Ch-ch-check this out, old media is embracing new media in the latest edition of Esquire with Robert Downey Jr. coming to life using Augmented Reality (AR).
Readers will be able to hold the US edition in front of a webcam and the on-screen image of the magazine become alive with letter flying off the cover and Robert Downey Jr. emerging out of the page in 3D.
The animation is triggered by the box between Downey’s legs (no laughing please) which looks like a QR code but is way cooler.
Inside the magazine there are a further six AR boxes, each activating a different interactive video feature. Sections such as men’s fashion are transformed on screen with the models changing clothing ranges depending on how the page is tilted.
Even the regular feature called ‘Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman’ gets the AG treatment with actress Gillian Jacobs taking part. Bring back the magazine to your webcam after midnight and Gillian tells you a ‘dirty’ joke, which is too rude for daytime audiences.
Looking at the front page it also looks like there is some education for the reader about what Augmented Reality is and how to use it. I wonder how many users will think this is just another QR code thingy?
It reminds me a bit of when The Sun did that QR code ‘Special’ pull out to teach van drivers what to do when they saw the little black and white squares. They went for a similar approach by using Keeley Hazel, just with slightly less clothing than Robert Downey Jr.
Advertising
The kind of AR enabled magazine isn’t easy or cheap to produce, so advertising support is essential, which is why two of the AR markers in the magazine trigger on-screen ads for Lexus. It sounds like their involvement is key as Editor David Granger admitted the issue cost more than usual to put together. Read more…
