InPublishing just wrote an exciting article about how Armani launched a campaign that uses digital watermarks. This campaign was delivered by Digimarc's partner Digital Space in the UK.

You've probably noticed that a lot of campaigns today are starting to incorporate different types of codes that enable consumers to interact with the brand or product. Digital watermarks are an imperceptible alternative; much more appealing than your typical QR code or machine readable codes. We like to say: The bridge from print to online doesn't have to be square!

We've already seen magazines like House Beautiful, Xbox 360, Photoshop User, and many more integrate digital watermarks into their publication. And we're starting to see a lot of traction and interest with digital watermarks, so we'll continue to update you as more publications hit the street using technology enabled by Digimarc Discover.

Australia’s Public Accountant is the first financial magazine to use digital watermarking. There are five digital watermarks in the October/November issue of Public Accountant. There’s also an entire page educating readers on the technology, informing readers where to find the watermarked content throughout the issue, and how to use the Digimarc Discover app.

Interested in learning about Consumer Law in the Land Down Under? On page 33, you’ll find an
explanatory video on The Australia Consumer Law that went into effect on January 1, 2011. Check it out – you might learn something.

In the Oct/Nov issue, you can also order accounting handbooks and guidelines right from the printed page. If you’re an IPA member, you get 15% membership discount that can be applied immediately. And if you’re not an IPA member, find out how on page 79.

(Sorry, Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol fans. The banana on the cover is not a peel off sticker.)

 
Yes, our friends at House Beautiful are working their digital magic once again. The October issue of House Beautiful includes 7 interactive features ranging from a photo slideshow of October’s Master Class designer, Jeffrey Bilhuber, to Chef Tyler Florence taking readers on a video tour of House Beautiful’s 2011 Kitchen of the Year in Rockefeller Center. You’ll even find inspiration from Artists Craig Schumacher and Joseph La Piana as their designs come alive right from the magazine!House Beautiful is making it easy for readers to identify the enhanced content by including a special Table of Contents specifically highlighting the digitally watermarked special features.
Grab your copy today!

If you exhibit at tradeshows, you know you're paying a small fortune to spend a few moments communicating your message to potential customers. To reinforce that momentary connection you give them a memento, AKA tradeshow swag. Can that notepad, mug or T-shirt communicate with them?

Let's make that notepad, mug or T-shirt tell your story long after the event!

By adding a digital watermark to that coffee mug, the customer's smartphone could be playing your video, getting your latest product updates, adding you to their contacts or entering your contest. This could be done with a QRcode, but which mug would you prefer to give away?

Learn how to accomplish this with Digimarc Discover...

Success is not solely dependent upon the technology, folks. It's far more about what "payoff" the consumer receives once he/she downloads your mobile app and takes the time to read the QR code or digital watermark included in the printed content. This is what I've observed... "Oh boy, they've sent me to their website with the exact same article in front of me, only with type so small I couldn't read it even if I had Superman's X-ray vision."

What on earth gives us the idea this is a satisfying experience for the consumer? And, yet, too often that has been the "payoff" for their efforts.

You may have seen recent news about the Digimarc Discover solution and how it will enable print to become interactive. That was just the beginning; The Oregonian newspaper (in Oregon) launched its new mobile reader application that will deliver rich content to its users by utilizing the Digimarc Discover watermarking technology. News & Tech had a great article about it, so I wanted to say "thanks!" to the editors.

 
Please stay tuned in the coming months when I will post more information about different magazines that will also be inporporating Digimarc Discover.

The key is to start at the end and work backward.

Consider the example of a print advertising campaign enhanced with QR Codes, Digital Watermarks, or other embedded signaling. Whatever the signaling methodology, the technology itself is not the strategy. Instead it is merely a tactical weapon to trigger a desired consumer response.

With the launch of Digimarc Discover, Digimarc now has two watermarking products for commercial use. While both are based on the same core technology, they address different customer requirements.

A high level way to describe the difference: Digimarc for Images is for digitally watermarking images that will always be digital (usually on the Internet) and Digimarc Discover is for images that will be printed. Now why do you need either of those services for your images?

If you don't know who Newell Turner is, he happens to be the Editor in Chief of House Beautiful Magazine. In a recent piece written by Mobile Marketer, Mr. Turner is quoted as saying, "Most QR codes look like digital barnacles on the pages of a magazine. They disrupt, some would even say destroy the visual experience of the printed page. The beauty of our Digimarc program is that the QR code is basically invisible. It's embedded in the image or even behind the text on pages of the magazine."

I won't tell you how long this announcement has been in the making, but this past Sunday, we finally announced our partnership with The Oregonian as the first newspaper in the U.S. to use digital watermarks to deliver enhanced, multimedia content from various images throughout the newspaper. 

The printed newspaper provides a bridge to their sister company's content online — giving readers the ability to access the rich, interactive content and deep links they go to the internet for directly from the printed page. To date, the content has been primarily video, slideshows and a list of links to enable readers to explore more on the stories they are most interested in.