Audio ads in my printed newspaper? No thanks!

Volkswagen gave readers of The Times of India a little surprise: a fully voiced, audio ad once they unfolded the publication. As a one time stunt? It's interesting. As an idea for advertising in newspapers? It couldn't be worse.

Think about where you read the newspaper. If I'm sitting at home with, say, my wife talking to me, I don't want to have to scream over my damn newspaper to respond. Same with reading at a cafe or on the bus or train.

Then again, are we just being too protective of our format? Is it so wrong for newspaper to take advantage of more modern media when the same publication can get some fancy features on the web or on a tablet?

I'd love to take a peek at where newspapers are going to be in five or 10 years. Will they be gone entirely? All digital? Maybe they'll be riddled with audio ads and moving pictures playing out on disposable screens — and no one will pay attention to them.

Check out Volkswagen's ad for yourself in the video below.

...wouldn't this cost newspaper/advertisers even more money producing those speakers? Heh, but the homeless would love this, I bet. :\

Eh, but I bet Volkswagen got a lot of attention from this, being one of the first to do this with traditional newspaper.