The 60,000-circulation bimonthly ‘V8X Magazine’ is using US-developed Digimarc Discover to deliver a range of rich media experiences to readers from next month. Users download an iTunes or Android Market application to access enhanced advertising content including video, competitions, games and links to specialised apps related to advertisers’ products.

‘V8X Magazine’ publisher and editor Neville Wilkinson says the magazine is “especially pleased” to be the first to deliver what it is calling its Active Image Program to Australian print media advertising markets.

“This innovation finally links print media advertising and editorial content with any online application or content – including websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts – through invisibly watermarked images,” he says.

Marketing vice president Jeri Owen says the technology avoids the need to take a picture, email it and wait for a response, as in some approaches. The need for barcodes is also elimintated.

“Consumers simply launch the app and point it at the watermarked content they are interested in,” she says.

Using the downloaded Digimarc Discover application, a smartphone user scans over the advertisement or image for a second or two, and is then linked to the online content relating to that advertisement. ‘Human-invisible’ coding uses Diigimarc’s proprietary image watermarking technology, with a logo identifying the image as ‘Active enabled’.

Magazine advertisers can then track the quantity of traffic that is accessing their enhanced advertisements.

The Digimarc Discover online services portal was launched in February and an open beta trial allows free use of basic functions until the end of May. The platform provides the means to embed digital watermarks into printed materials and detect them on various mobile devices, together with a backend routing and reporting system to support applications and campaigns.