Eat this Ad: Taste-It Notes Debut

By: E&P Staff First Flavor, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., and US Ink, Carlstadt, N.J., today debut Taste-it Notes, a "sticky note that newpapers can place on their front pages to engage readers in a taste sampling advertising experience."

Taste-it Notes are created using First Flavor's Peel 'n Taste edible-film technology and US Ink's news ink capabilities to create an interactive ad that readers can use to literally smell and taste a food, beverage or other flavored product. Each note provides an easy-to-open, tamper-evident foil pouch in a multi-layered sticky-note format that leverages the power of print advertising and brings interaction not possible with online or broadcast ads.

First Flavor, creator of the Peel 'n Taste marketing system, and US Ink are showcasing Taste-it Notes advertising at the US Ink booth at the NAA mediaXchange conference this week in Las Vegas.

"We believe this type of sensory experience helps companies connect to their customers in a completely new... way and drives product," First Flavor President and CEO Jay Minkoff said in a statement.

While studies show sticky notes now used on front pages are effective, Taste-it Notes advances the advertising approach to an engaging promotional sampling campaign that does not rely on bundling or bagging of costly product samples with each newspaper, making production and delivery easier.

"Now, advertisers that are seeking these creative ways of breaking through the clutter of messages all targeted at the same people can use our Taste-it Notes and this new taste-marketing technology to enhance the power of their printed products," US Ink President Michael J. Dodd said in a statement.

First Flavor partnered with David Michael & Co. to develop technology that replicates the flavor of a range of products in its Peel 'n Taste strips. Its Peel 'n Taste technology has been used to drive ad campaigns for such brands and products as Welch's, Campbell's, Arm & Hammer, SKYY Vodka and Sunny Delight.