When an ad doubles up as the product...

Interactive print ads in the age of 'digital' would usually mean that a viewer will have to zip out the extended organ called smartphone, scan a QR code and have an 'experience' or maybe a discount. If it doesn't end there, the ad could also trigger augmented reality (AR) tricks and eventually convert the offline interaction to an online exchange. In such a scenario, a print ad from aer pocket, the range of bathroom fragrances from Godrej comes as a pleasant surprise. The half-jacket ad appeared in The Times Of India today.

This fragrant piece of brand communication urges readers to smell the ad, cut it out and place it in the bathroom (where the brand belongs). It goes on to inform viewers that in case they want to extend the experience, they could get a pack or aer pocket themselves. That's some interaction.

This ad format fits well with brands that have odour as a proposition. Deodorants, perfumes, soaps, talcum powders, room freshners, hand washes and tea/coffee are among items that fit the bill.

Godrej aer pocket as a brand has had its fair share of experience with the format. Similar ads have appeared on jacket flaps of The Times Of India in the past. The copy of an ad from April 27, 2016 also started with Hello, there. Bathroom freshener samples were distributed in 27,50,000 copies of Bombay Times, Delhi Times, Kolkata Times, and Bangalore Times.