Allianz, a multinational insurance and investment services company and one of the world’s largest businesses, is using Layar to bring augmented reality (AR) and interactive print to its customers.

This summer, with the help of Layar Partner Network member TAB Worldmedia, Allianz Suisse launched a new mobile application - KonnectAR - which allows its clients to access digital content, services and information related to the company’s printed brochures and magazine advertisements. The app was built using the Layar SDK, one of our custom solutions that allows brands to embed Layar’s AR technology directly into their own apps.

When a customer scans an Allianz product brochure or an Allianz advertisement in a magazine, the KonnectAR app provides animated product information, links to relevant websites or even a button to quickly call a service employee on their phone in their preferred language!

“The possibility to connect our online content with our offline commercial instruments and engagements is of crucial importance in an ever increasing connected world,” said Patrick Eugster, Head of Corporate Development and Strategic Marketing at Allianz Suisse. “KonnectAR allows the customer an easy transfer across different media instruments and therefore improves the whole brand experience these customers face.”

Read more about the new KonnectAR app from Allianz!

Earlier this week, Amsterdam hosted its very own TEDx event at the Stadsschouwburg (City Theater). TED, for those unfamiliar, is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the spread of ideas. Conferences are held around the world filled with talks from people with “Ideas Worth Spreading,” and this week the event came to Amsterdam.

30 speakers took to the stage to share their ideas, and one group created an online photo book to browse through the speakers. The project is called TEDx Portraits and features sepia Polaroid-style photos of each speaker displayed in a digital flip-book.

The folks over at TAB Worldmedia (makers of the Tweeps Around layer) caught wind of this project and teamed up with the group to bring the TEDx Portraits to Layar! If you open up Layar and search for “TEDx Portraits,” you will be able to browse through the TEDx Amsterdam speakers using Augmented Reality.

“We were totally inspired by this concept because we believe that this is exactly the kind of storytelling idea that needs to be brought to a mobile augmented reality concept,” writes TAB Worldmedia on its blog. The portraits are displayed in a circle around you, and turning in place will display information about each individual.

To see me about this project, head on over to the TEDx Portraits homepage, or check it out yourself in Layar!