1. A method for displaying content items from a conditional playlist, comprising the steps of: receiving at a digital signage deployment a global conditional playlist having multiple content items and an abstract observable condition associated with each of multiple content items; resolving by the deployment, using local context data, the global conditional playlist to a local conditional playlist having the multiple content items and a measurable observable condition associated with each of the multiple content items, wherein each of the abstract observable conditions is a qualitative condition whose quantitative meaning varies with local norms, wherein each of the measurable observable conditions is a quantitative condition defining one of the abstract observable conditions consistent with local norms at a location of the deployment, and wherein the local context data links ones of the abstract observable conditions with ones of the measurable observable conditions; collecting by the deployment local observational data; selecting by the deployment a selected content item from the local conditional playlist based on conformance of the local observational data with the measurable observable condition associated with the selected content item; and displaying by the deployment the selected content item.