Coke's photos you can hear

Coca-Cola believes that you can hear the sound of its products by looking at them. This effect is called synesthesia. It’s when one sense accidentally triggers another sense, for example when you look at something but suddenly have the sense that you’re hearing it.

The Coca-Cola Company and agency David are playing around with that in a new print billboard campaign running in Europe. The audience is invited to “hear” macro images of the product - fizzing bubbles, the uncapping of a bottle, and opening of a can with the message “try not to hear this.”

It certainly works on some level - the recognizable product captured in a familiar moment when you would hear a sound somehow naturally encourages a sort of auditory sensation.

The campaign is reminiscent of tbwa\san juan’s campaigns for McDonalds over the years. Their product visuals are so iconic that they need very little branding.