Magik Book: The “Inverse Augmented Reality” Catalog

A Portuguese startup wants to change the way we experience catalogs, with the help of augmented reality. The company’s patented “advanced magnetic field technology” allows printed catalogs to send synced augmented reality content to a connected smartphone or tablet. This is the concept behind Magik Book, which blurs the line between traditional marketing methods and more modern marketing technology.

The CEO and co-founder of Magik Book, Hugo Ribeiro, explained the motivation to create this innovative product:

Online and Offline Worlds Brought Together

The Magik Book catalog looks like a regular paper catalog, with a foldable cover. This cover creates a support for placing a mobile device – smartphone or tablet. In this manner, the mobile device is connected to the paper catalog, not the other way round.

As the users leaf through the catalog, each page sends its embedded augmented reality content to the smartphone or tablet screen. This innovation creates a powerful bridge between the online and the offline environments and helps companies create interactive and fully informative marketing materials.

It is also a helpful tool for companies whose customer base consists of elderly and tech-averse customers. There is no need to have any special skills; once the smartphone or laptop is installed in the special slot in the catalog cover, it is automatically connected to the Magik Book. The customer only needs to turn the pages and content related to that page – such as panoramic photos, interactive videos, or digital product modelling – pops up on the screen.

A Huge Potential for Omnichannel Marketing

Magik Book is, beyond its innovative concept and the patented technology, a helpful addition for marketers and business owners. The increasing customer acquisition costs prompt companies to find effective and affordable marketing channels. Blending online with offline channels to create an omnichannel marketing strategy has yielded positive results recently.

As a marketing tool, Magik Book can be used in various ways, three main ones being:

• In showrooms to demonstrate the benefits and advanced characteristics of products (cars, equipment, machinery);
• As catalog mailed to existing customers to inform them of a new product or a new range of services;
• As in-store product catalog which customers can browse, both in a traditional manner and by attaching their mobile device to it.

This is how it feels like using the Magik Book:

How to Create a Magik Book

The company has launched two versions of their product. The Professional version allows customers to design their own Magik Book online by adding videos, photos, slideshows and music. The resulting product will be accessed via the Magik Book app. The Premier version is a fully customized and company branded Magik Book which contains advanced interactive app features.

The Magik Book augmented reality content catalog works both with Android and iOS devices and does not require batteries, wires, or device pairing.