Houses of worship embrace DOOH

Digital signage isn't just for retailers anymore as now everyone is making use of the technology, including houses of worship. While many churches use displays during worship services, others are beginning to use outdoor displays to showcase their messages.

Replacing older signs

Churches commonly use traditional static signs outdoors to inform both members and nonmembers about their events. But other churches are using digital signage to get their message across. For example, First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia, originally used dual LED signs that can be seen by drivers from both directions, according to Doug Whitney, creative services director at First Baptist.

However, the church found it needed a better solution than an older LED.

"The original digital signs were 30mm red monochrome displays that the church's graphics team found frustrating to work with. Not only did the signs limit the types of graphics that could be displayed, but they were updated using a slow dial-up service," Whitney said in an interview.

The church decided to upgrade to two 16-millimeter full color displays, measuring 3-feet long by 17-feet wide from Watchfire Signs to make their messages pop.

Better communication

For churches, it's not just about showcasing fancy graphics, it's about getting the message across. For example, St Mary Parish in Appleton, Wisconsin merged its elementary school with another campus within the Xavier Catholic School system, which caused concerns within the community about the church's future. The church needed a good solution to communicate clearly and one that was easier to manage than their 15-foot reader board.

"Our old sign looked tired and it took a lot of time to manually change the message, which was complicated further by the conditions of our cold Wisconsin winters,” said Brian Dresang, business administrator at St. Mary Parish. "With a new sign we had the opportunity to grab the attention of those driving by, to say 'we're still here' and establish a new way to communicate with our parishioners and the community." 

The church teamed up with Creative Sign Company of DePere, Wisconsin to deploy a 22-foot by 140-foot custom sign featuring a color changing cross and an outdoor display.

"St. Mary Parish uses the sign to promote events, announce weddings, congratulate parishioners on achievements and post mass times. We use the sign to convey community service messages," Dresang said.

The importance of staying up to date

For these churches, the true value of these displays is simply staying up to date with current communication techniques.

Consumers are so accustomed to digital screens, that if you don’t have them, you run the risk of appearing antiquated.

And, besides, it is much easier to use and update digital screens than manually moving letters around.

Images via Watchfire Signs and Istock.com