Scratching, tapping whispering, tingling. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of ASMR.
The content trend of ASMR is best known on YouTube, where channels have gained large followings and millions of views from people seeking unique, audio sensory experiences from high quality sound recordings.
From relaxation to genuine intrigue, ASMR has been recognised as a content trend in its own right, but where do tingling sensations and whispering into microphones fit into a marketing strategy?
WTF is ASMR?
ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) refers to a sensory phenomenon generated or triggered by audio and visual stimuli. Sensory phenomenon refers to sensations of tingling, chills and more, alongside relaxation.
ASMR sounds and their effects can be produced from a surprisingly large amount of activities; from whispering and tapping random objects, to weather and intricate role-plays. Some ‘segments’ of ASMR related to food and eating also cross over into “mukbang“ content, which is also highly popularised. One scroll of the YouTube search results for “ASMR” and you wouldn’t be wrong to think that practically any activity can become ASMR with the right audio quality.
The popularity of ASMR was even acknowledged by influencers and celebrities, who created their own content to join the trend.
ASMR and digital marketing
ASMR can help boost the engagement, experience and ultimately attention generated by particular digital marketing forms due to its ability to evoke a sensory experience. The concept of ASMR is extremely important in video and audio only marketing.
Think about those ads you get before a YouTube video. Sure, the statistics tell us you’re going to skip it but, the right sound could cause you to look away from the “skip in 10 second button”, which can be the difference between 0 and 1 second of engagement for a content type notoriously difficult to engage consumers with.
Or what about Spotify and other music streaming apps? Many users without premium accounts are being subjected to un-skippable ads, so whether your advertising your discount coffee or new album, having the right sound to grab attention and paint an audio narrative is essential.
Think about key sounds and associated imagery distinct to your product or service
Using ASMR in marketing involves focusing on the key sounds and experiences associated with your product and how sensory experiences can be interwoven into branded content to grab attention.
Take coffee as an example. Think about the sounds of
pouring liquid,
the coffee machine at a local café,
the nostalgia and experience associated with it.
You can get extremely creative with ASMR and there are a range of ways to incorporate it into your video marketing, podcast or Spotify ads in order to generate positive and engaging content for a range of product categories, even pencil cases:
We live in a world of air pod and headphone users, constantly drowning out the rest of the world and tuning into the online, their music playlist , podcasts and more. Digital marketing is a huge part of the online world, so being able to compete on an audio level to grab attention is becoming more and more important. To the untrained YouTube browsing eye, ASMR may seem like a strange, niche category. But for marketers, ASMR serves to highlight the power of audio in generating nostalgic and synaesthesia like experiences, which can boost engagement and attention.
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