Greetings from Istanbul! Launch of Blippar Turkey brings Augmented Reality to region

Blippar, the world’s leading visual browsing app, is proud to announce its official launch in Turkey.

The opening of our Istanbul base – Blippar’s 10th global office – is a landmark occasion, and draws us ever closer towards our aim of making the entire world blippable.

Blippar Turkey Regional CEO Zehra Oney and Blippar CEO Rish Mitra at the launch

The Blippar Turkey team

Blippar co-founder and CEO Ambarish Mitra was in İstanbul for yesterday morning’s press launch - attended by over 50 journalists, including reporters from Turkish outlets Anadolu Ajansı, Habertürk, Sabah, Sözcü, Al Jazeera Türk, Para, FHM, Hardware Plus, Shift Delete, Silikon Vadisi Tv, Kanaltürk, TRT Dijital Bakış Programı - during which he stressed how crucial a market Turkey is for our company.

He said: ‘Given the rapid increase in penetration of smartphones in Turkey, and the optimistic approach of brands towards AR, Turkey is a focus market for Blippar. We are thrilled to launch here, and excited about enriching the country's myriad industries and brands with immersive mobile content.’

Blippar co-founder and CEO Rish Mitra giving a speech at the launch of Blippar Turkey

Blippar's vision was initially brought to Turkey in early 2013 by Zehra Öney and Mikela Eskenazi, who established Ülker - one of the nation's largest food manufacturers - as their first client.

Turkey’s first blippable product was Ülker Laviva, followed by Ülker Cafe Crown. Blippar Turkey grew exponentially that year, signing deals with major brands across all industries. This growth led to the establishment of Blippar Turkey as a legal entity, supported by the global HQ in London.

Blippar CEO being interviewed at the press launch of Blippar Turkey

Journalists blipping images using Google Glass at the media launch event in Istanbul

Regional CEO Zehra Oney has already built a dedicated team to pursue Blippar’s ambitions. She has established strong departments across technology, creative and business functions, who have already collaborated on exciting projects with PepsiCo, Ülker, P&G, Yapı Kredi Bankası, İş Bankası, Akbank, Ministry of Energy, Defacto, Modagram, Nissan and Eczacıbaşı Vitra.

By expanding partnerships across multinational companies, agencies and operators, Blippar Turkey will soon become the country’s biggest and most widely used image-recognition platform, and the bridge between the online and offline worlds.

Zehra Oney on the cover of the Blippar Gazete in Turkey

During her speech last night, Öney said: ‘We are proud to establish the 10thBlippar office in Turkey, where we shall help strengthen loyalties between brands and consumers using our cutting-edge augmented reality technology. Blippar turns everyone’s smartphone and tablet into a magic lens, adding new digital dimensions to everyday products, billboards, newspapers and magazines.

'Blipped images burst out of pages or packaging to become interactive mobile experiences. People can turn themselves into magazine cover stars, watch videos off cereal boxes and play computer games just by ‘looking’ at posters through their mobile. These interactions between brand and consumer strengthen loyalty and ensure ‘blipping‘ becomes as much a part of our daily lives as googling and tweeting.

'Although people's lives are increasingly spent online via their mobiles, the world is still very much a physical one, full of tangible products. By turning all of these products into interactive digital channels, Blippar seamlessly links the physical world with the digital one.'

To arrange a meeting with the Blippar Turkey team, please email zehra.oney@blippar.com

Read what the Turkish media has already said about the launch of Blippar Turkey: