Covers Super Bowl with Proximity Ads; Rich Media Message-casts". mediacaster. Business Information Group. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Krashinsky, Susan (26 February 2012). "Advertising that reaches out and touches". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  3. Bourque, Andre (5 April 2012). "Proximity-Based Mobile Advertising - Interview with iSign CEO, Alex Romanov". Technorati. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  4. "Questex Acquires Digital Signage Expo, Aligns with Questex's Focus on the Experience Economy and Growth Strategy". 25 March 2021.
  5. "ISign Rolls out Massive Signage Network with Mac's". 6 February 2012.
  6. "Drive-By Couponing: Gas Stations Ping Nearby Mobile Phones with Offers". 30 May 2013.
  7. "iSIGN About Us". www.isignmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14.
  8. "Proximity Marketing Promises New Harvest of In-Store Data and Targeting".
  9. "IT in Canada - Canada's Only Integrated Social Media News Network". Archived from the original on 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  10. "iSign's Mobile Proximity Marketing Shows Deals Without Compromising Client Privacy | BlackBerry Cool". www.blackberrycool.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14.
  11. "iSIGN Announces Launch of New Smart Player Solution - MarketWatch". www.marketwatch.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19.
  12. "New Smart Player from iSIGN combines digital signage, mobile marketing | DigitalSignageToday.com". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  13. "ISign Media Brings High Tech to Safety Harbor". 5 September 2012.
  14. "iSIGN Media Unaware of any Material Change". CNN. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.