Do you own a shop or small business? Ditch that flashing LED sign and pack some pixels with the Addy Board
While we are used to seeing billboards being replaced by flashing images in the inexorable infiltration of screens into every corner of our lives, local shops have largely stuck with the traditional ad board to flog their wares and push offers while cafes and restaurants still opt for the humble chalkboard to advertise the soup de jour.
But with the wide availability of big, bright screens that can be seen and read outdoors, that could be about to change, and now electrician Jake Cooper is trying to raise £100k on Kickstarter in London to go into production with the Addy Board, the digital display board that you control from your tablet.
Watch their campaign video:
Display videos and play music
The Addy Board is controlled from your tablet via a downloadable app and allows you to display text, images, videos and even play music to advertise in-store promotions and offers.
Pledging just £75 will secure you one of the first batch of Addy Boards, which seems like a bargain given that pricing is presumably one of the main barriers between flashy advertising screens and small businesses.
Jake Cooper insists the boards can be read even in direct sunlight due to a 2mm thick anti-glare cover, and they are waterproof so they should be able to withstand a bit of London weather.
The success of the Addy Board really depends upon how it performs in daylight, and the campaign video, which somehow manages to look like a BBC documentary from the 1970s, is not entirely reassuring on this issue. Nevertheless a cheap, bright advertising display that can be controlled easily from a tablet seems like an idea that could catch on. Plus it comes in Zebra print.