One of Britain’s most popular handbag fillers Grazia, launched today with a very interesting marketing gimmick. If you buy the issue (or steal it) you can access special augmented reality content through use of a webcam or iPhone.
Simply go to a specific web address, hold the magazine up to a web cam and watch cover star Florence Welch come to life and sing & dance. It’s all very clever and it’s a grand marketing tool as this story has made all the news sites and will no doubt help shift a few more copies.
The interesting thing here is the iPhone compatibility. I have no doubt that augmented reality systems will make a big impact over the coming years, and devices such as the iPhone or Android capable phones seem to handle it pretty well. But when you can combine a 3G enabled mobile device with a print advert or piece of packaging we will start to see some truly innovative advertising concepts.
For more info regarding some possible augmented reality systems, check out this talk from TED.com
MagDesigner.co.uk 