Virgin’s “Project”: tomorrow’s magazine, today on the iPad

"Project" is the new magazine from Virgin exclusively available on the iPad. And its pretty awesome. Rather than taking a paper magazine and adapting it for the iPad, this baby has been built from the ground up with the iPad in mind. If you have an iPad, I really recommend it.

A few examples of what this totally interactive experience is like:

– In the feature on beer advertising, you can watch the ads in questions

– A video simulation lets you fly over the Tokyo skyline

– When you like an article, one click reveals the links to relevant websites

A couple of observations on what this might mean for brands and marketing:

1. iPad savvy consumers will demand more

Think about the younger generation in particular, who may never read normal magazines. They will grow up on high-tech publications like Project. So, they will expect your marketing and communication to be much more interactive and exciting.

2. New frontiers of communication are opening up

I'm yet to see a brand that has really grabbed the opportunity that interactive magazines like Project present. The Amex ad in the first issue has some animated paint brushes that invite you to paint the towm. Pretty dull. And in the iPad version of Wired you can click and watch the TV ad for a Mercedes car. But there is so much more that could be done.

So, if you want to see the future of media, get your copy of Project. For those lukcy readers who found an iPad in their Xmas stockings, its a good app to start having fun with!

Promotional video for Project here.