It’s that time of year again here in the Netherlands. The time when everyone dons their orange clothing and inflatable crown hats, hops on a canal boat and celebrates with music, friends and, of course, drinking! 

It’s Queen’s Day, or “Koninginnedag” as it’s known here - the Queen’s (official) birthday. Each year the Dutch Queen herself parades through towns in the Netherlands, and this year she’s appearing in the towns of Veenendaal and Rhenen.

The local paper in these towns, the VeenendaalseKrant, published by BDU with a circulation of 40,000 readers, has been augmented with Layar to feature some great digital content about the Queen’s visit.

Ads in the newspaper have been enriched with companion videos, and you can even watch videos and view information about the Queen’s planned route through the cities. But the best part? Access to a live video stream of the royal family as they parade through the towns.

Scanning one of the pages in the paper connects readers to a live stream from NOS, the Dutch public broadcasting service. Those standing on the parade route wondering when the Queen will pass by can simply follow her progress on the live stream.

This is a terrific example of how Layar can be used by publications of all sizes. The VeenendaalseKrant is a small, hyper-local publication, yet with Layar they can provide next generation multimedia innovation to their readers. The same technology which helped launch a print AR campaign to over 4 million people in India can just as easily and effectively be used at the local level.

The special issue of the VeenendaalseKrant is available now, and if you’re in Veenendaal or Rhenen on Monday, make sure you carry it with you to the parade! 

And for those of you in Amsterdam for Queen’s Day this year, check out the layer “De Blaffende Vis,” made by friend of Layar Menno Bieringa. Scanning the facade of the cafe De Blaffende Vis (located in the Jordaan) will display special messages throughout Queen’s Day.

Sappi is the leading European producer of coated fine paper used in magazines, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. The Belgium-based company has come up with some really cool examples of print AR by augmenting it’s promotional magazine, What’s Next, with Layar.

“At its heart, the purpose of What’s Next Magazine is to show publishers what they can do to add texture and depth to their publications, through paper choice in particular,” says Sappi.

For this edition of What’s Next, Sappi has turned to Layar to show how publishers can enhance their print products. And we’re really impressed at what they created using Layar.

Pages can be scanned with Layar to make the reading the magazine a one-of-a-kind experience. Our favorite addition has to be the translation feature. Articles in one language can be translated to another, and vice versa, suggesting the possibility to truly universal content in print magazines.

Readers can also view videos, follow links to websites and social media, and even fill out reader polls to instantly weigh in on topics. Now that’s a pretty cool and unique use of Layar!

“From a publisher’s perspective, the beauty of using this technology is that readers never stop reading their magazines,” says Sappi. “Scanning the Layar logo with a smartphone immediately brings the reader various forms of complementary content about the subject either in the form of an image, text or even a small movie. Not only that, the technology also enables publishers to provide additional product information for readers, as well as suggesting possible purchases through the app. No need to go to a website; the content appears on your smartphone.”

Have a look below at a video produced by Sappi to show off the new magazine and its Layar integration. And after the jump, give it a try yourself on some example pages from the magazine. You can vote in the poll and try out the text translation!

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A few months ago, we proudly announced our partnership with LINDA. magazine to augment the pages of its special issue with “Oprah-style” giveaways. Now, LINDA. and Layar are coming together again for another special edition: L’HOMO.

L’HOMO. is an anual special issue from LINDA. that focuses on culture, issues and awareness of the gay community. In past years, cover shots and interviews in the magazine have sparked debate about the taboos of homosexuality in pop culture, sports and politics.

This year, LINDA. has augmented the L’HOMO. issue with Layar, allowing readers access to social media connections, instant shopping options, extra videos and even - yes - explicit content.

Scanning the cover and photos of interviewees provides links to Twitter and Facebook. Quickly see tweets about L’HOMO. and connect with the people in the magazine. While flipping through ads and descriptions of cool products, you can now quickly tap a “buy” button to be taken instantly to a webshop on your phone.

And in one eye-catching example, you can access rather explicit content, as one male model bares all… yes, all! See if you can find which page holds the surprise.

The L’HOMO hits magazine stands tomorrow, April 25th. To give it a try right now, scan the pages after the jump to view what the magazine has to offer. And for more, check out the video below!

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Automaker Ford has tapped Layar to help promote the all new Ford Fiesta in India with interactive brochures and ads.

Ford sought the help of Layar Partner Network member GAMOOZ, and India-based group that creates Layar content of all kinds. In just a few days, GAMOOZ created the “Ford India” layer, which has been rolled out into what has become the world’s largest print AR campaign to date.

Brochures, like the one pictured to the right, were distributed at 230 Ford dealerships in 123 Indian cities, and print ads appeared in several popular Indian newspapers, including: 

• Times of India
• Tribune
• Punjab Kesari
• Dinamalar
• Eenadu
• Ajit
• Sambad
• Malayalam Manorama
• Rajasthan Patrika
• … and many more.

Readership of the campaign totaled around 4 million people, and so far thousands of people have used Layar to scan the ads and brochures and view the interactive digital content. Users can view videos about the Ford Fiesta, as well as quickly jump to the Ford mobile website, book a test drive, or quickly share the car on Facebook or Twitter.

Try it out on one of the pages after the jump and check out the video below to see it in action!

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Click here to read the Dutch press release!

Layar has teamed up with popular Dutch home decor catalogue vtwonen to help change the way readers make purchases.

With the latest vtwonen “magalogue” (a combination magazine/catalogue), readers can scan the pages and instantly buy the items they like.

Items for sale in the pictures appear with a button to purchase the items when scanned with Layar. The links take readers directly to vtwonen’s mobile shopping site where they can instantly purchase the items and pay with PayPal. It’s also easy to just add items to a shopping cart and save them for later.

Anita Beijl, marketing manager for vtwonen, calls the Layar implementation the “ultimate print shopping experience,” and adds that Layar makes it easy to quickly expand the brand to new platforms.

Try it yourself on the vtwonen magalogue, available today, or simply test one of the pages after the jump. Check out the video below to see the magalogue in action! And for those that speak Dutch, be sure to watch our interview with Martijn van der Neut of vtwonen!

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