**Compliments of BrightSign’s Case Study: “BrightSign-powered Digital Signage Featured in Portland-area Retirement Community”
Mary’s Woods is a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) located just south of Portland, Oregon. This thriving community located in the town of Lake Oswego is comprised of elder artists, writers, professionals and their family members. The facility is known for its commitment to caring, community and individual growth, offering a wide variety of activities, services and resources that promote an active lifestyle that both honors the past and celebrates the future. The residential and community facilities are second to none, and distinguish Mary’s Woods as one of the premier retirement communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Mary’s Woods recently made significant facilities investment, including the implementation of a digital signage network to improve communication between Mary’s Woods, its visitors, its staff and the residents. “We developed our new content strategy to harness the flexibility and beauty that only digital signage can deliver,” said Cheri Mussotto-Conyers, director of marketing and client relations for Mary’s Woods. “The display and content communication combination draws attention, creates interest and promotes engagement and interaction better than any other medium we could have chosen. This enables us to focus communication on targeted audiences so everyone – from a residents to staff members – feels as if we’re speaking to them personally.”
A network of eight attractive displays replaced a legacy communications strategy that relied on a combination of bulletin boards, fliers and other ad hoc announcements. This greatly streamlined the communication process and ensures consistent, legible, timely communication with staff and residents alike.
Key Facts
Industry: Healthcare & Hospitality
Location: Lake Oswego, OR
Integrator & Content Management: EcoDigital Media LLC
Project: Mary’s Woods Retirement Community
Installation
• Nine 46-inch and 55-inch Planar® PS- and SL-Series LCD! displays (two PS4652, three PS5552, three PS4661-T, and one SL5550 displays)
• All displays are powered by BrightSign XD230, XD232 and XD1032 digital signage media players, networked wirelessly via in-facility Wi-Fi
• Signage is placed strategically across the entire campus, including the sales and marketing parlor, the employee entrance, the independent living facility and the assisted living facility
• Entire digital signage network was set up and is managed using BrightSign Network
• EcoDigital Media provides ongoing content management and support
Challenges
• Needed an easy-to-manage, single, networked system to inform residents and staff about Mary’s Woods’ news, activities, events and announcements
• Campus required a reliable solution that would take minimal intervention and maintenance
• The independent living facility is very busy and therefore the signage in that area needed to deliver information in a concise, succinct manner
• Multi-phase approach required scalability to add additional displays (continually) in the future
• Installation required a reliable commercial-grade media player solution to integrate tightly with the 24/7 capabilities of the Planar PS-Series displays
• Delivery of zoned presentations, live video, media feeds, scheduled content, as well as the ability to frequently update content in real time was paramount
The Solution
• Residents and employees are kept fully informed of and excited about the many activities and events taking place at any time
• BrightSign players and Planar displays are both regarded as among the most reliable digital signage hardware currently available
• Displays can showcase everything from photography, to live video, to RSS feeds, with all content appearing in optimal resolution and placement on any screen
• BrightSign HTML5 widget is used to stream website content for both the static and touch-screen kiosks
• The independent living facility features two displays side-by-side that provide a wealth of content, including the daily calendar of events, each day’s menu, upcoming events, birthday announcements, pastoral services, new resident introductions, as well as construction updates featuring architect videos showcasing facility expansion plans and improvements
• Single screens are placed at the entrance to both dining facilities to display news, announcements, and menus, as well as offer touch interactivity to order food and make dining reservations
• A standalone kiosk is planned for the activities area where residents will use touchscreen interactivity to arrange transportation, sign up for and RSVP to various events
• Highly reliable BrightSign players allow for the running of scheduled presentations of content designed for the different viewers present at specific times of the day across the campus
• Media players may be used in transmission of in-room content delivery over IP
Benefits
• Residents are much better informed than with previously used legacy signage
• Mary’s Woods staff are assured of trouble-free performance and greatly streamlined communication throughout the organization
• Networking via Wi-Fi required no additional cabling, greatly minimizing disruption during the installation
• Flexibility offered by digital signage enables Mary’s Woods to effectively reach every necessary audience on campus
• Messaging is tailored and scheduled for each location, varying according to the audience being served
• The dual-display installation in the independent living facility serves as a social hub for Mary’s Woods
• The employee display engages and creates a sense of community among staff members more effectively than one-dimensional ‘paper’ announcements – signage features job openings, new employee welcome notices, employee compliance & benefits education, and the sharing of best practices and employee talents
• Reporting and announcing events, milestones, and goals is a unique attribute to digital content delivery, keeping messaging updated and consistent whether you sit at a desk or are working throughout the facility during a shift
