In recognition of their continual quest to improve,
adapt and utilise the available technology more fully we are happy to recommend Rhapsody.”
Richard Hill, Production Director – IPC Media
E-editions, whether derived from the print versions or stand-alone titles, are the publishing medium of the future. In many cases it is now possible for the E-version of a publication to be published simultaneously for viewing online, or as an app for smartphone and tablet – often before the presses on the print version have begun rolling.
E-editions also give you the potential to add rich media in the form of video and interactive graphics, all of which can greatly enhance the customer experience. And from a business point of view, the ability to hyperlink to other products and services provides publishers and advertisers with opportunities for data capture on an unprecedented scale.
But, as some publishers have already found to their cost, there are plenty of pitfalls to trap the unwary. For a start, you’ll want your E-edition to be compatible with all platforms, especially IOS and Android. Then there’s the question of finding an E-platform provider. There are a lot of them about, but not all of them offer identical services, and their file formats are often very different – something that can take a team of designers working from the original print files hours to sort out. Last, but certainly not least, there’s the challenge of generating the additional rich media that will make your E-edition stand out from the crowd… and then keeping track of the assets as they are distributed in multiple formats across multiple platforms.
At Rhapsody, we can remove all of those potential headaches at a stroke.
Emagine, our award-winning asset management system, is designed to handle print and E-editions in parallel, automatically formatting flatplans, page layouts, image files and proofs to suit. The system stores, tracks and distributes rich media such as video and interactive graphics in exactly the same way as other assets, which means they’re free to use whenever and wherever you want – both now and in the future. Emagine also generates page-turning ‘E-proofs’ that accurately mimic the end-user experience.
When it comes to E-platform providers, at Rhapsody we work closely with some of the best in the business to help ensure that our customers’ E-editions deliver the richest possible reader experience. Most leading E-platforms can be fully integrated with Emagine, which means that you can switch effortlessly between managing your assets and editing you E-edition on the same screen. Just ask our sales team, and they will point you in the right direction.
Or perhaps you already have an E-platform provider that you’re used to working with and don’t want to switch. No problem. It may take us a little longer, but we are happy to integrate Emagine with your provider of choice so that you can get the best of both worlds.
As for rich media, we’ll be happy to assist there, too. We handle smaller animation jobs in-house – but as you might have noticed, we’re located right in the beating heart of London’s new media industry, so we have a host of creative talent on our doorstep that we can call upon to develop eye-catching videos, graphics, websites and apps on your behalf.
Rhapsody enjoys established links with a wide range of trusted partners whose exceptional technical skills are matched only by the competitiveness of their pricing. And of course, the assets they create will be made instantly available on Emagine, which greatly simplifies the task of creating updates or multilingual versions.
The really exciting thing about digital media, though, is the way in which it can help your business expand its reach for a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing campaigns. Many of our existing clients have already enlisted Rhapsody’s help and experience in coming up with integrated e-marketing solutions – email and social media campaigns, website optimisation, and management of the oceans of customer data that E-editions can help to generate. Emagine can also be configured to integrate simply with existing e-commerce solutions, enabling the same assets to be used in print and linked directly to your website shopping cart.
This part of the publishing landscape is changing almost daily, which can make it very difficult to keep abreast of the latest developments – but that’s where our sales team comes in. Not only do they know what’s going on; they are part of it. And that means that when you ask for their advice, you’ll be directed to the latest, best and most cost-effective digital media solutions in the market.
Why not give them a call?
