Home Page ContentPress Releases Metro Herald/ Blippar – first interactive newspaper

Metro Herald/ Blippar – first interactive newspaper

by david.nunes

 

TAKING AUGMENTED REALITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL –
METRO HERALD TEAM UP WITH 3e TO INTRODUCE BLIPPAR INTO THE IRISH MARKET AND PRODUCE THE WORLD’S FIRST AUGMENTED REALITY NEWSPAPER.

Monday, 19th September 2011; Metro Herald and 3e’s fyi. programme have teamed up to launch blippar, a new image-recognition augmented reality platform for smart devices, into the Irish market.  Across this week, Metro Herald will be producing five ‘smart editions’ of the world’s first fully augmented reality newspaper, where the interactive blippar technology has been utilised across selected editorial content and advertising.

In partnership with 3e’s weekday interactive news programme fyi, readers will be able to ‘blipp’ a daily feature in-paper, which will then instantly take them to additional video content, provided by fyi. Metro Herald will also be using blippar across additional editorial content including; a Guilty Pleasures daily poll, daily crossword answers, email the Mailbox (letters page) and by blipping the masthead readers will be able to see a step-by-step video explaining how blippar works, again produced by fyi.

Brands such as Aer Lingus, Jack Daniels, Miller, The Natural Confectionary Company and Universal Pictures International Ireland will be augmenting their adverts and bringing their Metro Herald print ad to life through the interactive blippar technology.

Blippar works by using a smartphone or tablet’s in-built camera to recognise things in the real world and instantaneously provide users with digital connections, information or interactive entertainment on their device’s screen. No scanning or photo-taking is needed, users simply hold their device up to (or hover over) anything ‘blippable’ for an instant response such as a web link, video, coupon, a 3D product experience or an augmented reality game.

Kieran Forde, Marketing Manager for Metro Herald said: “We know 70% of our readers now own a smartphone and internet usage via their handset is very high. Therefore, as a newspaper, we are always looking for ways to embrace smart technology and make our product as interactive as possible. We have already launched QR Codes and an Augmented Reality campaign with Mazda into the Irish print market. We believe that blippar will now allow us to take augmented reality to the next level by offering instantaneous engagement that empowers readers to interact, discover, play and engage with editorial content and advertising in a quick and seamless way.”

Jessica Butcher, Marketing Director for Blippar added: “We’re hugely excited about our partnership with Metro Herald.  More so than any other media owner, Metro Herald has demonstrated a true commitment to this as a new publishing technology and consumer behaviour that it is here today, not tomorrow.  Rather than taking a ‘softly softly’ advert by advert approach they have embraced a fully integrated content-solution which will see them leading the pack. We looking forward to maximising the opportunity with them for the short, medium and long term”

Brian Foley, Series Producer, fyi. said:  “fyi. is all about bringing information to people in a different and varied way. Teaming up with blippar and Metro Herald – allows us to take part in something that has never been done before– an augmented reality newspaper. fyi. prides itself on being the most interactive news programme in Ireland – and this latest venture allows viewers another high-tech way to interact with  fyi.  To be able to bring fyi. video content to commuters on their way to work, college and school using the latest technology is an exciting new reality for fyi.”

To see the Augmented Reality editions of Metro Herald online all this week, visit;
www.e-metroherald.ie

For more information contact:

Kieran Forde                                                     
Metro Herald
T: 086 172 5439
E:
Kieran.forde@metroherald.ie

Jessica Butcher
Blippar
T: +44 7795 815 475
E:
jess.butcher@blippar.com  



About blippar

blippar is the first image-recognition augmented reality platform for smart devices targeted specifically at brand-customer interaction.  Through one free application on a user’s device, blippar™ opens up in camera mode and becomes a single lens through which branded logos, products and communication in the real world is recognised and converted into instantaneous, proactively requested digital experiences.  blippar is a privately owned UK business launching Summer-Autumn 2011.

Please see www.blippar.com and www.youtube.com/blippar1 for demo videos of blippar in practice.

About fyi.

On fyi. every weekday at six on 3e, Caroline Twohig, Cassie Stokes and Paul Walsh bring viewers the top stories of the day, as well as all the hottest tech news and sports headlines.

fyi. offers a fresh, innovative, fast-paced show with a unique style of news for Ireland. It is, by far, the most interactive news programme on Irish television, featuring web and internet stories, top downloads, Twitter and Facebook updates as well as showbiz, sport and international news, along with the best of Irish content.

For more information visit: http://www.tv3.ie/3e/news.php

About Metro Herald

Circulated across Greater Dublin, Metro Herald is a quality, daily free newspaper available in the capital. Content builds on the free newspaper model of providing concise, fact-based, local, national and international news stories, lifestyle features, celebrity gossip and sports updates.

Metro Herald’s circulates over 65,000 copies a day. Newspapers are distributed on public transport networks (Dart, Luas, Suburban rail and buses) and in high-traffic commuter zones around Greater Dublin, specifically targeting areas inhabited by urbanites. Metro Herald is also available online through a digital version of the newspaper.

For more information visit: www.metroherald.ie

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