Fry Communications Introduces Augmented Reality Service

MECHANICSBURG, PA—January 23, 2013—Fry Communications brings another smart innovation to publishers and marketers by offering Augmented Reality (AR) services through Layar (Please click here for a short introductory video from Layar).

By integrating AR, publishers are able to bring interactivity to the printed page through the reader’s smartphone, allowing traditional magazine pages to include content for videos, social media, and e-commerce. This extra layer of content increases engagement with readers, enlarges the reach of the publisher through the social media feeds, and provides a way for publishers to generate revenue by selling feature-rich ads with amazing direct lead generation capabilities.

Publishers of shopping guides particularly benefit from the “Buy Now” feature. By making content shoppable with the addition of a single button, publishers make their page a point of sale for extra revenue for the advertiser or featured product.

Fry offers these services through Layar, the world’s largest augmented reality and interactive print platform. Layar provides a comprehensive and solid-product offering of AR content creation and delivery services to meet a variety of publisher needs and price points. For example, Layar Creator puts AR content creation firmly in the hands of the publisher at an accessible price.

“We chose Layar because it provides the best user experience with the most robust
technology, as well as a transparent pricing structure that publishers and marketers can trust,” said David Fry, chief technology officer at Fry. “Layar is absolutely focused on leveraging the lasting business value of the augmented reality technology for printers and publishers.”

About Layar
Layar bridges the print world and the digital world. Layar enabled magazines have extra digital content available which readers can see and interact with using their mobile phone. The Layar app, available for iOS and Android, has been downloaded more than 28 million times, making Layar the world market leader in mobile augmented reality (AR) and interactive print. The Layar app is free and also available as a white-label app or as an SDK to embed in existing apps.

The Layar Creator, a self-service drag-and-drop Augmented Reality campaign builder, is the easiest and most versatile tool for publishers to make their print interactive. The Layar Creator enables them to add videos, Facebook "Like" buttons and direct purchase links to their printed assets. The latest feature is HTML Widgets, enabling HTML functionality in Augmented Reality. This is used for live Twitter feeds, slides shows or dynamic pricing in catalogs.

Layar was founded in June 2009, and has offices in New York and in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands. The company’s shareholders include Intel Capital, Sunstone Capital and Prime Ventures.

About Fry Communications
With a heritage in print and a focus on new technology, Fry Communications has continually expanded and diversified to meet the needs of its customers. As one of the nation’s largest privately held integrated communications companies, Fry provides category-leading solutions in publishing and marketing services to its growing customer base. Through the Fry Family Network™, an integrated association of family-owned companies, Fry consultants integrate solutions from traditional print and distribution to progressive digital device delivery and custom web publishing, effectively bridging the gap between today and tomorrow.

Source: Fry.