Industry strategist David Weinfeld joins The Preset Group digital signage consultancy

Industry strategist and writer David Weinfeld has joined the roster of The Preset Group, a high-level consultancy focused on the digital signage and digital out-of-home sectors.

Weinfeld is a principal of the group, joining Preset’s founding partners Paul Flanigan, Pat Hellberg and Dave Haynes.   Based in Philadelphia, Weinfeld has developed a network and following through his digital signage Insightsblog, which focuses on digital signage and emerging technology’s role in media, retail and enterprise businesses. A communications strategist and technology specialist, Weinfeld has a particularly strong depth of experience and understanding in mobile, social media and emerging Web technologies. His strategic and creative skills have been leveraged in media projects for a diverse range of clients, including the NBA, the Arena Football League and cable TV network A&E.

“We’re pleased and, frankly, flattered, that David has agreed to join our group as a principal,” said Preset Group managing partner Flanigan. “If you cast around the industry and ask knowledgeable people who they see as sharp, and who really understands where this thing is now and where it’s going, David’s name comes up over and over. We’ve whispered this around a little, and the response has always been, ‘Great pick.'”

David Weinfeld

“When an opportunity comes around to work with people like Pat, Paul, and Dave, you seize it,” said Weinfeld. “Working in the Preset Group offers the opportunity to have a major impact on the direction of the digital signage industry.”

Weinfeld’s strategic thinking is being added to material already posted on the company’s new blog, called “Right, From The Start.” The blog, found off the main corporate Web site, is intended to offer advice for companies that are planning digital signage networks and struggling with strategy and execution issues.    

“When we announced Preset last month, we had a lot of people approach us about getting involved, and a lot of companies wanting to develop partnerships and alliances,” said Hellberg. “We could have had a long list of affiliations to announce, but we decided to be really methodical and only make additions when it was going to be truly meaningful and result in real activity. With David, we see someone whose skill sets and perspectives are different and complementary to what we can offer, and he makes us that much better at what we can offer.”

“There are some great people out there who seemed like obvious additions, but we wanted to really broaden the Preset offer, not just have more people with similar skills and backgrounds,” said Haynes. “That said, we’re pretty deep into discussions with at least a couple of people who will also be great principal members of the team, and like David, really add something new.”

The Preset Group was founded to help established companies, media start-ups and investment groups plan and launch successful digital media networks. The three founding partners together offer decades of diverse, directly relevant experience and insight to clients who are trying to put together and execute plans, in what is a fast emerging, rapidly evolving industry. The insights of the partners, whose experiences include running the retail networks of Nike and Best Buy, are bolstered by a global roster of specialists in specific knowledge areas, such as retail strategy, retail anthropology, audience measurement, IT network design and business best practices.