Sure, the whole scratch-and-sniff ad thing was revolutionary ... yesterday. We're way beyond that now. Today's hot new thing is ads you can eat.

The issue of Rolling Stone hitting newsstands on Thursday will include an ad for the new Jimmy Smits series, "Cane," that features a dissolving strip that tastes like a lime mojito. The idea is to promote the show and Duque Rum, the fictional brand that made Smits' character's family so wealthy. According to a CBS press release:

The insert includes a thin, tamper evident pouch with a non alcoholic lime mojito-flavored dissolving taste strip which will enable them to enjoy the full-flavor taste experience of a rum mojito, without any of the sugar, calories or alcohol.

OK, so I open up my magazine, find this ad, put a piece of paper on my tongue, and let it dissolve so I can taste the flavor of a drink without any of the things that make said drink taste good. This is supposed to make me want to watch TV? At least the "Reaper" drink promotion is actually, you know, a drink.

Mostly, this reminds me of those old spy movie scenes where the agents would eat the pieces of paper with their secret instructions written down ... or those dissolving breath strips, which have always made me feel a little squicky. What's next? A pair of special contacts that give you bionic vision? A geeky guy who just shows up at my door to tell me all about "The Big Bang Theory"?

Photo courtesy of CBS