komma,tec redaction advocates for content architecture in digital signage

The digital signage industry is facing a crisis characterized by an overemphasis on hardware sales at the expense of meaningful viewer engagement. Many providers are flooding the market with inexpensive screens that often become unused or perceived as intrusive "digital waste" shortly after installation.

Fabian Scholz, founder and managing director of the Hamburg-based system house komma,tec redaction GmbH, is calling for a radical shift from hardware-centric sales toward a structured approach known as content architecture. Scholz argues that hardware without relevant, immediately understandable content is merely "expensive electronic scrap."

The company suggests that the current sales culture focuses too heavily on moving hardware and software licenses without taking responsibility for content integration or existing IT processes. To avoid the "box-pushing trap," the industry must prioritize content concepts before physical displays are installed.