Broadcaster’s Blog

Very shortly we’ll be saying goodbye to 2014 and hello once again to a new year full of hope and optimism!  For me as a female Entrepreneur, this is a chance for Keynsham to shine as a beacon in the UK for something fresh and inclusive – a single screen solution for all ages, abilities and engagement levels.

What makes us exclusive and a stand out from every other digital out of home display system?  Certainly if you look inside many shops and stores, you can see digital signage in operation in the form of TVs on walls.  It’s here, it’s not a choice between digital or not digital anymore.  It’s a choice for what sort of digital do you want – run of the mill, showing customers what they already know?  Or something completely revolutionary…

Before social networking happened, we all thought the internet was pretty awesome already.  It’s a good thing we didn’t stop there.  I believe in 2015 and beyond, that’s exactly what people will be saying about the Impact Screens in their town centres. ‘It’s a good thing we didn’t just stop there, then we wouldn’t have all this!’

Impact Screens is a business venture combined with local community and council information exposure, making it an innovative pilot scheme for the UK, one that has never been achieved. The reason for this is mainly financial – it’s not in the best interests of the broadcaster to combine all three into a single screen solution.  You can make far more money going for business advertising alone; cranking up the prices as well as pitching to nationals and multi nationals.  But Impact Screens aren’t here to squeeze money out of communities or tell them what multi nationals have the biggest advertising budget this year, our goal is ethical and different. Even when we started out as a PC repair service as a one man show, we were listed as Fairtrade when firms employing dozens of people couldn’t manage to prioritise that. We did because we care, and we’re willing to prove it where possible.

Our goal is to only showcase the Council local to the area in the town the screen is situated in, as well as only community groups with a base in that area, and most crucially only businesses who are a member of the local Chamber of Commerce / locally based in the town. If a company isn’t employing people in your town and doesn’t have a base there, they aren’t part of your Impact Screen. We’re about growing and informing communities, not the size of our pockets. That is our passion.

We are pioneering this to draw the community together and bring innovation into business.  We believe this model is a beacon and pilot scheme that will attract others to come and see how Keynsham has done it, so that there will be an Impact Screen in every town that celebrates business, community and civic engagement. That is why in 2015, we welcome the support of all local traders in Keynsham, all community groups and of course, Keynsham Town Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council (aka B&NES).

Equally valued, beautifully different and vibrantly joining together in 2015 – let’s make an impact and bring towns alive!

— Written by female Director & Entrepreneur G Morgan