Augmented Reality Gimmicks Seek to Add New Life to Print

The Philadelphia Inquirer will integrate augmented reality (AR) services into its newspaper beginning May 6, 2012 as a way to enhance the paper version's relevance with Internet features.

This isn't the first time a publication is using augmented reality to differentiate itself in the market, but it's a first for a North American newspaper. The Inquirer is using technology from Aurasma, which has developed an augmented reality browser for the iPhone, iPad, and many Android phones that have cameras. As is typical with this technology, users who launch the Aurasma app will be able to view additional information that's layered over (i.e., augments) the static images.

This information, which Aurasma calls "auras," pops up on the device's screen when it's held over an Inquirer article, photo, or advertisement. The Inquirer's demo video shows a print newspaper image morphing into an interactive "click" button, a video streaming from a news article, and a video preview playing from a movie advertisement. Augmented reality technology in general could be used to display, for example, late-breaking information about an article already printed in a newspaper and additional details about an advertisement.

Aurasma is also working with Marvel, which recently released the comic "Avengers vs. X-Men #1" that includes augmented reality. With the Aurasma browser, certain pages will display animations and videos that show how the characters have evolved from line drawings to full color spreads, and video comments from the illustrators. Comics could just as easily display AR marketing content.

Although phones and tablets are most prevalent for augmented reality, other methods can also be used. Esquire magazine's December 2009 issue, with actor Robert Downey Jr. on the cover, included augmented reality features.

The included features were triggered when pages of the magazine printed with a graphic, similar to a QR code, were held up to a Webcam. Downey speaks when the cover is held up, actor Jeremy Renner changes his clothing based on the weather, and actress Gillian Jacobs tells jokes. Also, Lexus's advertisements in the magazine employed animations to highlight its automobile technology.

Esquire's editor-in-chief, David Granger, said AR "is a gimmick, but we're an entertainment medium. We've been trying to do things that cause people to re-evaluate what a magazine is and get people excited about this thing called print." Granger and other publication executives are also trying to get marketers excited so they will pay more for AR-enabled advertisements and other promotions.

A major problem I see for print publications is most, if not all, AR capabilities -- animations, videos, additional images, etc., -- can be implemented on the Web and in regular applications for phones and tablets without the need to open a paper publication.

Just as importantly, viewing content on the Web or in apps usually doesn't require downloading other software, such as AR browsers. Downloading these browsers is an extra step and requires consumers to understand how to use them. It's a technique for techies. AR might be useful for marketers targeting techies, but problematic for mainstream consumers.

That's why I see augmented reality in publications as a niche and relatively short term marketing gimmick because increasingly consumers will read publications on the Web and on phones and tablets. The emphasis is on "relatively" because it will take years for the majority of consumers to shift to reading on computers and portable devices rather than paper.

However, augmented reality is not a dead end because it can combine the real and virtual worlds for a variety of uses, not just publications. Watch Google's recent concept video that shows how AR glasses could be used in everyday life. With a small screen over his right eye, the guy in the video can view and reply to messages via voice dictation, set reminders, call up maps and floorplans, check a friend's location, and share a photo on Google+.

The advertising and marketing implications of AR in glasses are highlighted in a brilliant -- and scary -- remix video that shows ads popping up in the display based on actions and location.

I think most paper publications will move entirely to the Web and apps. But I also think augmented reality and multimedia marketing is just beginning to evolve, and static marketing will lose its appeal. What do you think?

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