Almost everywhere consumers turn they encounter some form of advertising, whether it’s on TV, on the radio, in public spaces and print media, on websites and mobile applications — the list goes on and on. Many consumers have even gotten good at tuning out the ads around them. To stand out among the white noise in the sea of ads, advertisers have to get creative to better engage consumers.

Although interactive ads in the digital world are not a new development, some companies have been taking interactive advertising to a whole new level in the physical world.

The Coca-Cola Co.’s Fanta brand released an edible paper advertisement in the Middle East to offer consumers a taste of the carbonated soft drink’s orange flavor. The orange-colored ad, created by OgilvyOne in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, describes the taste of the beverage and then invites the reader to taste the ad. The brand explained in a corresponding video that the paper is infused with Fanta’s secret formula to allow fans to try the beverage flavor and share it with friends. The ad also contains potato starch, wheat flour, cross-linked starch, flavoring, food coloring, artificial sweeteners, saccharin and food-safe ink, it says.

In the beer category, advertising agency McKinney developed a fun way to encourage consumers of legal drinking age to sample Big Boss Brewing Co.’s beers. The Beercade gives beer lovers the chance to play “The Last Barfighter” for a chance to win a sample of beer. In the two-player game, players choose a character representing one of the five Big Boss brews and engage in three rounds of virtual bar fighting. The winner receives a sample of beer dispensed straight from the game’s taps.  

 Creativity continues to be the name of the game, and I can’t wait to see what brands will imagine next.