Bermuda Sun leaps into a new era of interactive print

Today MediaHouse launched augmented reality in Bermuda, becoming the first media company on the island to do so. 

The interactive print technology is available to smartphone and tablet users when viewing content from MediaHouse companies Bermuda Sun, Island Press and bermuda.com

Augmented reality (AR) can be found in today’s edition of the Sun, on certain business cards printed at Island Press and extensively in the April edition of the bermuda.com guide, which hits locations island wide tomorrow. MediaHouse plans to use AR increasingly in its products.

In order to view dynamic augmented reality content, smartphone and tablet users must download the free Layar app wherever they get their apps. Once they have done so they will unlock the door to a variety of content exclusive to Layar app users.

AR is cutting-edge technology. It uses the camera in a smartphone or tablet to add layers of digital multimedia like videos, music and photographs. 

For example, the April magazine cover of our bermuda.com guide shows a photo of a flyboarder frozen in motion over Hamilton Harbour. When the Layar app scans the page, that flyboarder seamlessly turns into a full action video with music.

Meantime, Island Press launched business cards that feature augmented reality. On the back of the card is a photo of the person on the front. When scanned with the Layar app that person speaks.

In today’s Bermuda Sun, augmented reality leaps off the page in four sections of the newspaper: News, Life, Sports and Tech.

Giving advertisers an edge

Advertisers are keen to get their messages onto the smartphones of their audience, careful to entice without annoying.  Augmented Reality (AR) provides that opportunity because users engage their smartphone or tablet voluntarily.

Bermuda’s uniquely high rate of internet connectivity and smartphone usage provide the breeding ground for the proliferation of AR in the market.  

The Layar App, identified in Bermuda with a longtail, has 36 million downloads worldwide.  Officials at the Amsterdam-based company say a consumer is 135% more likely to buy a product they view using AR versus when looking at a product image on the printed page. Surveys show that consumers value products that utilize AR 33% more than non-AR products.

Advertisers seek advantages in a crowded media marketplace and many of the world’s most respected brands are finding that advantage with augmented reality. 

If you want to know more about our venture into Augmented Reality, call me on 278-1881 or drop me a line: [email protected]

Acknowledgements: Our AR team — Jamie Petty, Jason Csiszar, Glenn Jones, Tony McWilliam, Lisa Beauchamp, Lamone Woods, Nicola Muirhead, Christina White. 

How to access Augmented Reality

• Download the Layar App on your iOs, Android or Blackberry 10 device — it’s free

• The Layar App will use the camera on your device to scan interactive print marked with our longtail logo

• Hold your device 10-12 inches over the printed image, wait a few seconds and enjoy an augmented reality experience

Note: You must be connected to the Internet. We recommend using Wifi for best results, like one of the 40 TBI WiFi Zones across Bermuda.

See more photos from the launch: Introducing Augmented Reality

Imagine if your business card could literally speak to customers and colleagues.

Augmented Reality makes it possible.

Island Press has partnered with Crimson Multimedia to create AR business cards for business people looking to set themselves apart from the crowd.  The new product hits the market today.

 Lamone Woods of Crimson is an experienced videographer for Augmented Reality. He shot many of the videos seen in the April edition of bermuda.com guide and today’s edition of the Bermuda Sun.  

Crimson uses its studios at Channel 82 to record the business card messages but can also shoot a company’s storefront or products as part of the Augmented Reality experience. 

Your bermuda.com guide, live! 

By Tony McWilliam

Editor, Bermuda Sun & editor & co-publisher, bermuda.com guide

You’ll find Augmented Reality in full flight in the April edition of bermuda.com guide.

Scan the cover with your smartphone or tablet and as the music kicks in, the flyboarder soars skyward before swooping down into the water, in a thrilling video clip. It was filmed by Nicola Muirhead in Hamilton Harbour and her footage will surely draw new enthusiasts.

In a whale-watching feature inside, a photograph evolves into spectacular footage of a humpback, breaching off the south shore. On the sports and activities pages, Augmented Reality takes readers beyond two-dimensional print to enjoy a 360-degree panorama of Horseshoe Bay and a golfer’s-eye view of beautiful Port Royal. We also take you on a virtual tour of The Perfumery and the Crystal Caves.

 The April guide will be available from tomorrow at locations island-wide, including most hotels and tourism attractions. 

They love AR

Publications using Augmented Reality include: Men’s Health, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Porter, Lonely Planet, Glamour, Seventeen, Elle, Maxim, Cosmopolitan

Advertisers using Augmented Reality include: Omega, Jaguar, Maybelline, Nissan, Ford, Nike, L’Oreal, Nestle, IBM, Conde Nast, Pepsi, Disney, Proctor & Gamble, Heinz