The New Big Communication Medium on Campus

Connecting with students and community members is a big deal for campuses across the country whether they’re trying to promote current and upcoming events, give their sponsors recognition or even sending safety alerts. Schools like UCSD La Jolla, Texas A&M University, Cal State Fullerton and Duke University are harnessing the power of a new LED signage application to achieve their communication goals. The LED street furniture solution is delivering their messages in high resolution at eye level while people walk past.

In California, UCSD uses four displays to create awareness and drive traffic to La Jolla Playhouse, an on-campus theater hosting plays, musicals and more. The building itself is slightly off the beaten path, so it is very important for the university to grab the attention of people as they pass to inform them of theater events.

Nancy Showers, Multimedia Designer for the theater mentioned, “We wanted a way for people to see what was coming up next at the Playhouse and the UC San Diego Theatre & Dance Department without having to walk all the way up to the box office like they needed to in the past.”

And the LED street furniture with its 6-millimeter technology is doing the trick for their needs.

Flowers continued, “Since people can come so close to the signs, they needed to be a high resolution, and this product provides that. As guests are walking up to the building during the day or coming out of shows when it’s dark, the signs are always the right brightness to provide a vivid picture.”

While UCSD La Jolla was the first college campus to receive this sleek, European-inspired solution from Daktronics, it’s beginning to catch on around the country as Texas A&M University installed six double-sided units near their football stadium, Kyle Field.

Jason Cook, Texas A&M’s Senior Associate AD, had this to say:

“These new displays were a surprise to a lot of people as an unexpected addition to the Kyle Field redevelopment. We’ve already received a large amount of favorable feedback.”

Strategically placed in highly traveled walkways between the stadium and campus, the signs are used to complement game-day activities including a “Countdown to Kickoff” feature.

Cook commented, “The countdown to kickoff feature keeps fans informed of events that lead up to game time and helps them plan ahead for things they’d like to do before heading to their seats on time. Our fans don’t want to miss the national anthem or the teams’ entrance into the stadium, so this feature helps get them to their seats in time.”

But the benefits extend far beyond game day. Cook continued, “After our first couple of events, we had multiple requests from campus entities to have their messages shared on these screens. During the week, these can be a very useful communication tool for the entire university and we fully expect to see an increase in sponsorship messages to help generate revenue moving forward.”

You can see the impact the impact LED street furniture is having on these two locations, but don’t just take our word for it. Listen to our customers’ final thoughts.

Showers: “These displays help us connect with people along the street, a good distance from the building, and welcome them into the theater district. They also add a level of tech-savvy appearance to our grounds above and beyond the standard static signage.”

Cook: “Overall, this type of signage is the direction we see sports venues heading for external venue communication.”