ASMR
How brands whisper to customers
01
WHAT IS ASMR
Being a child, didn’t you love bubbling water in a glass, rustling leaves, and popping bubbles on wrapping paper? The idea is that this was ASMR before blogger content and headphones for immersive sound appeared.
ASMR
ASMR or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is a sensation of auditory and visual stimuli that causes goosebumps, relaxation, calms a person down, and can be euphoric. These feelings are often compared to a mild electric shock and a cool breeze.
THE TERM HAS TAKEN ROOT IN THE LANGUAGE, AND THE CHASE AFTER GOOSEBUMPS BECAME A TREND
In 2010, an American Jennifer Allen tried to find a definition for the “pleasant tingling in the back of her head” caused by sounds.
She was watching a video about space and experienced unusual feelings in her body. To unite people who experience similar sensations, Allen created the ASMR Group on social networks and began making videos.
She was watching a video about space and experienced unusual feelings in her body. To unite people who experience similar sensations, Allen created the ASMR Group on social networks and began making videos.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LISTEN TO OTHERS CHAMPING, WHISPERING, AND TAPING ON THE MIC
Interest in ASMR has grown so much that now there are about 500,000 channels on YouTube and the same number of bloggers who have made more than 25 million videos on the topic.
There is ASMR content for every taste on the Internet: from physics problems to dubbing cartoons.
There is ASMR content for every taste on the Internet: from physics problems to dubbing cartoons.
98%
find ASMR videos relaxing
82%
turn them on to fall asleep
70%
hope to relieve stress
38%
try to relieve pain
MOST POPULAR SOUNDS
Whispering
Rustling pages
Knocking on wood/earphone
03
HOW ASMR AFFECTS THE BRAIN
There are few clinical studies of the ASMR effect: scientists do not yet know how many people react to triggers in general and what it depends on.
HYPOTHESIS 1
Researchers link sensitivity to ASMR and synesthesia — a phenomenon when the reaction of one organ is reflected in another. There are people who see the colors of letters and feel the taste of words. For example, Thursday is emerald green for them, and June tastes like ice cream. It’s the same with ASMR: sound or visual sequence results in a physical reaction, which, in theory, should not happen.
HYPOTHESIS 2
After observing ASMR video viewers connected to electrodes, a hypothesis emerged that sound and visual triggers activate the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for social behavior, and areas of the brain that control the reward system. While watching ASMR content, the heart rate decreases — this is a sign of relaxation, and oxytocin and dopamine are produced, which cause a feeling of peace, joy, and tranquility.
HYPOTHESIS 3
ASMR fans admit that the videos help them relax, get a good night’s sleep, reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, and some even improve symptoms of chronic pain. In this context, many scientists are inclined to believe that ASMR is nothing more than a placebo effect: the more a person believes that the videos help, the more they feel "tingling" and feel better.
DISCLAIMER
ASMR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SEXUAL PLEASURE
This has been proven by research. Basically, ASMR is comfortable content. But there are bloggers who intentionally broadcast near-sexual scenes, film their videos in revealing clothes and with dim lighting.
ASMR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AUDIO DRUGS
In the 2000s, audio or digital drugs were called sound files that supposedly caused a psychoactive effect. It has not yet been proven that audio drugs work. But ASMR does affect the brain, its effect, although partial, has been proven.
04
WHAT ARE ASMR TRIGGERS
10–20%
of people on the planet are sensitive to ASMR. What determines sensibility to it is still unknown.
ASMR fans recommend watching videos with headphones and in a calm atmosphere. To experience those exact sensations, it is better to turn off the videos that irritate you immediately and look for relaxing triggers.
SOUND TRIGGERS
Videos of people whispering, tapping their nails, typing on a keyboard, leafing through books. The picture is not important here, the focus is on high-quality sound.
VISUAL TRIGGERS
Some people experience a pleasant sensation when they see how paints or plasticine are being mixed.
DESTRUCTION TRIGGER
There are people who enjoy watching various objects being crushed and broken.
EVERYDAY TRIGGERS
Most often, these are videos in which people do makeup, open packages, clean the house — perform everyday activities.
FOOD TRIGGERS
Audiences love the sounds of rustling and chewing. This trigger can be calming or very irritating.
ROLE-PLAYING GAME
ASMR artists make prolonged eye contact with the camera, address viewers and caress the lens. Fans say they feel safe and close
05
ASMR IN ADVERTISING: WHY DO BRANDS NEED IT
After ASMR videos began to gain popularity, brands turned their attention to the new genre. ASMR videos have no age restrictions, and whispering can be used to advertise anything.
Brands whisper to customers primarily because they want to be on trend. If a brand is targeting a mass audience, it adapts to customer demand and promotes the product in their language.
BMW
At BMW, meditative close-ups of car washing are filmed in the ASMR genre and combined with a different kind of satisfaction — #oddlysatisfying. "Oddly pleasures" come from meaningless but perfectly executed work: in the video the car is perfectly parked in the narrowest place, and boxes in the trunk are stacked without gaps, like in Tetris.
IN SOME COMPANIES, ASMR BECOMES A MANIPULATIVE TOOL
It is used to form an association: product — pleasant sensations from ASMR advertising — pleasant sensations from the product. This works best with food and drink advertising, since the same dopamine is released when watching ASMR videos and getting pleasure from food.
MARKETERS CONDUCTED A SURVEY ON HOW CONSUMERS FEEL ABOUT ASMR ADVERTISING
Only a few people out of 100 noted that they liked the video precisely because of the pleasant sounds. The rest appreciated the bright picture, which is what whets the appetite.
