Flipkart has partnered with Hindustan Times to launch the one8 Seam Classic – a sneaker designed with Virat Kohli – through an ad format that asks readers to do something unusual with their morning paper: tear it open.
The centrepiece of the campaign is a specially engineered perforated “French Window” printed into the newspaper page. Instead of simply looking at a static image of the shoe, readers physically tear through the perforation to reveal the one8 Seam Classic hidden underneath, before the ad leads them to the product’s availability on Flipkart.
The idea reframes the newspaper itself as packaging. Where a typical print ad only shows a product, this one hides it, turning the reader into an active participant in the reveal. The tearing motion mimics the ritual of unboxing a new pair of sneakers – the anticipation, the reveal, the moment of first contact with the product – except here it happens on a printed page rather than a cardboard box.
Created as part of HT ImpAct Lab’s ongoing series of attention-engineered print experiences, the execution reflects a broader shift in advertising: treating print not as a passive surface for messaging, but as an interactive medium capable of product-level engagement. By building “product logic” into the ad itself, Flipkart and HT collapse the gap between discovery and reveal into a single physical action.
For Hindustan Times readers, the invitation is straightforward – pick up today’s copy, tear open the French Window, and unbox the one8 Seam Classic before checking it out on Flipkart.
