Europe’s 4th largest magazine has gone interactive with Layar. Kampioen, the 127-year-old magazine of ANWB, the Royal Dutch Touring Club (think AAA but in the Netherlands), is bringing the digital engagement and excitement of interactive print to its 3.5 million subscribers and 5.3 million readers.

The magazine, whose name means “Champion” in Dutch, has been publishing 10 times a year for over a century and boasts one of the biggest magazine circulations in all of Europe. It’s 3.5 million subscribers is equal to that of Top 10 magazines in the United States. In the latest issue, readers can explore the magazine digitally by scanning the pages with the Layar app.

“Layar provides us with new posibilities to strengthen the cosy feeling that Kampioen traditionally generates for its readers,” said Bert Gorissen, Editor in Chief of Kampioen. “From the beginning, the Layar team has assisted us in making our magazine interactive. It is very refreshing to work together so closely with clear goals and a lot of enthusiasm.”

Readers can see the cover come to life with an augmented video interview with Dutch singer and actor Erik van Muiswinkel, and explore worldly travel options through extra content sprinkled into the pages. 

A video tour takes readers to exotic South African locations, links bring them to deals on European cruises, and much more, including a chance to win one of 5 gift packages worth €79. While browsing advertisements, including one for the Nokia Lumia 800 from Vodafone, readers can quickly tap a button to instantaneously add items to their online shopping cart.

Check out more photos of the magazine below.

Notable in this magazine is ANWB’s masterful use of calls-to-action in the print to its digital campaign. On any page with interactive content, an intuitively placed mobile phone icon appears with instructions for what to scan (see example below).

Also, each call-to-action directs readers back to a formal set of instructions on page 7 of the magazine. This is important for any reader that misses the instructions page prior to seeing the call-to-action.

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.

Click here to view the Dutch press release.

“Er is post!” is a quarterly magazine from the Dutch national postal service PostNL that is delivered to every household in The Netherlands - over 6 million homes in total. In the latest issue, the pages have been enhanced with Layar, allowing every home in Holland to interact with print media in a whole new way.

After installing the Layar app, readers can interact with pages in the magazine marked with the Layar logo. By viewing these pages through the Layar app, digital buttons will automatically appear with links to websites, Facebook likes, YouTube videos, app downloads and other actions.

Making traditional post advertising interactive is a nice bridge between the physical and online world, says PostNL Commercial Director Ger Jacobs. “With first-hand experience, we hope PostNL can better service its enterprise customers in the future by providing guidance in the use of old and new media.”

“’Er is post!’ is a great magazine with which to experience how paper can be made interactive,” says Layar CEO Raimo van der Klein. “We have worked closely together with PostNL to make it a wonderful edition. I am very curious to see how the readers will react to this innovative way of reading a magazine.”

Check out the video below to see for yourself and give it a try with the sample pages after the jump. If you live in The Netherlands, keep an eye on your mail for “Er is post!”

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