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Olivia Kissper creates videos that make you shudder. She speaks in a low voice, pats her nails on various objects, folds paper bags and eats even in front of the camera. To see them is strange and sometimes even a little sinister.
However, they are extraordinarily successful . The videos he has published over the last five years regularly attract over million views on his YouTube channel, which has more than 294,000 subscribers.
Those who see them expect to feel a pleasant sensation known as Sensory Meridian Autonomous Response, or ASMR which is that tingling sensation that can form on the scalp and move towards the body in response to certain stimuli.
Kissper is one of more and more present in a growing community of filmmakers who create content for people who want this feeling.
These videos are slow, hypnotic and generally last between 25 minutes and one hour. They show a person performing a series of tasks ranging from caressing objects to brushing their hair in order to produce what many call a "brain mbadage" or a "thrill" which causes a intense feeling of calm.
To capture the sounds that produce these actions, they use high quality recording equipment that also creates a three-dimensional feel.
Huge Market
Ten years ago, whispering in front of a camera was not really a professional success, however, this style of videos did not just become a social phenomenon ]
What began as a niche content is fast becoming a big business, now that brands and the marketing industry are trying to take advantage of this new trend. .
For a content producer like Kissper, who works in Costa Rica, this evolution is not surprising.
"I think it's inevitable," he says. "It's another platform to promote things, if you look at some of the ASMR channels, you'll find that they're huge, so of course big companies will want to take advantage of it."
If you're looking for ASMR on YouTube, you'll get more than 12.7 million results
Some of the most popular videos have been viewed over 20 million times. With these numbers, content creators can generate millions of dollars worth of ads that YouTube places at the beginning of the videos.
But to take advantage of the loyal community that has formed around ASMR videos, many brands are looking for more than just posting their ads there. They want to join this trend.
Trademark Experiments
Last year, I KEA launched a series of advertising called "Oddly IKEA" (IKEA Rare), for which he developed six videos in ASMR style.
The video featured a series of pleasing objects that students might need to decorate their room, while a narrator slowly described the merits of each product.
They pressed pillows, stroked sheets, while one voice explained the number of threads and fibers of which the sheet in question was composed.
Then the voice provided detailed information on the price, the colors available and where these products could be obtained.
"Since brands had not yet explored this type of content, we did not know what to expect," says Kerri Homsher, media specialist at IKEA in the United States.
"But we wanted to make sure we created the most authentic videos possible to attract the ASMR community."
The strategy gave very good results, according to Homsher. The video has become viral and, to date, has 1.8 million hits. IKEA claims to have recorded a 4.5% increase in store sales and 5.1% in online sales during the ad campaign.
"As this genre is a bit of a niche, a lot of people were a little confused by the content," adds Della Mathew, artistic director of the Ogilvy and Mather advertising agency in New York, who has collaborated with IKEA to create videos.
"But the ASMR community came to the rescue and discovered a natural community of advocates who explained the genre to the rest of the population."
ASMR with Celebrities
With the accelerated growth of ASMR searches on YouTube – the interest for ASMR has doubled between June 2016 and June 2018, according to Google Data – Other Brands start to interest you.
Dove Chocolate, KFC and Sweden's Norrland Guld Ljus are among them.
In 2016, fashion magazine W began publishing a series of ASMR videos with the participation of famous personalities (Gal Gadot, Emily Ratajkowski and Aubrey Plaza).
The marks also search for creators of ASMR who have followers . Lily Whispers made her first ASMR video five years ago, when she was 19, and was one of the pioneers in that format. In addition to working in digital marketing, Whispers produces two or three videos a week, in which she sometimes promotes a brand.
She sees her role as that of an older sister, especially since 80% of her followers are between 14 and 17 years old.
But he is clear about the limits of his relationship with the public.
"I believe that ASMR videos can provide comfort and refuge, but I am a strong advocate of conversational therapies and human connection, and I often encourage my audience to look for the best. help, "he said.
However, many brands are interested in sponsoring personalities such as Whispers to promote their products. And they are ready to pay.
According to video views and the level of influence, brands can reach to pay between $ 1,000 and $ 3,000 per campaign, according to Savannah Newton, head of agency talent Ritual Network. 19659007] Method of fighting insomnia
According to Google data, ASMR video searches tend to increase at 22:30, regardless of time zone.
For Ben Nicholls, a 20-year-old British girl who creates videos for a predominantly male audience, it's because people are using this content to try to sleep.
Nicholls sees ASMR videos as "the fastest growing genre for relaxing on the internet that helps millions of people sleep at night, battling anxiety and insomnia" .
To date, little scientific research has been done on ASMRs. "In fact, there is no scientific evidence to show that these videos produce a coherent and reliable neurological response," says Tony Ro, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the Graduate Center at City University in New York.
But let us agree that " can help some people sleep better or reduce their anxiety and depression."
But those who manage to produce this effect with a camera and a microphone believe that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that these videos produce a pleasant effect.
"I think people are hungry to feel intimate and personal attention, eye contact, and hear a human voice that calms them," says Olivia Kissper.
And she adds, smiling, that the ability to produce this tingling in others is something like a superpower.
And, today, this superpower seems to be much appreciated.
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