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1 Copywriting Tip

2 Examples

3 Tactics on how to use it for your business.

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1 Copywriting Tip

Tip: Use Sensory Hijacking

Show, don't tell is a popular principle followed in the advertising world but...

Something I learned from the Ad Professor takes it a notch higher.

It's called the principle of Sensory Hijacking. And it refers to mixing two or more senses together.

One sensory message is powerful. But two? Blended well? Magnificent. 

They go together like Gin & Tonic.

Instead of telling consumers how something looks, sounds, or tastes—make them feel it...

So their brain can connect the dots.

I'm not making this up. 

Neurologically, this phenomenon relates to associative synesthesia. If you see a familiar sensory scene, your mind often completes the experience.

Our brains love to fill in the blanks. Think about it...

Just seeing an image of sizzling bacon might make you hear the crackle and smell the savoury aroma in your mind...

Or reading the words “ice-cold lemonade” might make your mouth water as if you tasted something sour.

You can think of it like show don't tell but on steroids.

Show and smell but don't tell.

Show and taste but don't tell.

Show and hear but don't tell.

Show and touch but don't tell.

The truth is people might read a good ad but they'll always remember an ad that made them feel.

And if you want to make an ad that makes them feel, immerse their senses. Let them be a part of that experience.

Now onto two great examples...

P.S. I'm only talking about static/print ads here because that's where the real challenge lies. Anybody can immerse you with a video from a sensory perspective.

2 Examples

1. Coca Cola

Confidence is sexy. Try not to hear this is such a good line even though it seems ordinary.

When you look at this ad, your mind immediately creates a picture of the Coke can opening with a phissssssss sound.

Popping open a Coke = Immersve experience that the audience can relate to

Sight + Sound = Perfection

2. JBL

We all know of the feeling. When you hear a great song. And the bass is thumping. The beats are fire. And the rhythm puts you into a flow.

It does something to your brain but the effect is seen elsewhere.

This ad encompasses that feeling so well in such a subtle way.

Because you can see it (the ad visual), you can feel it (on your skin) and you can recall the feeling of a great listening experience.

It's simple. Engage the senses. Engage the reader.

3 Tactics for You

1. Write the Sound

Use onomatopoeia or rhythmic words so readers “hear” the copy as they read.

A Coca Cola poster shows only fizzing bubbles and dripping condensation—no logo needed for you to hear the “pssst-pop."

2. Tap Into A Common Memory

Choose a smell, taste, or sound nearly everyone knows so the brain auto-fills the sensation.

3. Zoom in for the Big Picture

 Extreme close-ups of drip, crunch, fluff, or frost trick the viewer into feeling it. Both examples I shared use this trick.

Well, that’s all I have for you today 🤝

What do you think about sensory hijacking and today’s newsletter?

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