Whisper Sounds Become Mindful Relaxation: A Computational Analysis of Consumer Responses to ASMR Advertising

This research examines consumers’ responses to ASMR advertising and investigates the role of gendered brand personality in shaping immersion- and sexualization-oriented discourse within consumer–brand conversations. Using a computational text-mining approach, it analyzes 15,807 YouTube comments on ASMR advertising for masculine and feminine brands. Six topics emerged, including sexualized whisper cues, mindful relaxation, purchase discussion, hand-sound triggers, sleep-related immersion, and audience reactions. Feminine brands are associated with higher immersion scores, whereas masculine brands are associated with more sexualization-oriented discourse. The findings suggest that integrating sensory marketing and gendered brand personality with computational analysis helps explain divergent interpretations of ASMR advertising.