In an increasingly digital advertising landscape, print ads have to get a little clever if they want to stand out from animated sidebars or promoted tweets. So for its latest European campaign, Coca-Cola has tapped into the power of sound and brand familiarity to grab people's attention.
Confidently called "The First Print Ads You Can Hear", these photographic images challenge viewers not to hear a series of actions. These include a cap being prised off a cool bottle of Coke, and a fizzy glass of the good stuff busily bubbling away.
And it's this association with noise that sets these adverts apart from other brilliant print ads we've seen. Making use of synesthesia, the idea that your brain can blend together sensory experiences, this campaign created by David the Agency makes you remember all those times you necked a Coca-Cola.
Appearing across magazines, newspapers and billboards in Europe, these close-up images capitalise on Coca-Cola's position as one of the world's most iconic brands. Of course other soft drinks make similar sounds, but thanks to its fame, Coke can easily associate itself with a carbonated fizz or the hiss and crack of a ring pull being opened.
"With this campaign we are aiming to activate that sensorial memory from our consumers, challenging them to hear an image for the first time, finishing our ad in their heads,” says Camilla Zanaria, Central Eastern Europe (CEE) Coca-Cola content lead.
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Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
