Two leading Indian newspapers—The Hindu and The Times of India—have notched up a global first of sorts by carrying a “talking advertisement” two days in a row.
The pathbreaking ad, which first featured in the Madras edition of yesterday’s Hindu, now finds space in today’s ToI in its Bangalore, Bombay, Poona and Delhi markets.
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Today’s 36-page edition of ToI (Delhi market) is split into two sections: a 26-page news section, and a 10-page wraparound.
The opening page of the wraparound carries this announcement:
“The Times of India and Volkswagen have created four pages of content as part of a special media innovation. Don’t miss reading and listening to this ‘speaking newspaper’.”
On the last page of the wraparound is a full-page Volkswagen ad for its new model Vento.
As the page is opened a light-sensitive speaker—yes, a light-sensitive speaker— weighing no more than a mere 10-15 grams and stuck on the extreme left panel in the advertisement (above), belts out the line in a loop:
“Best in class German engineering is here. The new Volkswagen Vento. Built with great care and highly innovative features. Perhaps that’s why it breaks the hearts of our engineers to watch it drive away.
“The new Volkswagen Vento. Crafted with so much passion, it’s hard to let it go.
“Volkswagen. Das Auto.”
The same Volkswagen ad runs in other papers without the audio.
This is the second Volkswagen innovation in ToI after the German auto major “road-blocked” all advertisers in November 2009 by running 12 pages of Volkswagen ads on its pages.
Talking advertisements have been done before. Even moving advertisements. (Esquire magazine created a moving cover to mark its 75th anniversary in September 2008.)
However, this must be the first time daily newspapers of the size and reach of ToI and Hindu have done it at a time when American newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post are just about coming to terms with the reality of advertisements on the front page.
(This story which initially mentioned only ToI has been updated following tipoffs from alert readers, reflected in the first two comments)
IJR 
No, the credit doesn’t go to TOI.
For instance, yesterday’s Chennai edition of the Hindu carried the same ad apparently.
http://cars.zimbly.com/2010/09/talking-volkswagen-vento-newspaper-ad/
The Hindu Businessline had this speaking ad this morning.
They have a LDR in that , when you open , light falls on it , and the circuit becomes active,
Hey guys,
What about the electronic and plastic waste in each daily.It is good only when the waste is recycled properly by Volkswagen and any media publishing it.Already there is a lot more waste in India to recycle.Please dont add into it.If they do in Germany its Ok.They have bin seperated for all the waste and recycle is going properly.
Rgds
The Hindu Businessline had this talking ad this morning
beside the innovation, it also a threat.. it show the terrisiom a way how to reach into millions of houses without any effort..
I was in the Bangalore airport on the day this ad appeared. As I attempted to pull out a trolley, the staff cried out asking me to move. They had noticed an unclaimed newspaper on one of the trolleys, from which there was strange noise. Some of the guys were on the phone – presumably calling out the bomb squad. I figured out the cause for commotion when I saw the ad later!
it shows terrorism a way to reach into millions of houses without any effort..