Food advertising is a funny thing. Unlike perfume ads, which can attack your sense of smell and sight, food ads have long relied on witty text and droolworthy images. That is, until now. In the Feb. 18th issue of People magazine, Welch's is running full page ads for their grape juice. The twist? These ads contain lickable flavor strips. That's right, they're hoping you'll lick the magazine.
The technology comes from a company named First Flavor, and the Peel 'n Taste ads work much like dissolvable breath strips. You tear the ad off, stick it on your tongue, and taste the product. They say that it can't be re-sealed once it's peeled, so you'll be able to know if someone else has licked it or not.
This isn't the first time lickable strips have been placed into magazines, CBS's Cane ran one last fall. However, I'm not sure if they'll catch on. Especially considering that not all strips will contain actual essences of what they're promoting. The Welch's ad does, but other ads in the works do not. So what do you think, would you lick a magazine?






Hanii Y
Principles
Juan Antonio Lopez
This is so funny! Last night my best friend and I had our annual Pre-Valentine date, and when we got back, we were flipping through People when I saw this. It took about 20 rounds of 'I Dare You' but she finally licked it - and said it was GROSS!
1Ewwwww. No way.
2gross - no way I'd lick it! Couldn't just put a little packet of the stuff?
3I'm so curious, I'm sure I would.
4This is just nasty. They need to let these advertising people out of the room they lock them in.
5the first lick was tasty, just like welches. but then it made my tummy hurt!
6I totally did this out of People magazine. Tasted like a grape jolly rancher, which I hope their grape juice DOES NOT taste like!
7no way...that's gross...
8although I have to give them props for being innovative...
Yuck.
9I would probably try...sounds like a neat idea.
10I think I'd be tempted, but I'm not sure I could actually do it. I'm a little obsessed lately about how sanitary things are, and licking a magazine sort of goes against the grain on that issue!
11i'm SOOO GLAD that someone posted about this. my boyfriend and i saw this ad in a magazine over the weekend - and he licked it but he licked THE WRONG THING
he was licking the page and not the peel off piece that welches has. it was HYSTERICAL!
12oh - marci - one thing about the sanitary part - it's not the actual page that you lick - there's this foil packet that you peel off and open so it's sealed and not-contaminated
13I licked this the other day while I was reading my Glamour magazine. It was sealed up in a foil packet so I didn't think it was gross. It tasted pretty good, but I let my dog finish it off. She loved it!
14i dig it!
15hahahahha i would totally lick it....
16I would too.
17Eww. No.
18I can just imagine coming accross these in dr. offices with slobber all over the book! gross! like how people tear off the samples leaving foundatuion all over the magazine or perfume scent all over the desk area. ugh.
19hmmmm NO. who knows where those magazine pages have been or whose hands have flipped through them.
20AHH, NO!
21AHH NO!
22oh my god...my friend and i were in walmart yesterday, and she picked up the peoples magazine and was like "OH MY GOD...YOU CAN LICK IT!!!" in the middle of walmart, it was hysterical...we bought it so we could try it, and i agree with MrsSchmitt...it did taste just like a jolly rancher! it was SO weird
23I would if the magazine got mailed to my house or something. You know how they say you shouldn't tough magazines in public (especially at the doctor's office) because of how many germs are on them? Just think about a magazine in public that you can lick...gross. Even if you're the first licker, chances are someone has still touched it. Even if it is just a little foil packet, someone has probably touched around the packet. Ok, now I'm grossing myself out.
24Nope.
25Ick, no way! Who knows who could have licked it before you? Besides....gross....just gross. Call it my inner Mr. Monk. *shiver*
26sounds like extra packaging for nothing. i prefer white grape juice anyway
27NEVER!!
28yup totally licked it.
29yes my boyfriend did
30I found the Welch's ad in my People magazine. I made my brother lick it!
31Guys! It's an edible film like a listerine strip, you dont hve to lick it off the page! Just take it out of the pouch and use it like a listerine strip. I think it makes a big difference.
32Here is a show host trying the "lick-able" Welch's ad out live on the air.
It turns out it isn't quite lick-able:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL4HYkhrXqg
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