[DMX 2014] Making print digital, while staying print

Following a lunch break at this year's DMX Conference 2014, Johan Walters of Digital Narrative spoke of new media marketing's role in the marketing mix and how it can benefit your brand.

Johan Walters of Digital Narrative at DMX 2014

It's the publisher's ultimate conundrum - finding a way to embrace the new technology that drives new marketing opportunities, especially with new mobile connected consumers, while not losing focus of print. That said, he feels each business has a digital story to tell.

Walters started off by explaining geolocation marketing through iBeacon, which gives any business the opportunity to interact with consumers on mobile devices with iBeacon hardware. Simply put, it's based on Bluetooth, with the consumer downloading an app that determines the device's distance from the iBeacon in store. This then triggers notifications to the consumer's phone after they download the app and opt-in to receive the messages. Use is already globally prolific, with big names like Macy's and Tesco's already using the Pulsate iBeacon. The Stella Artois Le Bar guide app is another example of location-based marketing, using the phone's built-in GPS:

Two ways to bring print to life

Next up, Walters demonstrated ways for marketers to make use of interactive images from Thinglink. It's an interactive site for static digital images. All you do is drag and drop interactive elements onto the image to drive engagement and elevate user interaction as well as their dwell-time, which you can check with real-time analytics.

Even better? South Africa's finally coming on board and making print interactive with Layar. This adds a visual layer of augmented reality to a static image, making use of image recognition technology through the consumer's phone camera to trigger a rich online media experience through a call to action. Walters describes this as a great alternative to the QR code that actually takes you away from what you're looking at.

Instead, Layar adds layers to what you are looking at to help your product stand out from the clutter of print. This could be anything, from videos, slideshows and links to social media, which effectively add an online experience to the existing print product. This in turn makes it easier to measure print's effectiveness, says Walters, and you can update things on the fly.

There's been a rise in adoption in South Africa over the past two years, with Food & Home Entertaining magazine taking advantage of it, as well as a number of other well-known local brands such as You magazine, an interactive sleeve around Vida e Caffe cups, augmented reality placemats for children at Wimpy, Vodacom including a sneaky update right for the iPhone 6, a 3DQuit graphic printed onto the pack of certain cigarettes brands like Camel, and a Spur Kids colour in and scan competition.

© Igor Zhuravlov – 123RF.com

The options are endless. Why not add an augmented reality layer to your business cards, or bring more print magazine covers to life by filming a short scene with the cover star, using the first shot as the magazine cover and letting readers watch the video by interacting with the magazine through their phones?

Walters ended by stating it's not just about the overwhelming opportunities offered by new media, but also about using it to enhance traditional print media.