Ritz Crackers ad gets entirely too intimate

Crunching. Chewing. Breathing. Smacking of lips. Whispering.

This campaign for Mondelez by FCB Seoul is clearly jumping on YouTube-borne trends like 'watch me eat' videos and ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). To some extent, Ad Nut can commend a mega-brand for being so adventurous.

And yet... This is the second spot Ad Nut has encountered lately that employs ASMR sound-design techniques—see Beer in the ear feels queer, I fear (oh, dear)—and Ad Nut finds it anything but pleasurable. In fact, it's closer to the nails-on-a-chalkboard experience. And before you ask, it's not just a squirrel thing, because Ad Nut has a human friend who reacts in the same shuddering TURN-IT-OFF-NOW kind of way. 

So while many people find the experience pleasurable, brands might want to ask whether there's also a sizable proportion that finds it deeply unsettling, or even mildly traumatic. Ad Nut couldn't find any published research about the incidence of the ASMR response in the general (human) population, so at the very least, the jury is still out.

The ad won't prevent Ad Nut from eating Ritz. But if this trend in advertising keeps up, Ad Nut is going to start a support group for ASMR-averse creatures—or perhaps a protest movement.

CREDITS

Client: Mondelez / Dong Suh Foods Corp.
Advertising Agency: FCB Seoul
Country: South Korea
Executive Creative Director: Taejay Lee
Creative Director: Fachrulrizal Anang
Art Director: Eunhea Kim
Copywriter: Seonghyeong Lee
Business Director: Jerry Yoon
Account Manager: Henry Lim
Account Executive: Cindy Lee
Production: The Headliners
Director: Jay Jun
Executive Producer: Kimi Kim
Planner: Yodha Giwangkara
Producer: Sungmin Kim
Assistant Director: Julia Park
DOP: Chando Jung
Sound Design: Dr. Hook
Sound Director: Youngmoon Yoon

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