Digital signage and M2M are key themes this week at the CES show in Las Vegas.

While much of the conversation had to do with the introduction of larger and higher resolution displays, Casio (News - Alert) Signage at CES yesterday unveiled a digital signage-specific solution that pushes the concept of using characters to promote brand and product within retail locations.

“This will revolutionize storefront advertising” and prompt customers to enter businesses and purchase more while they’re inside, according to Toshiharu Okimuro, corporate officer, senior general manager of the signage department at Casio Computer.

The multilingual solution is in the form of hardware (and software) about the size of a turntable. The shape of the character protrudes from the top of the box, available starting this month for about $10,000.

Rather than relying on video, this solution creates characters from still images and text, which makes it easier to change content as needed to create new promotions for additional products or seasons of the year, Okimuro explained.

The downside is that type of animation is rather surreal. Imagine the woman’s head in the globe at Disney’s (News - Alert) Haunted Mansion. Then again, maybe it will be the next big thing.

During a CES demo, Casio showed an example of its digital signage solution in use by a grocer, with an actual person’s animated photo discussing the unique offerings in the grocery store’s bakery, butcher shop and produce departments.

Casio also highlighted how the digital signage solution can be used to promote a business’s products using animated characters – like a cartoon buffalo for Buffalo Wild Wings and a cartoon hamburger for burger place at Mandalay Bay at Las Vegas.

Hardware supporting digital signage such as media players, PCs, displays and LED video arrays generated nearly $5.5 billion in revenue during 2011, according to IMS Research. The IHS (News - Alert), Inc. company expects to see continued growth for this equipment at a combined compound annual growth rate of 8.5 percent through 2016.