There is considerable buzz around the December issue of Esquire magazine and their use of “augmented reality”. If you hold some pages of the magazine on front of a webcam, additional editorial content will come to life. The is the seocnd time Esquire has experimented with interaction. Portfolio tells us:
The future of magazines begins November 16. That is, if the future of magazines is “augmented reality” in the form of fancy ads and gratuitous computer animation.
While a nice way to drive interaction with the magazine, this, of itself, is not the future of magazines. The future of print magazines is about content. The future of magazine brands is about a range of initiatives including what they are doing with Esquire.
If When we see these initiatives here in Australia, newsagents will need to consider giving our customers the ability to browse these augmented reality features.