Can a Whisper Boost Recall Of Video Advertisements? Exploring the Effects of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) in Advertising

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is an increasingly popular YouTube trend and has recently crossed into the advertising domain. Mainstream brands have all developed advertisements featuring ASMR in recent years; however, little is known about the effects of ASMR. Across four experiments, the authors investigate the effect of ASMR, versus that of normal audio, in advertisements and show that it positively affects recall. The authors also explore the process through which these effects occur, showing how ASMR experience intensity, immersion, and narrative transportation serially mediate the effect. With this set of studies, the authors provide initial evidence as to how ASMR can be used in advertisements to enhance recall.