It’s only been available for a few months, but the interactive tablet version of Singapore’s leading city living and lifestyle magazine (full disclosure: that’s us) is fast winning fans far and wide. And the most recent converts to the cause? The judges at the Asian Publishing Awards 2012, who recognized the I-S Magazine Tablet App as the Most Outstanding Project in the Best Publishing App category, at an awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on November 30. With 157 projects from 34 companies in eight countries vying for the awards, such recognition is testament to the innovative nature of the app and parent company Asia City Media’s real expertise in the digital space.
Packed with exclusive content and exciting interactive elements (including videos, immersive panoramas, animated covers and gorgeous, full-screen photography), the app offers a dynamic reading experience that even the print edition can’t match. And the judges praised the fact that it still “retains the sense of serendipity and excitement that comes when flicking through a magazine”.
Since launching in July 2012, I-S has published more than a dozen issues of the app, including exclusive issues unavailable in print. And with tablet ownership rates in Singapore second-highest in the world (predicted to hit 60%(!) by the end of 2012), it’s a platform that’s only set to grow in the coming months: already, more than 4,000 people have subscribed.
I-S has been fortunate to enjoy sustained support from car-maker MINI as sponsor of the tablet app; and they’ve been using the platform to run the most exciting ads in the market and engage directly with the magazine’s most active, digitally-savvy readers. Not every brand is willing to take a risk on an unproven platform; but MINI certainly showed why they have a reputation for adventure. Their support was also instrumental in the decision of the Starwood Preferred Guest rewards program to sponsor the tablet app version of I-S Magazine’s sister publication, BK Magazine in Bangkok, which launched in September.
The app is available for both iPad and Android. If you have a tablet, head over to the App Store or Google Play to download the award-winning app today. It’s absolutely free.
