Digital Corporate Communication at Heineken

crtica

Dutch brewer Heineken has deployed a customised Scala digital signage network to support corporate communications across 8 locations in the UK.

Project summary

Heineken is the world’s leading producer of some of the most popular beer and cider brands, including Fosters, Kronenbourg, Strongbow and of course Heineken. The company needed to maintain a high standard of communications with all staff across its entire footprint.

sc img
crtica

At a Glance

01.

Digital signage network runs on 27 screens across 8 Heineken locations in the UK

02.

Unique integration of digital signage with in-house video conferencing

03.

Tailored CMS based on Scala API for easy in-house system management

sec000 img

A Custom Corporate Digital Signage Network

The company asked Polycom integrator Talk & Vision to deploy a custom corporate digital signage network across a range of large-format screens, which were to be installed in breakout and reception areas across all 8 Heineken locations. As a Scala Platinum partner, Pixel Inspiration were tasked by Talk & Vision to deliver the digital media network in partnership with their video conferencing engineers.

The finished network allows for the latest Heineken news, as well as high-quality, purpose -produced video content, to be displayed to staff nationwide. This can be achieved at the push of a few buttons, either on a scheduled basis or as a live event stream.

sec4 img

Customised Content Management User Interface

The solution uses Scala content manager at the head end, coupled with Polycom’s Media Manager and a Scala media player at each of Heineken’s chosen locations. As a unique feature of this project, Pixel Inspiration built a customised content management user interface that connects to the Scala back-end digital signage content management software.

This interface provides integration with Heineken’s internal Active Directory, providing a single sign-on environment in which non-technical users to schedule any of the video-based content assets imported from the Polycom system to one or more displays, depending on their role and set location.

As a result, this less technical and fully customised management interface ensures Heineken staff members have full internal control of its content, leaving the technical aspects of the network management to in-house IT personnel, supported by Pixel.

sec5 img

Schedule Content and Integration with Media Management and Video Conferencing System

The bespoke content management system not only allows Heineken content editors to schedule every item of content that is delivered to the screens but also integrates with the company’s Polycom media management and video conferencing system.

This unique set-up enables the Scala-driven digital signage network at Heineken to populate the screens with live and recorded video content that comes straight from the company’s Polycom video conferencing system.

In particular, the system design provides the ability to schedule and then broadcast live events across the digital signage network with the use of Scala’s live H.264 stream support and some clever use of content triggers and scheduling.

The digital signage network also uses a number of web-based feeds to generate automatically updated content on some custom-created templates, including local news, weather and traffic information alongside social media feeds from the various Heineken brands.

About Heineken and Pixel Inspiration

Heineken is the UK’s leading cider and beer producer and the name behind iconic drinks brands such as Strongbow, Bulmers, Heineken, Foster’s, Kronenbourg 1664 and Desperados, together with a full range of speciality brands. The company employs around 2,000 people across 8 sites in the UK. It runs breweries, cider plants and offices in Edinburgh, Livingston, Tadcaster, Manchester, London, Hereford and Ledbury. Pixel Inspiration are a leading Scala integrator who work with some of the world’s major brands to deliver fully managed, dynamic and integrated, digital signage for corporate and customer communication.