Sony joins Toyota, Pepsi, KFC, Dove, Ritz, IKEA, and Glenmorangie Whisky in utilizing ASMR videos for marketing.
The ASMR-style videos highlight the video recording quality of the Sony Xperia XZ1 phone. The full campaign and videos are posted on the website of Carphone Warehouse, the top independent mobile online retailer in the UK.
What prompted Carphone Warehouse and Sony to create ASMR videos to help promote the Xperia XZ1 phone?
The retailer website explains it started with a research survey,
“Research undertaken with 2,044 UK adults in September 2017 revealed that one in six feel stressed every day.
Lack of (or issues related to) sleep was the leading cause of stress or anxiety across the nation (38%) followed by financial pressures (37%), and work-related capacity issues (31%).
Nearly half (46%) of those polled said that peace and quiet helped with stress, but a third (34%) said that sleep worked best for them.”
The results from the survey then conclude with, “So, how can ASMR help?”
The web page provides information about ASMR including a description, some history, and a mix of perspectives and data from published ASMR studies.
The retailer ties together ASMR with the Sony Xperia XZ1 phone by presenting several relaxing videos recorded on the phone:
“Carphone Warehouse proudly present a new collection of ASMR stimuli.
These videos have been captured using the new Sony Xperia XZ1 smartphone and integrated Motion Eye™ camera, which offers beyond human-eye detail, thanks to super slow motion and predictive capture, and a SteadyShot™ mode.
Combined with high resolution audio capability, and digital noise-cancelling technology, videos shot on the Sony Xperia XZ1 reveal life’s true beauty.
Are you ready for a fully immersive ASMR experience?”
Nine short videos of 30 seconds or less are provided. Each one shows a specific action filmed in slow motion and narrated with female whispering. The videos don’t include any other sounds besides the whispered narrative.
The video titles are, “Blowing bubbles”, “Making a coffee”, “Plucking a guitar”, “Ironing a shirt”, “Folding paper”, “Icing a cake”, “Running a bath”, “Stroking a cat”, and “Shuffling cards.”
Each slow motion video does an excellent job of showing the video recording quality and capacity of the camera. I found the melding of whispering with slow motion relaxing, enchanting, and enjoyable. The whisper style and voice of the female narrator is soothing and done in an appropriate ASMR-style.
The videos do have two areas for potential improvement.
If you are used to traditional ASMR videos, then the absence of sounds from the objects in the videos is a little unsettling at first. Also, although the audio quality of the whispering is good, there are occasional splosives when the breath of the narrator slams onto the microphone diaphragm.
View the ASMR videos and Sony Xperia XZ1 campaign on the Carphone Warehouse website:
Explore other ASMR-inspired commercials by these companies:
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