• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 19, 2009

With the advent of paper-thin digital video displays, it was only a matter of time before video turned up in print publications. Now, CBS is trumpeting a revolutionary "video-in-print" promotion for its upcoming fall season that will appear in the fall TV preview issue of Entertainment Weekly, due out on newsstands on Sept. 11.

Orchestrated by OMD, the CBS promotion -- which also highlights its exclusive new partner Pepsi Max -- centers on an interactive screen manufactured by Americhip, Inc., which can deliver both audio and video content.

The thin battery-powered player, located in the middle of a print ad spread, allows readers to watch five brief promotions for CBS' "Monday to the Max" lineup, including a video montage of moments from "How I Met Your Mother," two-and-a-half minutes of "Two and a Half Men," a montage from "The Big Bang Theory," a preview of the new comedy "Accidentally on Purpose," and previews of several new fall dramas.

Readers receive instructions on the use of the player in an introduction by three characters from CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," which plays automatically when they first flip the page.

The player also comes with an ad for Pepsi Max, a new diet cola that targets men. The Pepsi advertising is complemented by CBS' programming previews, which focus on the endearing foibles and cultural traits of the young adult male demo. The multiplatform, co-branded promotion also includes on-air, online, outdoor and event promotions, including a Pepsi Max-branded microsite on CBS.com, an LA premiere party, and screenings of Accidentally on Purpose at various college campuses.

The CBS-Pepsi video player is the most visible example of growing interest in "spectacular" magazine ads, which use unusual formats and new digital technology to break through advertising clutter. In September 2008, Ford sponsored a blinking "e-ink" insert on the cover of Esquire, along with an ad using the same technology inside the magazine.