Yes, Your Print Newspaper Just Talked To You: VW’s New Audio Ads
Volkswagen: First that annoying “Da Da Da” commercial and now this? This morning, the German automaker treated readers of The Times of India to quite the surprise: a talking newspaper! (For. Reals.) A fully voiced, audio Volkswagen ad was activated when readers unfolded their morning paper, thanks to a chip embedded in the pages (pictured), reports tech blog Digital Inspiration. Powered by a photo detector that converts light into voltage, the audio chip is designed to play on a continuous loop until the paper is closed.
People have been predicting for years that newspapers will one day be entirely digital – LG even unveiled a flexible newspaper-like eBook earlier this January – but is VW’s new audio ad taking the idea of “modern media” too far?
I’m fine with talking tablet computers and eBook readers but something about a talking print newspaper just creeps me out. Actually, I’m a little surprised that this news story wasn’t immediately followed up by reports from Mumbai of a VW revolt or the skyrocketing number of shock-induced heart attacks or Prozac prescriptions. I can only imagine how weirded out I’d be to be settling into a cup of coffee and opening my morning paper only to hear it talk! The only voice I want to hear delivering my morning news is Matt Lauer and it had better be coming from the TV.
Check out the video below to see for yourself. What’s your take – cutting edge cool or “I see dead people” creepy? Or do you see it as just another way to be annoyed by ads? Sound off in the comments section – we want to hear what you think!
Digital Inspiration, via DVICE
When she’s not being kept awake from nightmares of talking newspapers, phonebooks and take-out menus, geekGLOSS’ Jennifer Latkiewicz is on a neverending quest to perfect the Rickroll. But when she’s not doing that, she’s exploring the farthest reaches of the Internet to find the newest and coolest in tech. Want to share your favorite gadget or recent online discovery? Send suggestions, ideas and questions to her via e-mail at geekgloss@mygloss.com or on Twitter at @gloss and @geekgloss!