• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 11, 2011

Glamour Gets Mobile Barcodes

Glamour readers can share ads with friends and earn discounts while they're at it, thanks to a new mobile barcode feature deployed in print ads in the mag's September issue.

Readers with iPhones just have to download Glamour's "Friends & Fans" app from Apple's App Store, then scan an ad using an Apple device to participate. The mobile technology provided by SpyderLynk does the rest, sharing the ad with the reader's friends on Facebook and (in the case of the Gap) chalking up a 40% discount to be used the next time they visit a store or shop online.

Other advertisers are offering special content, deals and giveaways through the same system.

In addition to mobile barcodes in advertising, Glamour has also included "snap tags" on the cover of the magazine and throughout the editorial content, so readers can "like" the September issue or specific pieces of content on Facebook.

Other features allow participants to share Glamour content and promotions through Twitter and email. To promote the September issue, Glamour is also hosting a series of live chats with featured celebrities on the magazine's Facebook page.

Glamour is just the most recent in a series of magazines to adopt mobile barcode technology to boost reader engagement. Men's Health first rolled out mobile barcodes in 2008 for advertisers including Axe, Samsung, Westin, and PowerAde.

In March 2010 Esquire positioned barcodes next to every product in its editorial section to encourage e-commerce. More recently, Essence has used mobile barcodes in association with ads and editorial content, and also to promote the title's annual music festival.

Last year, a survey of Twitter and Facebook users by Scanbuy found that 57% of respondents had scanned a mobile barcode at least once, while 40% had scanned mobile barcodes five or more times.

Meredith Bows Subscriptions for iPad

Meredith Corp. has begun selling digital subscriptions to some of its big titles through the Apple store, allowing readers to buy monthly or yearly subs for Better Homes and Gardens, Fitness, and Parents on the iPad. The annual subscriptions cost anywhere from $9.99 to $14.99, while monthly subscriptions are available for $1.99. Meredith joins other big publishers that have struck subscription deals with Apple, including Hearst, Conde Nast, Bonnier and Time Inc.

Parenting Partners With 'Today'

Parenting, published by Bonnier, has entered into a content and ad-sharing partnership with NBC's "Today" show and its Web site, Today.com. The deal will give the online properties access to each other's readers, boosting exposure for editorial content and advertising alike, while pitching the Parenting brand on broadcast TV.

One of the first shared content projects is a survey called "Mom Confessions," where visitors to the Parenting.com and Today.com Web sites revealed their parenting shortcomings. Parenting.com editorial director Rachel Fishman Feddersen publicized some of the results from the survey on Wednesday morning's "Today" broadcast.

UBM Brings Byte Back

Byte, the tech title first launched in 1975 to cover all things computer-related, has been revived (online) by UBM TechWeb. The new Byte.com, which has been in the works since December 2010, is intended to be a professional's guide to consumer technology, including news, analysis, reviews, and insight. Slide shows and video will augment edit.