The Web isn’t the only place where magazines can extend their brand. Alive, a B.C.-based natural health magazine, has just announced a partnership with a company called Planet-Tek Systems that will see Alive’s editorial and advertising content displayed on digital signs at Whole Foods locations across Canada. Planet-Tek’s in-store “digital signage platform,” called The Marketplace Station, will run 10-minute loops featuring three 30-second editorial segments extracted from Alive’s most current issue, three 30-second retailer and vendor promotional spots, and seven minutes of 30-second spots from Alive’s advertisers.

Advertisers want to connect with consumers at the point of purchase, says Alex Karch, marketing manager at Alive, because research tells them that 75% of buying decisions are made in the aisles. “Print has to become more competitive and you have to be multi-layered,” Karch says. “You have to get readers in print, you have to get them at point of purchase, you have to get them online. It’s a multi-tiered, competitive environment. The publishers that recognize that and step up to the challenges of 2009 are the ones that are still going to be around in 2010.”

Production for the signs works like this: Alive delivers editorial and ad content to Planet-Tek Systems, where IT staff produce the 30-second segments by transforming print content into visuals.

Alive has been in print for 34 years and has a monthly circulation of 198,000.