Milwaukee Magazine Made Interactive with Quad’s Actable Technology

SUSSEX, WI—Sept. 19, 2012—Quad/Graphics Inc. announced that its Actable interactive print solutions helped Milwaukee Magazine create its first entirely interactive issue. The October “Best of 2012” issue, on newsstands this week, features 146 image recognition and augmented reality experiences that readers can launch on Actable-enabled smartphones and other mobile tablet devices.

Readers will be taken behind the scenes of a music studio, see a 3D gold watch pop off the page, hear the restaurant critic narrate dining listings, kick extra points on a virtual football field and much more. The special edition is a joint project by Quad/Graphics and the magazine to demonstrate applications of new interactive print technologies.

“Quad/Graphics is leading the charge to be a technology integrator that will help our clients make print even more powerful in today’s multichannel media world,” said Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics chairman, president and CEO. “Our goal with Milwaukee Magazine was to show the many creative ways that interactive print can be used to produce even more engaging and powerful reader experiences in both editorial and advertising, connecting print and mobile in ways that both amaze and inform.”

Editor Cristina Daglas explained the interactive issue to her audience in her Editor’s Letter column and a companion video that launches right on the page when readers hold their mobile devices over her column. “With a dedicated team of Quad/Graphics interactive specialists, we’ve produced an entire issue in augmented reality. Each page is fully loaded with at least one experience,” Daglas noted.

"Advertisers in the magazine showcased a variety of applications, including shopping guides, on-page videos, 3D renderings, social media sharing, photo galleries and special offers. Advertiser interest was strong with many advertisers making commitments above and beyond their regularly scheduled insertions,” added Linda Lundeen, associate publisher for Milwaukee Magazine. “For example, 23 percent of advertisers purchased additional ad insertions in the issue, and 15 percent upgraded to full ad pages from partial ad pages.”

About Milwaukee Magazine
Milwaukee Magazine is a respected, award-winning city magazine covering southeastern Wisconsin. With a readership well over 200,000, it has become an important part of the fabric of the city—one of Milwaukee's must-read publications. In the past three decades, the magazine's spirited editorial and sophisticated design has earned it more than 225 national and local awards.

About Quad
Quad/Graphics (NYSE: QUAD) is a global provider of print and related multichannel solutions for consumer magazines, special interest publications, catalogs, retail inserts/circulars, direct mail, books, directories, and commercial and specialty products, including in-store signage. Headquartered in Sussex, Wis. (just west of Milwaukee), the Company has approximately 22,000 full-time equivalent employees working from more than 50 print-production facilities as well as other support locations throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. As a printing industry innovator, Quad/Graphics (www.QG.com) is redefining the power of print in today’s multimedia world by helping its clients use print as the foundation of multichannel communications strategies to drive their top-line revenues.

Source: Quad.