When we read about digital signage in summer there is a focus on the content that is being displayed, and rightly so as this is what brings in the revenue. The industry term is weather-marketing, and it is reactive marketing where the content being displayed changes according to the temperature and weather conditions outside. Imagine seeing an ad for an umbrella on a hot and sunny 100° F (38° C) day, it doesn’t make sense. If, on the other hand, you see an ad for a pair of sunglasses, you just might go and get a new pair. Weather-marketing does these changes automatically with a series of set parameters, so when your sunny day becomes a wet and rainy 64° F (18° C) the ad will change according to the preset parameters to a more appropriate ad.

What this article focuses on is not the ads, but the impact the summer weather conditions have on hardware and digital signage infrastructure in general.

Temperature can have a very adverse effect on the life span of a screen. When you constantly run a screen at increased ambient temperatures, you reduce its life span. An increase of 50°F (10°C) above the operating temperature of the screen decreases the life span of the device by half. When the installation in general needs to run between 5-7 years and has a cost of approximately $2000-$3000 per screen, you could be in for a bit of a shock if you do not look after your screens. Not only will you have to replace your screens, but you will also have a loss in your ad revenue.