Dove Chocolate has recently released two videos in China which appear to purposely have ASMR triggers in them.

The following statement was posted on November 5, 2015 on the Facebook page for the marketing company, BBDO Worldwide,

“To modernize the Dove Chocolate ads typically used in China, BBDO Beijing created films to trigger ASMR, which it describes as “a physical sensation characterized by a pleasurable tingling that typically begins in the head and scape, and often moves down the spine and through the limbs.”

The Facebook post then linked to an article on the website creativity-online.com which included one of the videos and a link to the other video.

Each Dove Chocolate video begins with instructions perfect for any ASMR video,

“Find a quiet spot and sit down comfortably.
Take a deep breath and relax.
Then put on your stereo headphones and get ready.
Your sensorial experience is about to begin.”

One video features a young man and the other video features a young woman.

Both videos have hand movements, eye gazing, plastic crinkling, focused task behavior, chewing/mouth sounds, and soft/whisper vocalization.

My scientist mind sees this as a great experimental opportunity and would want the marketers to gather physiological data about how viewers react to these videos.

And guess what? They are.

According to the creativity-online.com article,

“BBDO says the two films were put to scientific testing, and that neuroscientists are studying the results.”

That news is as delicious as Dove Chocolate to me.

And as exciting, the results will be shared according to an article posted on the website digitalmarket.asia,

“Dove partnered with Guokr, a popular science platform in China. The two films were put to rigorous scientific testing to ascertain whether they really did have physiological effects that simulate pleasure in viewers. The results are currently being studied by neuroscientists and will be made public in the coming months.

The online experiment is also available on Iqiyi, so a user can track your heart beat whilst watching the films on a dedicated campaign page. “This is about harnessing cutting-edge technology to tell a beautiful Dove story of a pleasure seeker,” commented Howard Mok, ECD of BBDO Beijing.”

So, is this the first ASMR-inspired commercial?

It is according to the same article on digitalmarket.asia,

“BBDO Beijing helped Dove launch two experimental ASMR videos. It is the first time globally any brand has tapped into this growing genre of video content.”

There is room for dispute here.  Other companies have already created videos which stimulate ASMR in some viewers, it just appears that these other companies may have done it unintentionally.

So, BBDO may be the first marketing company to proactively and publicly establish that they did it intentionally.

To see examples of commercials which have been reported to unintentionally stimulate ASMR, just go to the ASMR subreddit and put ‘commercial’ into the search box.  Be warned though, not everyone who viewed these ‘unintentional ASMR’ commercials found them to be very relaxing or successful at stimulating ASMR.

I think the best intentional ASMR commercials in the future will incorporate scientific testing like BBDO is doing, as well as, incorporate the active involvement of top ASMR artists and incorporate the input of large test groups of individuals whom experience ASMR.

And now for some reason I want to go eat some chocolate and take a nap.

Links mentioned in this post:

• Click HERE to view the Dove Chocolate Video (Female)
• Click HERE to view the Dove Chocolate Video (Male)
• Click HERE to view the Facebook page for BBDO Marketing
• Click HERE to read the article from creativity-online.com
• Click HERE to read the article from digitalmarket.asia

More ASMR University resources:

• Click HERE for the ASMR University app (free)
• Click HERE for the ASMR University podcast
  • Listen and learn about the History of ASMR

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