When I learned about this, my first thought was “ahh, but of course. It makes sense. Why didn’t I think of that”

In the latest example of finding media innovation where you’d least expect it, CBS is embedding a video player in a print ad in Entertainment Weekly.

The CBS foray into a print-digital alliance plays full-motion video at a crisp resolution. The ad, dubbed by CBS and partner Pepsi Max “the first-ever VIP (video-in-print) promotion,” works like one of those audio greeting cards.

Opening the page activates the player, which is a quarter-inch–thick screen seen through a cutaway between two pages concealing the larger circuit board underneath. The audio quality is equally good, but beware: There are no volume controls, and in a quiet environment, it’s quite loud. This is surely a intentional design feature, aimed at getting the attention of people nearby.

A nifty feature, and one cannot help wonder if this will produce the sort of Return on Marketing Investment advertisers would be looking for?

Check the video explaining a bit more.