Interactive Magazine: Combining Offline with Online

This is a post about a video I saw on Mashable that I believe indicates what the near future holds for advertising. We have all seen and heard about QR codes, the technological that integrates the offline with the online. QR codes have a place in marketing, however they are not user friendly and unless equipped with a smart phone, the user cannot engage with the content.

This article looks into a new start-up named Blippar. They have created a technology that interacts with visual and written content in a magazine called Short List that users are able to engage with. Icons placed next to the products can be scanned, enabling the user to bring the content to life through the use of augmented reality.

The video shows the user engaging in polls, retro games, viewing gallery options and most excitingly, in my opinion, what I’d call a ‘scan-click-buy’ option where it does exactly as it says. Items are able to be purchased there and them, changing the magazine’s marketing role towards a more Point-of-Sale orientation.

Looking to the future, I see this sort of technology being used in more and more medias. It’s important for advertisers and marketers to provide consumers with the means to make life easier. Changing the buying process of products in magazines through shortening the purchase cycle turns this into an impulse buy. Fitting into consumer trends is vital and I think this is an insight into how all traditional media will soon become integrated with online as people look for ease of life in their everyday life.

See the video for yourself at: http://mashable.com/2012/11/09/magazine-interactive-game-cover/

Let me know your thought on this post. What have you seen that has taken your interest? Please let me know what you think by contacting me on Twitter @nickwilliamgale