Ghent, January 23th 2014 – Today, the mobile branch of renowned Belgian web agency The Reference and real-time social magazine platform provider imgZine announced a new partnership. This cooperation will bring imgZine’s smart and cost-effective mobile publishing solution to The Reference’s diverse customer base.
imgZine was founded in 2011, inspired by the success of apps like Flipboard, Pulse and Zite. The publishing industry was then starting to face an ongoing disruption, driven by the rise of mobile devices and the need for technological innovation. Aiming to help content owners embrace these changes in the industry’s landscape, imgZine sought to provide publishers with an easy way to release their own branded real-time magazines for smartphones and tablets. It soon became clear that the imgZine platform was not only suitable for publishers, but also interesting for companies and organizations.
The imgZine platform consists of a content publishing platform, native tablet and smartphone apps and an analytics dashboard. The platform enables companies to create beautifully designed real-time magazine apps for mobile devices, based on existing content. No extra editing, IT or design necessary. This makes imgZine’s proposition ideal for companies that want to avoid expensive tailor-made solutions or additional content production.
An exceptional solution for publishers and enterprises alike
Looking to expand their service portfolio and provide a smart and cost-effective content publishing solution for their customers, The Reference/Mobile found the perfect match in imgZine’s real-time communications platform. Frederic Schroyens, head of mobile & tablets at The Reference/Mobile says: ‘Companies are facing the growing challenge of communicating via all the different channels that are being used today by their customers or employees. Mobile devices get a bigger and bigger part of the attention of your audience each day. imgZine helps companies retain their relevance in this mobile era by providing a cost effective cross-platform solution, as well as a secure environment. Social media integration and powerful analytics help companies make the right decisions and act quickly, while readers are offered more enticing content experiences and smart filtering options. We are very happy to be able to present the imgZine platform to our clients starting today.’
The partnership is also of strategic importance for imgZine. ‘We are very happy with the cooperation with The Reference,’ says Bert Kok, co-founder and president of imgZine. ‘As a full service digital agency The Reference has a great track record in Belgium and is now gaining footprint in Europe as well via Emakina Group. We look forward to working with them to bring our innovative solution to the European market’.
About imgZine
imgZine provides a full service solution for publishing real time magazines in native mobile apps, using your existing content. No additional editorial staff or extra effort in IT or design required. The company was founded in 2011 and has offices in Amsterdam and San Francisco. Existing client are publishers like De Nieuwe Pers, Medix Publishers, MT MediaGroep, Adformatie and Springer Media but also companies such as Rabobank, ING and Amsterdam RAI.
About The Reference
Established in 1993, The Reference is the first Belgian web agency and a European pioneer. Today it is a leading full service agency, which is located in Gent, where it provides dedicated high quality work for its many clients day after day. A team of about 85 highly skilled employees combines its marketing skills with technical expertise into a flourishing mixture that creates attractive, user-friendly and efficient digital projects. As from 2007 The Reference is a part of the Emakina Group, which is listed on Alternext. This has put The Reference into position to continue its growth and to expand its services even further. As a full service digital agency we provide our clients with optimal services. Our integrated approach to different disciplines with a single contact point assures unmatched additional value.
The Reference/Mobile is part of the full service agency, but with specific focus on mobile and tablet solutions in B2B, B2C and B2E. As a mobile agency it can present clients with a 360 ° mobile offering: security, device management, analytics, advertising, custom development, strategy … For each project The Reference/Mobile searches for the best way to use the mobile channels as leverage for achieving the business objectives of its clients. Based on a well-founded mobile strategy, scalable and measurable projects take shape. The Reference/Mobile has realized many successful projects for reputed companies: Ansell, Bekaert, Luminus, Renson, GS1, Xenarjo, VDAB, Stepstone, Colruyt, Spar, Dela, Delta Light, Athlon Carlease, Robert Half International, etc.
