Readers, watch for interactive ads and articles: The Lehigh Valley Press pages are coming to life.

Over the next few weeks, The Press will be rolling out "Ads R Live," a state-of-the-art product that allows advertisers to bring their print ads to life to tell their stories in a way never before seen in the Lehigh Valley region.

All you need is a smartphone or tablet and the free "Ads R Live" app.

"It's our job to give our readers a better experience any way we can and bring our community together in different ways," said Kevin Hardy, regional advertising director for the Times News.

"'Ads R Live' is something unlike anything you have ever seen. There is no other newspaper anywhere around here offering this service," Hardy said.

"Ads R Live," which was created by Troy Spring of Dealer World, Lehighton, will change the way readers view the newspaper. To view a live ad or story, simply scan the ad using the "Ads R Live" app and watch as the advertiser takes you on a journey into their world through video.

Lehigh Valley Press will be utilizing "Ads R Live" on its advertising and editorial platforms.

On the advertising side, live print ads will include scannable pictures or icons that will take you to videos, coupons, websites and more.

"The possibilities are endless," Hardy said. "'Ads R Live' is going to allow readers to connect with our advertisers in a way they couldn't do through print ads.

"For example, 'Ads R Live' will allow a business, such as the mom and pop pizza store down the street to tell their family's story simply by recording a video and attaching it to a scannable picture in the print ad.

"When you can connect to people you start to develop a trust in that person," Hardy said. "People do business with people they trust."

On the editorial side, articles will soon be linking to photo galleries or related articles, and eventually video.

"Last week, our photographer Bob Ford had the unique opportunity to record beam-setting on a turnpike bridge," Marta Gouger, editor of the Times News, said.

"With 'Ads R Live,' we could have brought the viewer right to the scene with just one scan on the cellphone. That's exciting for us," said Gouger.

"Readers will be able to tell if a story is live when they see directions with a story or ad.

"For the Lehigh Valley Press to be bringing our readers into the 21st century like this is really exciting," Hardy said. "This is just the beginning of things we hope to bring to enhance their reading experience."