Outlook celebrates Independence Day with an interactive cover page

Partnering with TELiBrahma, Outlook's cover page delivered an interactive experience for the readers when scanned with a mobile device.

Print magazines are increasingly taking to the digital medium more seriously, embracing technology to deliver interactive experiences for readers. Among the latest is the weekly general interest news magazine, Outlook that ahead of Independence Day brought alive its cover page with an augmented reality engagement.

The activity, carried out in partnership with Bengaluru-based mobile marketing firm TELiBrahma, featured an interactive cover page of the latest Independence Day special issue of Outlook that required to be scanned with a mobile device. When users scanned the page with a smartphone or tablet using TELiBrahma's-patented intARact app, the cover page came alive. The users were directed to a poll based on the issue's special story on 'The Greatest Indian after Gandhi'.

Users were also directed to the Wikipedia page, where they could access additional information on their devices. A feedback page was made available too, to garner feedback.

Commenting on the activity, Narasimha Suresh, chief executive officer and founder, TELiBrahma, says, "Outlook is the first magazine to augment its cover page, giving readers an exciting and interesting way to know more than just what is available in the magazine. Outlook is no longer just a static magazine but is 'intARactive' through our world's lightest and most powerful AR browser."

intARact is TELiBrahma's visual recognition platform that enables innovative engagements on mobile phones based on the mobile camera view. With the intARact app, any image, advertisement, editorial, brand logo, QR code in newspapers, magazine, internet, television or outdoor that is interact-enabled helps a user access information and be delivered with relevant engagements.

Calling this a natural extension of the print medium, Suresh tells afaqs! that through digital engagement, TELiBrahma is attempting to push the traditional media to the next level. He is of the opinion that the print medium has not yet leveraged digital to its fullest potential on one hand and on the other, the digital strategies of print have not delivered the expected results when it comes to revenue.

"Print, while it continues to leverage its own potential, must deliver superior experiences on digital for both consumers and advertisers. Digital is important for consumers because of its interactive nature. We are trying to bring those benefits to print," Suresh says.