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UK Dep’t Store Puts Its Window Digital On Sliders

This is one of those “Hmmm …” things – a kind of interesting mash-up of direct view LED panels on motorized tracks, shifting in a UK shop window.

It is in Manchester, in the window of a Marks and Spencer department store (which, for people in the US or Canada, is a bit like a Macy’s or The Bay).

It is called a digital catwalk, and was developed and is marketed by UK-based Skratch, using LED modules from another UK firm infiLED. A third firm, Inspired Thinking Group, was also involved in the retail project.

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It’s an interesting use of LED panels, and the motorized tracks are not moving anywhere enough to be worrisome in terms of reliability, versus the much-discussed Coca-Cola LED board in Times Square. This is also inside, and therefore weather-protected.

I have questions:

  • Why?
  • What does the sliding movement achieve?
  • Does anyone notice? (the video shows people just walking right on past).

Certainly, it’s been well documented that motion added to creative can be more effective in attracting attention, but that motion can be done in the video file. It would perhaps be more interesting here – given the music is House Of Pain’s Jump Around – if the panels were going up and down, but that’s waaaay more complicated.

Not opposed to this. Just not sure about it. That said, it won an award on the weekend.