Whether emotional, physical, or a combination of the two, event marketers are in the business of making people feel. So it was only a matter of time before the industry transformed ASMR from a YouTube phenomenon into a real-life engagement tactic. And as consumers increasingly seek more visceral experiences, that tingling sensation is helping to trigger brand love.
CLAIRE’S ‘A GIRL SMR’ CAMPAIGN AND CONTENT CREATION STATIONS
Gen Alpha’s passion for ASMR and all things tactile and expressive is the fuel that’s firing up Claire’s new summer campaign, “A Girl SMR at Claire’s,” which marks a significant brand evolution anchored by a mission to welcome the young generation as “Claire’s Girls,” and “celebrate girlhood in all its expressive, imaginative, and joy-filled forms.”
As part of the campaign, Claire’s Girls can stop into select retail locations, where an ASMR recording station gives them the opportunity to craft their own ASMR content while interacting with items from Claire’s Summer Sensory Shop, a new curated selection of collectibles (think: soft, stretchy slimes, “squishies” and bejeweled accessories) designed to stimulate the five senses.
PETAG’S ‘CHEW ON THIS’ PLAYLIST AND POP-UP
Dog parents are well-versed in the various smacking, licking, chomping and crunching that takes place during mealtimes. And over the spring, courtesy of pet health company PetAg, those sounds were immortalized on a “Chew On This” ASMR-style playlist, which the brand used as inspo for a one-day pop-up in NYC ahead of National Pet Day.
Armed with a stereo-inspired installation, listening stations and free samples of its new Dyne Soft Chews, Pet-Ag invited passersby in Union Square to toss on a pair of headphones and listen to a soundtrack of exaggerated munching sounds designed to playfully translate an online trend (pet ASMR) into a real-world point of connection.
DIAMOND SALT’S WET BRINE SPA
A week before Thanksgiving, Diamond Salt unveiled a “turkey spa day” experience (no, really) at its House of Brining activation in New York that encompassed a series of sensory activities tied to attendees’ personalized turkey “treatment plans.”
Among experiences: the tranquil Wet Brine Spa, where ASMR sounds and aromatic oils were designed to bring the brining process to life. There was also the Dry Brine Treatment Room for mixing up custom salt blends that participants took home, five-minute hand massages, photo ops, and lattes and bites.
Photo credit: Megan Rainwater
