Content Decoded

Esquire Magazine continues to push the boundaries by adding a layer of digital interactivity to its printed product with its current Augmented Reality issue.

With the help of The Barbarian Group and Psyop, the typically one-dimensional Esquire mag now offers a multi-dimensional with cover boy Robert DowneyJr popping out (literally) to introduce the technology to the tune of typography leaping off the page, a funny joke from Gillian Jacobs in its Beautiful Woman feature (come back after midnight and she’ll tell you a different joke), a Lexus ad that highlights new product features and a Jeremy Renner fashion spread.

The Renner & Lexus pieces are most interesting. To quote The Barbarian Group’s Benjamin Palmer, “The fashion spread uses AR to do something you can’t do in the magazine – show you interactive views of the outfit(s) and different clothing combinations in a way you couldn’t do in print. The Lexus ad takes an interesting and complicated pair of technological features that would be difficult to explain with photos and text, and shows you advanced simulations of the technology.”

So, putting all the first-to-market hype aside (and Esquire is old hat to this),the real question is, can adding a layer of digital to print solve the woes of the publishing community and improve the consumer experience?

It’s unlikely that AR will be the solution to the demise of print journalism, but one thing is for sure traditional print as we know it is going to evolve into a more hybrid form. And while some may claim AR to be just another gimmick and a tick in the marketer’s To-Do-List, I admire Esquire’s effort at going where no magazine has gone before to enhance the experience of reading a print magazine through a layer of digital utility, evident in the Lexus ad and Renner fashion spread.

This was a very depressing week for magazines with Conde Nast shutting down four of its magazines: Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. However, in the memo that Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend sent out, he made a curious comment,

In the coming weeks Conde Nast will be announcing initiatives to develop digital versions of our brands that will make use of new devices and distribution channels.

Does he mean Kindle and Iphone? Anybody’s guess. What new surprises is Conde Nast going to unveil for us?

While the closing of the other three magazines didn’t stir many waters, the closing of Gourmet was mourned throughout the web. According to news reports, the closing of Gourmet over Bon Appetit came as a shock. Circulation and Ads were down, but Gourmet had more brand equity and cultural appeal than a Bon Appetit. Consider this, if Bon Appetit is Lucky, Gourmet was Vogue. It was considered by the generation that grew up with it, nothing short of a cultural institution. Interestingly though, most of the news sites and blogs that mourn Gourmet belong to the slighly older demographics. It is safe to say, that only a handful of magazine readers under 30 will miss Gourmet.

Even then, here are some insights that I culled on some of the top sites that analyzed the closing of Gourmet. Two main points were raised: The cultural irrelevancy of Gourmet in the current economic climate and the competition from digital, food-related websites and blogs.

Read on.

1. AP News: Conde Nast’s decision to retain the more recipe-driven Bon Appetit was indicative of Gourmet being out of touch with how Americans eat. Magazine consultants have said Bon Appetit likely survived because advertisers have moved towards food titles that reflect the more affordable sensibility it ha.

2. Wall Street Journal: Gourmet has had to compete with food-related websites, which are often free and contain up-to-the-minute content.

3. All Things Digital: Kara Swisher writes, “I dearly hope that this episode with Gourmet does not become another one fo those death-by-digital cautionary tales, a case study that no one can sustain this kind of highbrow, expensive-to-make print media anymore, even the free-spending types at Conde Nast.

Thoughts?