Fast-food chain McDonald's is reportedly piloting Linux-based electronic signage at a location in Chicago. The Golden Arches at Archer and Rutherford is using content-managed digital signage for menu-board promotion, dining- and play-room adver-tainment, and customer information collection, according to an article at… SelfService.org.

The signage was reportedly set up by Tap TV, a Chicago-based video production company that appears to be branching out into electronic signage. The company is currently readying a user-friendly toolkit for other stores interested in creating content-managed in-store advertising promotions, and a Tap representative is quoted as saying, “We already have the toolkit built. We just don't have the 'user-friendly.' That will be rolled out in two to four weeks.”

The Chicago McDonald's signs are powered by multiple Linux PCs with 2.2GHz AMD processors, Nvidia graphics cards, and 250GB hard drives, according to SelfService.org. One display, just above the cash registers, comprises eight 15-inch monitors that work as a single unit to flash teasers for special menu items and other promotional messages.

Meanwhile, multiple 42-inch dining room displays run McDonald's ads alongside action sports videos, while video sidebars coax users into sending text messages that change “channels.” Phone numbers are collected for possible later use, according to the SelfService.org article.

Finally, in the playroom, video programming on large displays can be selected by children, using a “three-foot tall, Grimace-purple kiosk.” Alternatively, for parties and other special occasions, a “manager's code” can be entered that switches the displays to monitors for cameras located in the playroom, allowing children to see themselves on TV.

The SelfService.org article does not suggest how McDonald's is evaluating the success of the program. However, the local branch manager, for one, appears to be sold — on “out-of-store” electronic signage, as well as in. He is currently in the process of having an $80,000 video screen installed outside, beneath the store's “Golden Arches” sign.

The original SelfService.org story, which includes several photos of the signs, can be found here.

 
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