Tried & Tested: Top Santés Blippable Fitness Issue

BlipparWith the annual surge of people signing up to gyms, committing to diets and giving up their vices – for the duration of January – weve been taking a lot at how brands are using mobile to reach people with fitness on their minds.

One example that caught our eye was Top Santés February fitness special issue, which used Blippars AR platform to include enhanced content. So we grabbed a copy of the magazine, installed the Blippar app, and put it to the test.

Blippars image recognition technology works well, and the extra content was a logical fit for the editorial: videos explaining how to do some of the exercises, and image overlays which enable the user to photograph themselves with the haircut of one of the stars featured within, or virtually put themselves on the cover of the magazine.

However, this content was fairly limited in scope and what was on offer isnt likely to convert anyone whos dismissed AR as a novelty in the past. While the ability to give co-workers a Cameron Diaz do quickly caught on in the office, were not sure how useful it would be for the stated aim of trying out a new hairstyle.

The process of scanning an image and having to hold the phone still while the triggered content loads, it still doesnt feel quite natural. And without the support of compelling content, thats still going to be a difficult obstacle to overcome.