An image recognition app originally conceived for real estate, may be extended across all of News Corp Australia’s ad categories and print publications.
The Newsclick product being trialled in Sydney’s Inner West Courier, gives readers a variety of digital engagement options.
National network editor for real estate Kylie Davis says the app was originally conceptualised as a tool to enhance real estate sections and then expanded into a product with full paper compatibility.
“We wanted to trial an app that showed that print advertising for real estate had a digital roll on,” she says in a The Newspaper Works report. “We had conducted some research that indicated that people would read through the paper, see the property ads and go online, and we thought that an app in that space would effectively support our real estate advertising.
“The feedback was, ‘couldn’t this work for the whole business’, so we’ve been looking for the best way to execute it.”
Readers can scan newspaper images with their smartphone to view videos or image galleries, visit an advertiser site or contact them directly. They can also share stories, find locations, enter competitions and shop online.
Davis says the first edition of the Inner West Courier with Newsclick saw an average engagement of eight minutes. “Even though it’s early days, there’s a strong correlation between large, clear, well-designed ads with a strong call to action and getting lots of clicks,” she says.
The trial will until June, after which News Corp will make a decision on how to progress with the product.