🏆 We're thrilled to announce that we won 3 IPM awards and were shortlisted by The Drum! Read more🏆
Did you know that during the last 24 hours you have been exposed to between 6,000 and 10,000 adverts? Out of the thousands of adverts you’ve been exposed to, how many do you remember? Certainly not all 10,000!
As consumers, the time that we are spending online daily is on the increase, and the number of adverts that we are exposed to is expected to continue to creep up. This poses a challenge for brands, especially when considering advertising online, in an already heavily congested space. So, what can you do to ensure your brand stands out? We have a solution… enter sensory charged video!
Sensory charged video – otherwise known as autonomous sensory meridian response ‘ASMR’ – is the phenomenon that started back in 2009, when the YouTube channel WhisperingLife first uploaded a video of a black screen with a voice whispering ‘hello’ directly into a microphone. Since this moment, the popularity of sensory charged video has rocketed; including with digital marketers, who have adopted the video-style to enable brands to connect with their audience on a more intense level.
ASMR is a pleasant form of paresthesia which typically forms a tingling sensation which begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. This feeling can be stimulated with a specific formula of audio and visual triggers, which is what makes viewers ‘feel’ when they watch it. For digital marketers, the potential for ASMR video is huge as it can revolutionise online video into an all-consuming user experience.
The benefits of sensory charged video for brands are in abundance; from its cost-effectiveness to its power in increasing shopper confidence. Here’s more benefits:
Fast forward to 2022 and there are now over 5.2 million sensory charged videos on YouTube (Google), with similar short form videos also trending on platforms such as Instagram Reels and TikTok.
We believe that sensory charged video can be revolutionary to brands marketing strategy – and so we wanted to know more. We called a coffee meeting (on Teams of course) with our social media and video experts, and asked them to choose their favourite sensory charged video campaigns by brands of all time.
We’ve compiled a list of 4 brands who do sensory best, read on to see who came out on top.
Can an image make a sound without actually making a sound? One of the most iconic brand sensory charged video examples is Coca Cola, whose sizzle and pop of a Coca Cola can opening has become synonymous with their brand of fizzy drinks.
The campaign ran in 2019 across multiple markets in Europe, with consumers targeted with billboards, video and social media content and advertising. The creative featured a can and a bottle of Coca Cola being opened and poured into a glass full of ice, and captioned “try not to hear this” – uniquely challenging consumers to look at the images without playing the iconic fizz, crackle and pop of a Coca Cola can opening in their heads.
This highly effective marketing campaign took the digital marketing world by storm – play the “Try Not To Hear This” video and see if you can resist the urge to recreate the iconic Coca Cola sound.
In 2016, W Magazine started their infamous series of AMSR-style celebrity interviews with A-list participants such as Margot Robbie, Cardi B, Kate Hudson and Aubrey Plaza. The series generated immediate success and has been so popular with the magazine’s readers that it has continued into the present.
One of the most iconic interviews of the series was with Margot Robbie, who whispers into the microphone as she discusses her childhood and spreads Vegemite – one of her childhood favourite snacks – on toast.
Robbie experiments with a series of ASMR sounds; including stiletto heels walking, like her iconic character, Naomi Lapaglia, in The Wolf of Wall Street, and her favourite drink Moet Champagne being opened, poured and sipped. We are a big fan of W Magazine’s innovative way of letting us learn more about our favourite celebrities!
IKEA started experimenting with sensory charged video as a response to closing their stores in Europe during the pandemic. This closure was initially challenging for the IKEA brand, who typically relied on an optimised in-person shopping experience to ensure positive customer experience. Alongside the closure of their stores, the IKEA creche, food outlets and restaurant were also shut – meaning literally overnight the Swedish furniture company had to sell online and discover a strategy to connect with their audience over the internet.
Their cleverly-created series of ASMR videos were simple and visual, such as the Bedroom Tidy campaign which cleverly paired a showcase of IKEA’s bedroom products with 15 minutes of satisfying sounds and visuals of a bedroom being tidied.
If you need some motivation to tidy your bedroom, this video will certainly do the trick! Brb, we are off to show our kids…
Robbie experiments with a series of ASMR sounds; including stiletto heels walking, like her iconic character, Naomi Lapaglia, in The Wolf of Wall Street, and her favourite drink Moet Champagne being opened, poured and sipped. We are a big fan of W Magazine’s innovative way of letting us learn more about our favourite celebrities!
When it comes to consumer indulgence, Lindt is a brand which promises a sensual and immersive product experience of eating their luxury chocolate. Lindt wanted to communicate the experience of indulging in their smooth chocolate online – so what better way to market to consumers than through a sensory charged video?
Lindt uses ASMR to explore the most powerful sensory characteristics of its product and packaging. Watch the full TV ad here and experience the chocolate craving take hold of you!
So there we have it, there’s our whistle stop tour of sensory charged video, and the brands who do it best. Are you ready to connect with your online audience? Our team of digital marketing strategy experts and creative videographers are ready to make your consumers ‘feel’.
Do you want to learn more? We’ve developed a downloadable ebook to guide brands through the world of sensory charged video. To access our exclusive guide, click here.
