• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, June 18, 2014

In an effort to increase the reach and scale of its augmented reality platform, Blippar has acquired Layer, one of the oldest companies and pioneer in the space.

The combined companies claim to reach 50 million consumers in 175 countries. Layer will maintain its own branded consumer offering and continue to service its existing B2B clients. Between the two companies, they have worked with over 5,000 brands and publishers and have a self-service product for publishers that has attracted more than 100,000 developers.

Blippar distinguishes between its consumer-facing platform that runs AR programs for major brands and publishers, and Layer’s main positioning as a white-label solution for the longer tail of partners.

Blippar’s branded app is used to augment many magazine ad and editorial pages, as well as create marketing programs for clients such as Unilever, Kraft, Coca-Cola and Anheuser Busch.