Ever since I got back from Stockholm a couple of weeks ago, where I participated in the Disruptive Media conference, I’ve been dogged with a dreadful cold that doesn’t want to go away.

Earlier this week, it evolved into nasal congestion, resulting in a continuous inflow of pills and potions plus a serious investment in boxes of balm tissues.

So in my shopping for more congestion relief yesterday, I encountered a product whose packaging caught my attention.

Take a look at the photo here (or click the photo for a large-size image at Flickr) of the own-branded congestion relief capsules offered by supermarket chain Tesco.

Notice the little dots on the package? They’re Braille, the dots which form part of the universal writing system used by people who are blind.

So if you were blind, you’d be able to feel what this product is.

I looked at all the other congestion relief products on the supermarket shelf from pharmaceutical companies. A half dozen or so different brands.

Tesco’s product was the only one that included Braille.

It’s the first time I’ve noticed this on product packaging, Tesco’s or anyone else’s.

While I have no idea what the market size of blind people is (and I guess there is such a demographic), doing something like this is a great idea as it enables you to include a group of people who you probably wouldn’t reach with your brand otherwise.

And if a sighted person is doing the shopping on behalf of a blind person, he or she might choose your product simply because it includes Braille, thus enabling the blind person to ‘read’ about the product him or herself.

Smart.

I bought the product, by the way. Not because of the Braille on the packaging but because it a) contained exactly the same ingredients as the branded alternatives, and b) it was considerably cheaper.

And it seems to work.