Breathing life into signage

The Life Channel is received in more than 4,000 education, healthcare, business and leisure venues across the UK.  In the last four years the channel has grown by at least 120 per cent annually, charities and healthcare brands including British Heart Foundation, Help the Aged, Learn Direct, Macmillan, Pfizer and Astra Zeneca have all used the channel for promotions.
 
To service the network’s content requirements, The Life Channel publishes more than 800 pieces of content every month, ranging from bespoke films, well known, relevant broadcast programs, and health and well-being messages, to national and local advertisements.
 
To manage its targeted content requirements, The Life Channel uses a suite of Scala products to create and manage content and playlists.  New content can be created, scheduled and broadcast on the network within hours, providing clients with the opportunity to communicate urgent messages, such as emergency broadcasts, missing children notices and alerts quickly and efficiently.
 
These messages are usually created in Scala Designer, which can aggregate images, video and text together using design tools and templates to compose messages quickly. These tools are also available to customers who may wish to create and upload their own content to The Life Channel.
 
Scala also provides other content management services, from the creation and composition of playlists to the creation of ‘dynamic fields’ that are used extensively across the healthcare and education markets. For example, every clinic can create content using items provided by The Life Channel on subjects including opening hours, doctors and staff, clinic details, nearest pharmacy and any other relevant notifications. Local news and weather information, images, text and RSS content can also simply be dropped into branded templates to give each clinic a personal feel.
 
Scala also allows The Life Channel to offer “all site” content that can be tailored for local markets. For example, it produced a message for Flora margarine that promoted a Healthy Heart Roadshow which ran on all screens across the network. Different end-frames directed viewers to the roadshow specific to their area. 
 
The Life Channel also provides users with the ability to create their own content for their network, which has become an especially big hit in schools with students and educators alike.
 
Schools receive custom content on the curriculum, teachers, student clubs, upcoming events, awards and so forth customized to the region by The Life Channel. Schools also have the ability to create and upload their own content, perhaps as part of a message board or simply to showcase creative work.