Toni Joerres

Our senses are overwhelmed everyday; most of the time we don’t even recognize it. Advertisers have learned which two are the most effective to reach consumers, sight and sound . Take Sarah McLachlan’s SPCA End Animal Cruelty commercial as an example (2006). It can also be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc. The images of the poor, neglected and abused animals are already heartbreaking and made even more so with her song in the background. The combination of the two, sight and sound, take the viewers on an emotional journey. They want to pull on your heart strings so you would feel compelled to donate to help stop the animal abuse.

Advertisers are not the only ones who noticed this effective combination of human senses. The movie industry has perfected it. Take my favorite, horror films. If it wasn’t for the background roar of the chain saw or the chilling scream from the damsel in distress, those thrilling, hair raising, edge of your seat screen moments would not exist. And it’s not just in horror movies either. Another great example can be found in one of our favorite childhood pastimes, Saturday morning cartoons. Bugs Bunny, Elmer J. Fudd and Wiley Coyote get their suspense from some of the most recognizable classical music ever.

To prove my point, here is a little experiment you can conduct in the privacy of your own home. The next time you watch something that breaks your heart, scares you to death or makes you jump back in your seat try this: rewind it, mute the sound and play it back. Did it have the same emotional effect on you with no sound? It didn’t for me.

Our senses of sight and sound have a huge effect of us. Learning how to combine them to create an emotional connection with the consumer is a true art form.

How in tune are you with your senses?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal