Glacier Media Group.,(GVC:CA: TSX), Western Canada's largest local media company and the owner of the Prince George Citizen, has teamed up with Layar to enhance the newspaper experience for its readers.
Every edition will feature extensive use of augmented reality (AR) through editorial and advertisements.
This cutting edge technology used while reading the newspapers will allow Glacier to eliminate the gap between print and digital.
The technology is the innovative Layar application which can be downloaded on iOS and Android smartphones or tablets. Layar operates as image recognition software invisibly tagging images, logos and icons with codes to allow the augmented reality components to appear instantly on a readers phone or tablet while scanning the AR content. Rather than QR codes in print, Layar provides the ability to link to multiple assets; watch video/ listen to audio / share the content on social networks and even buy a product - right from the page.
Layar is first being introduced in Glacier's Lower Mainland publications before being distributed across the chain, including The Citizen.
"This will allow print to come to life," said Alvin Brouwer, president of Lower Mainland Publishing, a division of Glacier Media. "Our plan is to increase engagement between our newspapers and our readers, increase the time they spend with us, improve the utility of the product, and seamlessly integrate our customers' digital assets into our newspapers," said Brouwer, "It adds many different dimensions to a print advertising campaign or to the stories and photos that appear in our papers."
"Newsprint is very effective in creating desire, and the Layar technology provides us the opportunity to increase newsprint's utility to our readers and advertisers enabling immediate action. This is a game changer, and we are proud to be the first to take this to market enterprise-wide." said Shelly Wilson, vice-president of digital sales for Glacier Media.
With over 28 million downloads worldwide, Layar is an exceptional complement to Glacier Media's newspaper network. Layar's CEO Quintin Schevernels is delighted. "This partnership marks an important milestone for interactive print in the Canadian market. With Glacier Media we found a partner that is very dedicated to innovation and serving the needs of its readers and advertisers. We are confident that we will help Glacier Media to further empower its print products."
