Carrefour: Local advertising on its Digital Signage network

From communication tool to veritable media

Carrefour Market is testing a new network of screens showing local advertising alongside product news and general infotainment. The 1,000 stores of the Carrefour Market chain all have a screen installed at the shop’s reception desk. Now, building on the successful implementation of this first network, the company is involved in a major test using ten stores in the Paris area where screens have been deployed in the checkout zone.
In its issue no. 10 (oct 2010 – jan 2011), «SmartReport Digital Out-of-Home» talks with Olivier Aubin, Communications Manager, Carrefour Market:
Can you tell us about the current network of screens and how it all came about?
It started two years ago, when the Champion chain became part of Carrefour. As part of the renovation of those outlets and in order to introduce a new atmosphere, we installed an internal radio service, broadcast through a centralised satellite system. It replaced the old Intranet broadcast system which was no longer suited to so many outlets. The new system also made it possible to broadcast video content and so, with the idea of modernizing the image of the brand, we thought it appropriate to install a 40- inch LCD screen at the reception desk of each store.
What sort of content is broadcast?
Our screens broadcast company news, business news and information about products. We update content every two weeks, and, if necessary, we can break into the loop to put out a specific message. In addition, we distribute customised content to certain stores.
Do you have further plans for deploying screens?
Absolutely. We are already testing screens situated by checkout areas in the Paris region. In each store there are between five and seven screens according the size of the outlet. The aim of the new network is to reduce the sensation of waiting through video loops of between five and six minutes.
What is the economic model of the new network?
We expect advertising revenues cover the costs of implementing and operating the network, and quite possibly to generate extra revenue on top of that. An external company looks after the advertising sales which target local business partners as well as local enterprises and local authorities.
See also:
https://blog.hslu.ch/outofhomedisplays/2008/08/21/studie-werbewirkung-carrefour-2006/ (in german)