Interactive Content for Magazine with AR Technology: The ZERNO Case

Today, we will tell you about such top-notch technology as Augmented Reality (AR)  and the expertise of Interactive Content for a Magazine. In order to constantly be heard by people, and this is what implies the quality promotion of a product, marketers should always follow new trends. 

It is necessary to keep abreast of not only public ideas but also new information technologies. This is due to the fact that the amount of information that a person receives every day is 3 times more than 50 years ago, and this indicator will continue to grow. Information technology is responsible for ensuring that a potential client receives only the quintessence of everything he/she needs. And don’t miss an ad in this flow of information in case you work for a digital agency. So digital marketers should do everything possible to successfully implement advertising in an interesting and unobtrusive way for the people.

A great option is the use of AR technology because the possibilities of Augmented Reality Marketing are simply huge. Absolutely all advertising methods can be made interactive: live interviews, charts, diagrams, videos, 3D models, and much more. Today, we will tell you about our case, Interactive Content for an agricultural magazine, in which all the possibilities of AR were used to the max.

ZERNO Case

The Ukrainian agrarian magazine ZERNO has set the task of creating an application for displaying interactive content and bringing pictures to life. Augmented Reality technology is perfect for this.

The essence of the use of AR in solutions for printed products is that the publication, whether it is a magazine, newspaper, or a simple brochure, removes the restrictions in the form of only one text. Augmented Reality allows seeing superimposed virtual objects against the background of the real world. This makes it possible to feel those emotions and impressions that a person cannot get in real life. This approach takes user experience to a new level.

Using the application, a reader can now listen to a live interview of an authoritative specialist instead of reading dry extracts from his speech. There is also the opportunity to view animated graphics in different directions. Particular attention deserves the opportunity to inspect the 3D model of real equipment at any scale without losing quality playback.

The AR application creates a high-quality experience that the user cannot forget. An online magazine can be used as a first-class platform for advertising relevant products. For example, a potential client who reads a magazine can already go through the first stages of the sale due to the extraordinary experience that Augmented Reality Marketing provides.

The Principle of the Application

The client can inspect, evaluate, and even hear and see how the product works, for example, agricultural equipment. It also helps save resources on pointless demonstrations of expensive products. After all, the demonstration has already been held in print, for example, in a brochure.

• To work with the AR magazine does not require special equipment or complex operations;
• All that is required of the client is to download a free application from the App Store or Google Play;
• The application works without an internet connection. Certain content appears on the device’s screen when a person points the camera at a specific marker. An image or animation literally “embeds” or “complements” reality;
• When you rotate the camera, the image angle and even the outline of the shadow that the virtual object creates also change.

To develop an AR application for Interactive Content, the first 3D content models are created by our 3D artists. They used Autodesk Maya (3D content development) and Substance Painter for 3D models’ texturing. 

Our XR deliverers experts used the effective pipeline for the 3D models’ preparation and publishing, customizable backend solution for AR content management, and offline mode on a limited Internet connection to ensure a smooth AR experience. The core tools were the Unity3D platform and Vuforia framework, Unreal Engine. 

Final Word About a Business Perspective

Studies show that AR advertising will more than double its profit. It is also no secret to anyone that the image of an advertising company or any publisher depends on how cool it can deliver urgent information to the audience. Interactive advertising is the latest trend in Augmented Reality Marketing, and just marketing too. Our case – the development of Interactive Content for ZERNO Magazine only confirms this.

Creating such solutions and applications does not require a whole team, analysts, 3D designers, developers, and testers. All this can be entrusted to an outsourcing agency. Softengi will happily offer its best staff to create a new and impressive experience for your customers.